"General" Larry Platt (born August 27, 1947) is an American Civil and political rights activist and rapper who gained fame with his performance of "Pants on the Ground" on the ninth season of American Idol. His hit release song "Pants on the Ground" was released on iTunes and received over 150,000 hits. As of April 2011, the video has received over 8 million views on YouTube
Platt earned his nickname during the American Civil Rights Movement 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, 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 7.7 million views on YouTube. He was invited to perform the song during the finale.
Several celebrities performed the song in the days that followed the original airing of his audition. This included late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who performed a version of the song while also impersonating Neil Young on his show Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. NFL quarterback Brett Favre was also caught leading the Minnesota Vikings in a performance of the song in their locker room following their game against the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 NFL playoffs. Today Show hosts Meredith Viera, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry also organized a performance of the song. Canadian MLA T.J. Burke also performed a rendition of the song in criticizing Progressive Conservative opposition leader David Alward during a session of the New Brunswick provincial legislature. Platt himself made a subsequent appearance on ABC's The View on January 18, 2010, performing the song in its entirety. "Pants on the Ground" was also sung on WWE's Royal Rumble 2010 PPV event, in a backstage segment between Teddy Long, Cryme Tyme, Ranjin Singh, and The Great Khali.
