"General" Larry Platt (born August 27, 1947) is an American
civil and political rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...
activist and rapper who gained fame with his performance of "
Pants on the Ground" on
the ninth season of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
''. The song was released on iTunes and received over 150,000 hits. As of March 2016, the video has received over 10 million views on YouTube.
Nickname
Platt earned his nickname during the
American Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the United ...
in which he was an active participant.
Rev. Hosea Williams coined the nickname on behalf of his heroic efforts in support of the movement.
''American Idol''
During auditions for the
ninth season of ''American Idol'' in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Platt appeared and performed his own original song, "Pants on the Ground". Platt, who at the time was 62, was ineligible to continue due to being over the show's age limit of 28. However, his audition has since become a
viral hit, with over 10 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. He was invited to perform the song during the season finale.
On the original series finale in 2016, Platt again returned to perform a few lines of "Pants on the Ground" as part of the show's pop medley.
Discography
Singles
See also
*
Sagging (fashion)
Sagging is a manner of wearing trousers or jeans that sag so that the top of the trousers or jeans is significantly below the waist, sometimes revealing much of the wearer's underpants.
Sagging is predominantly a male fashion. Women's wearing ...
References
1947 births
African-American activists
American Idol participants
American Internet celebrities
American political activists
Living people
Musicians from Atlanta
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people
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