PLUS

In the past few years, Stamford emcee and producer Plus has parted ways with his group Nervous System and cut off of the dreads that took him 11 years to grow. But he says his decision to put out a solo album is the real "turning point in my life," the "turning point in my career." That's why he called it The Turning Point.

In 2002, Plus, then going by the name Polarity Plus, formed Nervous System with fellow emcees SolStorm and Eclipse. The group saw both local success, in the form of packed houses, and national success with their releases charting high in CMJ. The music Plus made with Nervous System is a bit different from his solo project.

"I think that this record is a little bit more — I don't want to say aggressive like it's some hardcore Get Rich or Die Tryin' record — but I think it's a little realer," he explains. "I think it's a little bit more aggressive in terms of lyrical content. I don't think Nervous System was that aggressive. I think Nervous System was a little bit more experimental, more of a Black Eyed Peas kind of thing, or a Fugees kind of thing, which is not a bad thing, because they're both great groups, but I think with this record it's a little bit more real all the way around the table."

Plus made the decision to go solo with a heavy heart, but a determined mind. After Nervous System parted ways with the small indie label they had been on, they signed with a management company. Unfortunately, according to Plus, "the management company really didn't do anything for us." Having this incident follow their unpleasant situation with the label left the group feeling deflated. "After that, everybody's heart just kind of failed out ... We did have interest at major labels, but after things didn't work out everybody was just kind of like, 'Okay, we don't want to leave this group, but what else are we gonna do here?' It was showing in the recordings. It was showing in the performances. After a while, it just stopped being fun for me and music is supposed to be fun." This pushed Plus to make his decision. "I love them dudes, but I needed to make a change and I felt like this was the change I needed to make, to make a solo record and go solo."

The more aggressive, solo version of Plus is also significantly more open about his personal life. "I don't let a lot of people in," he explains, "[and] I felt like everyone was talking about, 'You gotta let down your wall, man. Let it out.'" He adds, "There are things on this record that a lot of people didn't know about me, like a lot of the things I went through on the song 'My Life.' A lot of people didn't know I went through the things with that ex-girlfriend or that my father had passed."

Some songs have an undoubtedly dark quality to them. "We all go through some dark times," Plus says, "and the best way to get around it is to let it out. I actually feel better letting it out."

But don't expect to hear "My Life" during Plus' set when he rocks with Deuce Bug and legendary New York emcee Cormega at the Acoustic Café in Bridgeport on Nov. 20. "I don't even want to perform that song, to be honest with you. I just want to have people hear the record and be like 'Okay, I feel him.'"

Like the majority of artists hailing from Connecticut, Plus is going the independent route for distribution, but he has label experience that taught him some of the ins and out of industry. Two of the most important lessons he's learned have been "know your business and stay focused," adding, "Don't let anybody tell you that you need to sign the or you need to go here."

Plus is in total control of his career now, and while his naturally affable nature hasn't changed, musically everyone needs to be prepared for a whole new Plus.

- The Fairfield Weekly

Plus
opening, with Tru Allies, for Snoop Dogg. $48, Feb. 26, 8:30 p.m., Webster Theater, 31 Webster St., Hartford, (860) 525-5553, webstertheater.com

P.J. Davis, who performs under the name Plus (because "I'm just a great addition," he told me), is about to have a pretty good weekend. He's opening for Snoop Dogg at the Webster this Friday.

"I hope I get to party with him," he said last week in a phone interview. "I'm a fan. I still pump Doggystyle, Snoop's first record. To this day he's the general of the West Coast."

Plus is living in Stamford now, but has grown up and moved around all over the Northeast — he was born in D.C. and lived in different cities in Maryland before moving here. The emcee performs solo now, after being in a group for a few years, Nervous System, who were "making a good buzz in Connecticut" he said.

"I liked being in Nervous System, but all good things come to an end," he said.

In the past year, Plus has written, produced, recorded and mixed The Turning Point, the record he submitted to the Webster Theater in a call for local artists to open for Snoop Dogg. His stuff, along with a couple hundred other applicants, was sent along to Snoop and he and another group, Tru Allies, were selected.

"I'm going on the mainstage, right before [Snoop], so hopefully the impact will be good enough to come home with some records sold," he said. He is, as you can imagine, pretty psyched.



Plus said he started writing when he was in his early teens, and began producing in the late '90s.

"I've always been making tapes," he said, "I remember making tapes on the karaoke machine, and I've just gone on from there."

A student, briefly, at the Institute of Audio Research in Manhattan, Plus quit school — "they never taught me anything, so I had to go out and do what I do on my own," he said — and started to experiment with keyboards and computers.

