Young Jeezy
Photo: MTV News

Young Jeezy might rock microphones alongside Jay-Z, but the Georgia rapper isn't ready to be exactly like the Brooklyn icon just yet.

The Def Jam star featured a pair of less-heralded acts in Plies ("Lose My Mind") and Yo Gotti ("All White Everything") for two of the first three singles from his forthcoming Thug Motivation 103. The Snowman said he tapped the Southern artists not only to put the spotlight on both of them, but also to show his new fans — who might not be familiar with his mixtape work — where he comes from.

"Me and Gotti kind of came up at the same time," Jeezy told MTV News. "But I respected his grind just as well as he respected mine. Same thing with Plies. We kind of cover the same routes with what we do. Of course I've sold records in other places, but I don't ever want to forget. 'Cause I was always that cat trying to get to the next level, and no one lent their hand out. I had to grind my way up. So I feel like the big homie, like, 'Come on, y'all, let me show you over here.' Just as well as showing the people over here who don't understand why I act the way I act, this is what I come from. And look who I'm bringing with me? You heard of them, but you don't know them. But now you know them."

Young Jeezy's Thug Motivation 103 is set for a September 28 release. In addition to the two aforementioned singles, Jeezy has also released the Lil Jon collaboration "Jizzle."

He also recently put out a mixtape, 1,000 Grams, Vol. 1, which featured the track "Death B4 Dishonor," a song seemingly directed at Rick Ross. Jeezy, however, denied the charge, saying the record is "not a dis."

What do you think of Jeezy's latest collaborators? Let us know in the comments!

• Young Jeezy
• Plies
• Yo Gotti

Gucci Mane at Atlanta Birthday Bash
Photo: Sam Hendrick/MTV News

ATLANTA — Radio station Hot 107.9 celebrated a milestone anniversary with its annual extravaganza of stars, Birthday Bash 15, on Saturday night. Gucci Mane closed the show for the first time, after Rick Ross, Ludacris, Plies, Monica, Travis Porter, Waka Flocka Flame, Trina, Uncle Luke, Lil Jon, Ciara and Mr. Birthday Bash himself, Young Jeezy, hit the stage at Philips Arena.

Rocko, Shawty Lo and Monica paraded out classics (some of them just as old as 107.9) and new hits. Then it was time for the man nicknamed Ricky Rosé.

Rick Ross got in front of the crowd wearing a platinum colored jacket and more chains and medallions than Mr. T. He started his set with the two most popular records from his Albert Anastasia EP, "MC Hammer" and Blowin' Money Fast (B.M.F.)."

During the latter, Ross popped a bottle of rosé and let it spill on the crowd. A woman onstage with him wore a T-shirt that read "Free Meech," a reference to the convicted leader of the BMF crime organization Ross compares himself to in the song.

"Hustlin' " and "Super High" followed. The Bawse ended with verses from various guest appearances: "All I Do Is Win" (for which everyone in the arena put their hands up during the chorus), "O Let's Do It," the remix to "Angels" and "Hello Good Morning."

Plies, one of Birthday Bash's most consistently popular performers for the past few years, proved he's more than just anthems. The Florida Goon entered the stage wearing a bathrobe and slippers sipping out of a coffee cup. The DJ dropped Usher's "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)," as Plies danced and pretended to grope a woman, before he rapped his verse to the song.

"Knock, knock, guess what, the Goon's home," he rapped. The audience almost drowned him out, singing along. "Gone three days, brought a quarter mil home/ Miss me to death/ Guess what she wrote/ Miss you too, put that on your ringtone."

Plies kept the audience on their feet with a flurry of his catalog favorites such as "Plenty Money" and new bangers like the brash "Becky."

Although Young Jeezy wasn't officially on the bill, he kept his show-stealing streak up, coming out as a guest of Plies' to perform his "Lose My Mind."

"Why y'all trippin', I'm just fine," everyone yelled on the chorus. "12:45, 'bout that time/... This sh-- crazy, way too batty/ Rosé, baby, waste two stacks/ Hardest thing in the lot, that there mine/ Can't spell sober, lose my mind."

Later, on Plies' verse, the spectators continued to join in. "Guess what my momma told me?/ She hate my patnas/ Guess why she hate 'em, though/ 'Cause all of 'em robbin'/ F--- the police, 'cause all of 'em problems."

