Plies and Flo Rida

As a lifelong rap head, I don't know whether I should revel in or disguise the fact that I've never heard even one song from either Floridian rapper Plies or Flo Rida. On the one hand, my credibility amongst purists of the backpack variety will undoubtedly go up a notch; on the other, it indicates that I'm not willing to sacrifice my ears for my craft, or worse, that I'm some sort of rap snob (the kind who listens to stuff like Aesop Rock and never dances...uuuggghh). But from a cursory glance at the peer group these two keep in the industry, I'm confident making a blanket indictment of both of them, dismissing both as epitomes of the equally comic and tragic hyper-consumptive/gangsta/nihilist/flossy cotton-candy rap that (I can only assume) is so pervasive on the airwaves (I don't actually tune into) today. Make ya money, shake that ass, I ain't mad at cha. All ages.
Thu., March 20, 6 p.m., 2008