''Da REAList'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Plies, released by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

on December 16, 2008 in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The album was released just six months after his previous release, ''

Definition of Real ''Definition of Real'' is the second studio album by rapper Plies. It was released on June 10, 2008. Guest appearances include Ne-Yo, J. Holiday, Keyshia Cole, Trey Songz, Jamie Foxx and The-Dream. The album garnered mixed reviews from critics ...

'', with re-teaming with producers and rapper

Drumma Boy Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American record producer. Early life Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mot ...

No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), professionally known as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American hip hop and R&B producer from Chicago, Illinois. Wilson is also a disc jockey (DJ), music arranger and former rapper, having relea ...

and DVS. Additional production by

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...

T-Minus A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...

and

DJ Infamous Marco Antonio Rodriguez-Diaz, Jr. (born June 19, 1980), better known by his stage name Infamous or DJ Infamous, is an American Grammy award winning record producer, and three time world champion winning DJ. Infamous, was a founding member of T ...

among others. ''Da REAList'' was released to more mixed and lukewarm reviews among critics than his previous albums. The album has reached number fourteen on the US ''Billboard'' 200.

Background

The rapper re-entered recording studios shortly after the released of his preview album ''

The Real Testament ''The Real Testament'' is the major-label debut album by rapper Plies. It was released on August 7, 2007. Upon its release, the album was well received by music critics. On January 31, 2020, Plies released a sequel album, ''The Real Testament I ...

'' to begin working with producers

and many others. Plies also collaborated with R&B newcomer Chris J,

Sean Garrett Garrett Robin Hamler, known professionally as Sean Garrett, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is responsible for a series of chart-topping compositions, most notably Usher's " Yeah!" which ranks second on the ''Billboa ...

, and was originally supposed to be released on ''Definition of Real'' but didn't make the final track listing. The first buzz about the album was started after the release of ''Definition of Real'', where the back page of the album booklet had a statement about the album title and the release date. /

Chart performance

The album debuted at number one on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...

chart, and number fourteen on the ''Billboard'' 200, with sales of 114,438 copies in its first week. It is Plies lowest charting album to date, which spent twenty weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album has sold over 326,149 copies as of December 4, 2009. The single "Pants Hang Low" was released on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

on September 23, 2008 as a promo single. Plies was one of the few to speak out against the belt-less pants ban in southern cities. ''Da REAList'' spawned three singles: The album's lead single, "

Put It on Ya "Put It on Ya" is a song performed by American hip hop artist; Plies. The song features newcoming R&B artist Chris J, and is produced by No I.D., and was co-written by Kon Live recording duo, Rock City (group) . It is the first official single f ...

", became one of Plies biggest hits, reaching number 31 on the U.S. ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart and number 8 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. Follow-up single "

Want It, Need It "Want It, Need It" is a song by American rapper Plies and features R&B singer Ashanti. "Want It" is the second single from his third studio album '' Da REAList''. So far the single has received positive reviews. The single samples "Two Occasio ...

", which featured R&B singer Ashanti, barely made it on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number ninety-six, but reached the

chart at twenty-one. The third and final single, "Plenty Money" received a radio airplay released and shared the same success as the last single. Although the singles "Spend The Night" was going to be the album final single and plans for a

Philip Andelman Philip Andelman is an American music video director and photographer. Andelman has directed music videos for many notable artists, see below. He has received nominations for his works from the MVPA, VMAs, and CMT awards including MVPA Director ...

direction video, it was cancelled due to Plies working on his fourth album, ''

Goon Affiliated ''Goon Affiliated'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Plies. The album was released by Atlantic Records. Background ''Goon Affiliated'' was recorded between the fall of 2009 and the spring of 2010, set to be released just six months ...

''. A music video for the song "Pants Hang Low" featuring

was released on December 15, 2008.

Track listing

Sample credits * "Want It, Need It" contains interpolations of the composition "

Two Occasions "Two Occasions" is an R&B song written by Babyface, Darnell Bristol and Sid Johnson (who was the former manager for Babyface's early group, Manchild). It was produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid for the Deele's third studio album '' Eyes of a Stra ...

", written by

Darnell Bristol Darnell "Dee" Bristol is a member of The Deele and a songwriter who co-wrote The Deele's " Two Occasions". Years later, he would be credited as a co-writer of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together "We Belong Together" is a song by American sin ...

, Sidney Johnson, and

Kenneth Edmonds Kenneth Brian Edmonds (born April 10, 1959), better known by his stage name Babyface, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has written and produced over 26 number-one R&B hits throughout his career and has won 12 Grammy A ...

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Realist, Da 2008 albums Albums produced by Drumma Boy Albums produced by J. R. Rotem Albums produced by Just Blaze Albums produced by Mannie Fresh Albums produced by No I.D. Albums produced by T-Minus (record producer) Atlantic Records albums Plies (rapper) albums