Later in the show, it was time for hometown heavyweight Ludacris. He started out with "Southern Fried Intro" and proceeded to go ape, with a streamlined array of crowd pleasers that included "Southern Hospitality," "My Chick Bad" and "How Low." 'Cris introduced an assortment of guest performers, including Trina, Lil Scrappy and Diamond, Tity Boi and the biggest surprise, Luther Campbell.

Campbell brought out his world famous Luke Dance to shake it to songs like "Doo Doo Brown," "Captain D Comin'" and "It's Your Birthday."

"Make some mutha----ing noise for a legend," Luda commanded. "They didn't see that sh-- coming."

Gucci Mane finally got his spot as the show's closer. The time off from the scene due to his incarceration has had no adverse effect on his standing among the fans. Gucci is huge, and the Philips Arena was heavily anticipating his arrival.

Gucc started with a short video where a faux news report labeled him Georgia's Most Wanted. Backstage, Gucci watched himself on the arena's hanging big screens while Waka Flocka Flame peeped the intro from a monitor. The short featured Gucci being chased through the forest.

Finally, Mr. LaFlare, who is normally very laid-back onstage, walked out to receive the loudest ovation of the night. Fittingly, Gucci started his set with "I'm Back Bitch."

"If a n---a try me, I'mma have to bust his ass/ A couple old schools in my backyard ... / If I don't know ya, I'mma have to serve ya ... / You on my sh-- list/ I'm on the Forbes list."

Next came a couple of the highlights from his State vs. Radric Davis LP, "Heavy" and "Lemonade."

Gucci was later yelling "Burrr" on the stage, wearing a towel on his head.

"N---a, you don't love me/ N---a, you don't love me," all the women in the crowd sang on "White Girl (I Think I Love Her)."

"Bring my young boy out here!" Gucci ordered, setting up Waka's appearance. Flocka's presence onstage is the opposite of his big brother's. He jumps, shakes his dreads and keeps the crowd crunk. The main attractions were "Hard in Da Paint" and "O Let's Do It."

The Brick Squad team ended the show with "Steady Mobbin' " and "Wasted."

"What the f--- is up?/ It's Gucci Mane the G," he rapped on "Steady Mobbin'," a song off of the Young Money compilation. "So icy, so no Nike boy/ Just Gucci, Louis, Pradas, 'scuse me/ 'Gucci Mane keep shi--in' on me/ Why that boy keep buyin' jewelry?'/ East Atlanta cockin' hammers/ Bandanas on car antennas/ No, we do not talk to strangers/ Just cut off these n---as' fingers."

Were you at the Birthday Bash? Share your reports of the show in the comments below.

• Luda, Gucci, Ross And More Rock The 2010 Birthday Bash

• Gucci Mane
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Plies

Plies
Photo: Rahman Dukes/MTV News

Celebrity Favorites: Plies

Plies and Young Jeezy have an obvious respect for each other. If you know either one of the Southern street champs, you know they won't do collaborations with just anybody.

Plies just released the song "Look Like," featuring Jeezy and Fabolous, which comes on the heels of the underground record "So Bad" that leaked last year and the Snowman's current club anthem "Lose My Mind."

"For me, bruh, to have an opportunity to create the situation I created with my brother and to have an artist from a record-selling standpoint and accomplish what the Snowman accomplished and to reach out to us and allow us to know there was a situation he wanted us to be a part of, it speaks a lot to what we gained and built in this business," Plies said of being on "Lose My Mind." "It speaks a lot of him as a person. A lot of times in this game, a lot of cats can respect you and be scared to show you they respect you. I take my hat to him for it. It was my job to deliver him what I call an 'antique' verse and watch the record respond out of the gate like it is in the clubs and in the streets. I think we got a hell of a situation.

"He hit me the other day, and I told him he has a song that I consider to be a street antique," Plies added. "To pick and choose the records we do is the most important thing. I always told myself from day one: I'll never be a music whore when it came to this business. I always wanted to make sure I did in my heart what I felt was the right things to do. To get myself in a financial space where I don't have to make desperate decisions, I feel we accomplished that thus far. I'm gonna try to continue to make more right moves than wrong moves."

Although the version of "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" that appeared on Raymond v. Raymond doesn't feature Plies' verse that rocked on radio this winter, the Florida native didn't have anything negative to say about working with Usher.

"It was good," Plies said about the experience. "I was on my way to New York. My brother actually got the call. They say they needed the record back in a couple of hours. I didn't hear the record. My brother, he didn't have to let me hear it. He said, 'It's a go, bruh.' I got the record, they called back, said they needed it in an hour. Ran to the studio, had my assistant push my flight back. We heard the record; we felt the record was great."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc.

