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Plus doesn't "let a lot of people in"

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.

Read Adam's blog at www.adamsworldblog.com