"I just developed my ear for music," he said. "You can't put out garbage. You have to focus hard on what you're putting out."

He listened to a lot of Public Enemy, NWA, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Nas, Queen Latifah — "I can't forget the ladies in hip-hop; I love those ladies." — and Guns N' Roses, too.

"Guns N' Roses did it for me," he said. "Guns N' Roses is off the hook."

"I think it's great of [Snoop] to show Connecticut this kind of love," Plus continued. "I'm real happy I made the cut, and that this other group made the cut."

Asked how excited he is about the big night, he said: "I work hard, dammit. This is the payoff."


- The Hartford Advocate

P.J. Davis has long been a devotee of the legendary emcee/producer team of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, so when he was asked to open for Snoop Friday at Hartford's Webster Theater, he was ecstatic.

"In my head, I'm on some real fan (stuff)," said Davis, a Stamford hip-hop artist who goes by PLUS on stage. "I still play "Doggystyle" -- Snoop Dogg's 1993 record debut -- "like it came out yesterday. So, to actually be going on right before him is amazing."

Still, for the rapper/producer, who began his career at the helm of Connecticut hip-hop trio Nervous System, the concert is more than just a chance to share the spotlight with one of his heroes. It's part of a larger plan to open a new chapter in his career, to assert himself as a solo artist capable of tearing up the state's thriving hip-hop scene.

"I want to let people know -- I'm here," said PLUS, who recently dropped his new, self-produced album, "The Turning Point."

If his brief, yet remarkable success with Nervous System, and his virtuosic knack for do-it-yourself beat-making is any indication, there's little doubt PLUS can see that plan through.

Born in Washington, D.C., in 1975, PLUS grew up in Gaithersburg, Md., and moved to Wilton before settling with his family in South Salem,

N.Y. in 1993. Inspired by hip-hop artists such as Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Nas and Rakim, he began to write lyrics and by his 20s, experimented with his first sampler, the MPC 2000.

PLUS later relocated to Norwalk and in 2002 formed Nervous System. Comprised of himself and Bridgeport emcees SolStorm and Eclipse, the group quickly established itself as a popular force in Connecticut's underground hip-hop scene. The trio caught the attention of Brigeport-based Exotic Recordings and later that year, released its debut album, "Controlled Substances."

After performing shows at local venues, including Danbury's Heirloom Arts Theatre and Molly Darcy's Pub, the group opened for mainstream acts such as Talib Kweli, Kurtis Blow, MOP and Africa Bambaataa. It even made plans to shoot a music video.

But despite the rapid success, friction with Exotic led the group to part ways with the label in 2005, halting its rise to stardom.

"It ended badly," PLUS recalled of the relationship with Exotic. "That's unfortunate, because I believe ... we could have been big."

Following the setback, Nervous System couldn't sustain its synergy ("It stopped being fun for me," PLUS recalled.) and the group disbanded.

But that hasn't derailed the rapper's dreams. A year later, he got down to work on a solo album, ditching his samplers in favor of a more compact midi keyboard and computer-based digital audio workstations.

Created in the basement of his mother's South Salem home, "The Turning Point" is a 14-track musical memoir that recounts the joys and heartache of PLUS' life -- from the success of his career to the death of his father. In "Knight Stick Conflict," the rapper recalls alleged run-ins with police while working in New Canaan.

"I can't tell you how many times I've been pulled over or stopped on the street for absolutely no reason," said PLUS, who stocked shelves at a liquor store as a teen.

The orchestral flourishes of PLUS' production recalls Dr. Dre, while his aggressive delivery reflects the styles of Eminem and Ghostface Killah. It's the most honest record he's ever done.

"I'm not a big, open person," he said, "but when you're making a record, you tend to pour out a lot."

The theme of renewal, of starting over, permeates the album. For PLUS, that means taking his destiny into his own hands -- from creating all the rhymes and beats to handling management and promotion.

Earlier this month, he sent samples of his music to the management at Webster Theatre, in hopes of returning to the venue for a performance. Just two weeks ago, he got a call from the theater, saying that "Snoop's people liked my music" and that he would have the opportunity to open for the artist.

It hasn't been easy, but with victories like that, PLUS is confident he can make his own way.

"Unfortunately, I feel like I have to start all over," he explained. "But you really just have to put away the past and focus on the future."

The Webster Theatre is at 31 Webster St., Hartford. Friday 8:30. $48. 800-477-6849, www.webstertheatre.com. - The Stamford Advocate