• Mixtape Daily: Mr. Finley, Drake

• Plies
• Young Jeezy

Ludacris
Photo: Jerritt Clark/ Getty Images

Atlanta's Hot 107.9 has an extra-special birthday in 2010. This year, the radio station celebrates its 15th anniversary, and you already know what the celebration will be: the annual summer Birthday Bash concert.

On Thursday evening (April 22), 107.9 announced its first two performers for the June 19 concert at the Philips Arena. First up on the roster will be the always combustible Ludacris. Before Luda embarked on the road to superstardom, he was a personality on the station in the late '90s.

The other name 107.9 announced today should come as no surprise, but fans will love the news nonetheless: Plies. The Florida native is becoming a staple of the concert. He's had two highly touted performances the last couple of years. A testament to Plies' potency as an MC is when his album cuts are sung word for word at the Birthday Bash, just like his singles.

"The game is a tricky situation," Plies said about the success of his non-singles. "From what we really stand for and what we're trying to get across, from a company standpoint, we don't stand a chance on radio with those records. A lot of times, people don't understand the impact of the structure of radio. If I could put 'Old Lady' on the radio, I'd love to have it on the radio. A lot of times, it's about trying to balance your situation but understanding your situation at the same time."

Last year, the Birthday Bash show-stealer was Young Jeezy, who brought out Lil Wayne and Mary J. Blige. Rick Ross, Fabolous, Gucci Mane, Trey Songz, Keri Hilson, Soulja Boy Tell'em and the Grand Hustle family also hit the stage.

In 2008, Jeezy also had the most talked-about set, bringing out Kanye West, The-Dream and Usher.

Stay tuned to MTVNews.com in the coming weeks for more performers who will appear at this year's Bash.

Who would you like to see perform at this year's Birthday Bash? Let us know in the comments!

• Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige And More Come Out For Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash 2009
• T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• Plies
• Ludacris

Plies
Photo: Atlantic

A Goon with a heart of gold? Plies says he isn't holding your ordinary album-promotion contest. The MC, who has endeared himself to fans with records like "Plenty Money," "Please Excuse My Hands" and "Wasted," is upping the ante for his next album, Goon Affiliated.

The Florida native has announced a contest called the Goon Affiliated 25 Day Giveaway. Plies told MTV News that he's holding the contest for "everybody who's been supporting me since my mixtape days, all the way to Da Realest, to my brand new situation, Goon Affiliated, due May 25," he said. "Every day, for 25 straight days, I'm going to be giving away my own personal items. Big sh--. Real big sh--."

Fans can call a toll-free hotline from May 1 to May 25, and if the MC picks up the phone, the caller will win a prize. Exactly what prizes can you get? Well, Plies says he'll be giving away iPads and jewelry from his personal collection, as well as major moola in the form of some rather practical assistance: scholarships for college, health care and mortgage payments, among other big-ticket items.

Fans can register by sending an e-mail to May25GoonAffiliated@gmail.com, then they can call the Goon Affiliated 25 Day Giveaway hotline at 866-983-2111. Plies is going to answer the phone once a day, and 25 prizes in total will be given away.

Last year, Plies explained how he and his brother, Big Gates, decided on the album's title. "For me, we felt Goon Affiliated wasn't too gangsta, wasn't too soft," he told Mixtape Daily. "It was right in the middle. Kids in the suburbs could have goon friends and be goon affiliated. You could be a street cat and not call yourself a 'goon' but have goon homeboys and be goon affiliated. Or you could be a goon and be goon affiliated. It's a whole diverse situation for me."

Plies' current single and video is called "She's Got It Made." He also appears as a guest on Young Jeezy's "Lose My Mind." The video for that track premieres on Monday on MTV.

What would you say to Plies if you got him on the phone? Talk about it in the comments!

• Plies

Photo: Ruthless Records

• Eazy-E
• Plies

Plies and Big Gates
Photo: MTV News

Plies has long been called a rebel of the music industry, to the extent that some say he embodies the same radical spirit as the members of N.W.A. On Friday (March 26), the 15th anniversary of the death of N.W.A founder Eric "Eazy-E" Wright, Plies and his brother Big Gates reflected on Eazy's impact.

During a visit to MTV News' offices on Friday, Plies said Eazy and N.W.A's music resonates no matter where you're from. "Being Florida based, where we've resided all our life, I look at Florida as the gutter landmark," Plies said. "I feel that it don't work in Florida if it ain't gutta. To see a West Coast group and West Coast artist being embraced in Florida, and on a national level, for me, it's simple. Coming from the conditions we come from and having anybody represent what you represent and see them win on a national level, it allowed me to understand that I had a chance in music if it was what I chose to do.

