Caught With His "Pants" Down! Is General Larry Platt A Plagiarist?

General Larry Platt has been one of the breakout stars of American Idol this season, with his instantly viral audition of "Pants On The Ground" generating far more buzz than any Idol contestant who actually received a golden ticket to Hollywood. The 62-year-old's "Pants On The Ground"--a wacky rap rant against baggy, draggy gangsta trousers--has even been performed by everyone from season 8 Idol semi-finalists Jackie Tohn and Alex Wagner-Trugman to Jimmy Fallon and Brett Favre. Platt recently reprised the song himself on an episode of The View, and reportedly has plans to record and release an official single of his overnight pop-culture smash.
But this week a new viral video surfaced courtesy of the Green Brothers, a hip-hop duo from Michigan, called "Back Pockets On The Floor"--which the Green Brothers claim was recorded in 1996, 13 years before General Platt's Idol audition was taped. "Back Pockets On The Floor" suspiciously tackles the same subject matter, and also features an elderly rapper:
The "Pockets" video was posted on YouTube on January 23 by a user called "greenbrothers71," with the following description:
"This is in regards to the General Larry Platt 'Pants on The Ground.' His song is a take off of the Green Brothers song 'Back Pockets On The Floor.' 'Back Pockets On The Floor' was written by G. Green and was copyrighted and recorded by the Green Brothers in 1996. The General's song have the same intent, idea and in part the same message. YOU BE THE JUDGE AMERICA!!"
Honestly, I'm not sure if General Platt deliberately ripped off the Greens, or if he--like many other concerned senior citizens, probably--just coincidentally shared a similar desire to rid the nation's youth of saggy pants. But obviously there is only ONE way to settle this "Pants" vs. "Pockets" matter: With an 8 Mile-style rap battle.