"I had a chance to accomplish that and do it from a principle-driven way," he continued. "[Gates and I] say that all the time as brothers and as a company, our principles are non-negotiable. It's a lot of things we stand for that the business don't understand right now. We agree that it's more personal in this business than it is business. At the end of the day, you gotta stand for what you're trying to represent and reflect. I feel Eazy-E and N.W.A did a helluva job in doing that. I don't feel like we're carrying the torch, I feel like we're trying to stand behind what we're trying to stand behind. If that's a way we can be come successful in selling records, cool. If it ain't, we can look at each other and know we came into the game with our principles and we're gonna leave the game with our principles."

"I was just listening to an Eazy-E record," Gates said with a grin. "They started, really, what we're doing. We looked at them. Even now, we look at them as a influence of what we do. N.W.A speaks for itself. I'm sure you know what it means: N---as With Attitude. You listen to my brother's music, you see what we representing. I just got out of prison. It's kinda simple, what we stand for: That's really what Easy-E brought to the table. He told America, 'I can say what I wanna say. Speak my mind. Freedom of speech. Regardless of how you feel, what you think I should say, what you think I should wear, I'mma do me.' I came from a different struggle versus [people in] corporate America. Eazy spoke for me, so I try to make sure me and my brother speak for the people from where we came from."

Check out what the Game and other West Coast rappers had to say about Eazy-E on the 15th anniversary of his death.

• Remembering Eazy-E

• N.W.A. Founder Eazy E Remembered

• Plies
• Eazy E

Gucci Mane
Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images

The most important album of Gucci Mane's career is scheduled to surface in stores December 8. For Gucci, the title The State vs. Radric Davis took on an all-too-real relevance a couple of weeks ago when the rapper was sent to jail for 12 months.

He violated the terms of his probation, and at a time when he should be on the road promoting, Gucc is behind bars. He does have a slew of mixtape tracks holding him down in the streets and the clubs. A Gucci set is necessary for just about every hip-hop dance floor now. For the mainstream, the Zone 6 rep left a calling card: "Spotlight" with Usher. Meanwhile, "Wasted" with Plies continues its chart success.

Things couldn't be better for Gucci, career-wise. Despite the LP's grave title, The State vs. Radric Davis finds Gucci in many jovial moments.

The weightiest part of "Heavy" is the beat. Producer Shawty Red makes a track that sounds like it came out of a cartoon and was pimped with roaring bass for the booty-shake clubs. "Real heavy, real heavy," Gucci raps on the hook. "Somebody help me, my chain heavy/ My ego is toooo big/ It's getting' heavy/ My head is gettin' tooo big, it's too heavy."

Jazze Pha uses piano as the soundscape for "The Movie." The track sounds as if an old Charlie Chaplin movie was filmed in today's ATL trap.

"I'm jumping out my coupe with the missing roof," Gucci raps. He then tells the ladies out there he is not looking for any type of serious relationship. " 'Do you remember me from last month?'/ I can't remember nothing but my last blunt," he jokes.

Gucci totally changes his stance on the Zaytoven-produced "I Think I'm in Love." He raps about a woman he feels is "God's gift."

"Bad Bad Bad" has Keyshia Cole on the hook. That record takes a harsh look at love lost. "I can do bad, bad, bad all by myself," Keyshia sings on the chorus. Meanwhile Gucci pleads his case: "I'm a bad boy, but there's still so much good in me/ If you take me out the 'hood, there's still the 'hood in me."

The title says it all on the Rick Ross-featured "All About Money," as does "Sex in Crazy Places" with Bobby V, Nicki Minaj and Trina.

"Stupid Wild" features both Cam'ron and Lil Wayne. The trio stunt and once again plant their flags for being the owners of the rap game.

"Wilder than a jaguar, wildin' in a Jaguar," Weezy spews on the Bangladesh-produced track. "Please don't play with me, I'll put this pistol on your grandpa."

"Let's do the furs, his and hers," Cam comes in on the second verse. "Started gettin' on my nerves, so I hit with the 'burrr'/ ... And your wifey, we use her for her food stamps."

• Gucci Mane
• Lil Wayne
• Cam'ron
• Trina
• Nicki Minaj

Photo: MTV News

• Polow Da Don
• Jay-Z
• Busta Rhymes
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• DJ Khaled

Plies
Photo: Rahman Dukes/MTV News

Area codes 804, 757, you already know, Mixtape Daily has love for y'all. Shout out to Quan, shout out to the Clipse, big up to all the artists from VA. Today, DJ Khaled shows he's been doing more than just scouting talent in MIA — he's been to VA as well. He scooped up a young cat from Richmond named Red Rum, the newest member of the We the Best record company.

This Week's Main Pick

Street King: Red Rum
Holding It Down For: Richmond, Virginia
Mixtape: The Switch Spot
Real Spit: Red Rum ran up on DJ Khaled. During the filming of the I'm So Hood (remix) video, Rum made his way onto the set and slid the energetic music man one of his early mixtapes. Khaled said he played it in his car that night and reached out. The two have been linked up ever since. Khaled is getting his new protégé warmed up in the street before the album comes sometime next year.

"He flew me down to Miami, but I wasn't no artist then," Rum admits of his initial dealings with Khaled. "I wasn't ready for this. So it took two years, but I ain't stop. My fan base got bigger without nobody helping me, but with the Khaled stamp."

Rum's nickname, the "Switch Man," is pure Richmond, Virginia, slang.

" 'Switch Man,' " he explained, "that all comes about because of where I'm from. ATL calls it 'trappin,' we 'catch switches.' That's what it is, I was on the block. Now I'm catching switches with the music. I got fans, they're spending money to see me, they wanna see Red, dummy. 2010 we getting it in. I promise. The Switch Spot just lets everybody know I am an independent artist, as well as a mainstream artist. I'm independently trying to take over this game. I just don't wanna be no rapper. I'm in here, straight up."

Joints To Check For

"On My Mama": "That defines my grind. On my mama, no lies. I'm not gonna sit here and lie on my mama, I put my heart into this. This is what you want, this is what you get. No fake stuff. My mama has no other choice but to hear the song. They play it all on the radio. She loves the grind. She knows where we come from and what we took it to. She has no choice but to respect it."

"Get It In": "That's with Yo Gotti," he says. "It lets you know every city I go to, I get it in. Every time I swing that corner in that Caddy, they know I get it in. Standing alone again."

"One More Time": "It was inspired by DJ Kool from DC," Rum explains. "That made them 20,000 people — me being independent with no help, had 20,000 people — rocking. Wait till the world hears it — its gonna be number one on the charts."

Streets Is Talking: News And Notes From The Underground

Plies' Goon Affiliated should be out within the next few months, but he's playing it close to the vest as to which MCs are coming on the LP. He did give a clue when we saw him at the BET Hip-Hop Awards earlier this month.

"I'll just drop one in your lap. I didn't have the rap feature thing before so I'm doing something with a cat that's real, real big in Atlanta. Some people says it's this person, some people say it's that person. But it's a special situation. A major situation for this album."

When asked if it's the person he got with on the song "Wasted," Pies just smiled and said, "It could be. It could be."

Although Plies wouldn't spill the beans — for real, for real — we've been hearing it may not be Gucci Mane but a man who's known for his motivational rap songs.

Plies says that regardless of who he collaborates with, you'll see his growth.

"We painted the best picture we can paint. You'll see the evolution of who I am as an artist from the production standpoint as well as the lyrical content side. I'm excited about this one. More excited than I was about my previous three. ... Let's put it all in the kitty and let the streets tell us what it is."

For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines.

• Mixtape Daily: Polow Da Don, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, More

• Gucci Mane
• Plies
• DJ Khaled

Sucker Free Summer 2010

• Drake
• Nicki Minaj
• B.o.B
• New Boyz
• Gyptian

Rick Ross, Keri Hilson, Big Boi, More At BMI Awards

• Yung Joc
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Keri Hilson
• Janelle Monae
• Plies

Should Plies Be One Of The "Hottest MCs?"

• Plies

Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige And More Come Out For Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash 2009

• Lil Wayne
• Trey Songz
• Plies
• Shawty Lo
• Pleasure P

2008 BET Hip-Hop Awards Red Carpet

• T-Pain
• N.E.R.D.
• T.I.
• Soulja Boy Tell'em
• Plies

T.I., Young Jeezy, Kanye West And More At Atlanta's Birthday Bash 2008

• T.I.
• Young Jeezy
• Webbie
• Game
• Plies

Plies, Rick Ross, Lloyd, More At 2nd Annual Ozone Awards

• Papoose
• Rick Ross (Hip-Hop)
• Trey Songz
• Lloyd
• DJ Drama