Petey Pablo
Birth nameMoses Barrett III
Born (1973-07-22) July 22, 1973 (age 50)
Greenville, North Carolina, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • actor
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Years active1998–present
Labels
Websitewww.peteypablo.com

Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973),[1][2][3] known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper and record producer from Greenville, North Carolina. He is best known for his 2003 crunk single "Freek-a-Leek," which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the RIAA. Prior, he signed with Jive Records to release his 2001 single "Raise Up (featuring Timbaland), which served as a tribute to his native Greenville and peaked at number 25 on the chart. The label released his first two albums: Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry (2001) and Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (2004); the former received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album while the latter peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. His subsequent releases failed to reach any further commercial response.[4]

Biography

Born in Greenville, North Carolina, Barrett spent five years in prison for a 1993 armed robbery and upon his release moved to New York City, where he met Black Rob and Busta Rhymes, and, according to rumor, was signed to Jive Records after the A&R director overheard him rapping in a club bathroom.[1][5]

Musical career

2001–2002: First album

After getting signed to Jive Records, Petey Pablo began working on his debut album. The first single "Raise Up" was released in summer 2001, which was produced by Timbaland. "Raise Up" was helped by rotation on MTV and heavy airplay on urban radio, and reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] Pablo's first album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[7]

2003–2006: Second album, and hiatus

In early 2003, Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. It lost the award to Eminem's The Eminem Show.[8]

Petey Pablo's success continued with the release of his second studio album, Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry which he started working on in 2003. The album was a critical and commercial success, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA. The lead single off the album, "Freek-a-Leek", produced by Lil Jon became Petey Pablo's biggest hit single of his career by reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.[9] Also in 2004, Petey Pablo achieved more mainstream success for his feature on Ciara's hit single "Goodies" which topped the Billboard Hot 100.

After the release of his second studio album, Petey Pablo went on a hiatus from music.[10]

2010–present: Return to music and third studio album

After his departure from Jive Records, Petey Pablo founded his own independent label, Carolina Music Group.[6] He released a track in July 2010 entitled "Go", which was produced by Timbaland.[11] In September 2011, Petey Pablo released a single called "Get Low" on iTunes.[12]

Arrest and incarceration

On September 11, 2010, Barrett was arrested at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after trying to carry a stolen 9mm semi-automatic pistol aboard a US Airways flight bound for Los Angeles.[13] On September 26, 2011, he was sentenced to 35 months in prison,[14] and entered incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution (Beckley) on January 4, 2012. He was held at the Federal Correctional Institution (Fort Dix),[3] with a release date of July 17, 2014,[15] but he was released early on March 13, 2014.[16]

On February 17, 2012, Petey Pablo released a mixtape called Carolina #1 while in prison under the independent newly founded label "Carolina Music Group".[17] Pablo had also confirmed working on his third studio album A&R: Anticipated Recordings, which has yet to have a confirmed release date.[18]

Prison release and later music

In late 2015 Pablo released a new single titled "Never Imagined".

On Sunday, January 17, 2016, after the Carolina Panthers' victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 NFC Divisional playoffs, Pablo released a new single via Soundcloud and YouTube titled "Carolina Colors". The single was used as a hype song for the 2016 NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals.[19][20]

Acting career

In 2002, Petey Pablo appeared as himself in the film Drumline where he performs "Club Banger", "You Can Find Me", "Raise Up", and "I Told Y'All".[21] Petey Pablo had a guest appearance in "A Thousand Deaths", a 2005 episode of The Shield.[22] In 2009, Petey Pablo appeared in the film Just Another Day where he played B-Bone. In 2015, Petey Pablo played Clyde in the episode "Without a Country" on the show Empire, in which his character performed "Snitch Bitch" with Lucious Lyon (played by Terrence Howard) in jail.[23]

Discography

Main article: Petey Pablo discography
Studio albums
Mixtapes

References

  1. ^ a b "Moses Barrett". North Carolina Department Of Correction. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  2. ^ Baker, Soren (October 2001), "Next: Petey Pablo: Fast Track", Vibe, vol. 9, no. 10, p. 86
  3. ^ a b "Petey Pablo Began Three-Year Prison Sentence In January". contactmusic.com. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  4. ^ Jeffries, David. "Freek-A-Leek – Petey Pablo > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  5. ^ Shapiro, Peter (2005) The Rough Guide to Reggae, Rough Guides, ISBN, p.295-6
  6. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Petey Pablo Biography". Allmusic. Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  7. ^ "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – December 21, 2012". RIAA. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  8. ^ Mason, Deniece (2003-01-08). "Grammy Nominations Announced | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  9. ^ "Freek-A-Leek – Petey Pablo Song Information". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  10. ^ "Petey Pablo Pleads Guilty To Gun Charges". Rapfix.mtv.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  11. ^ "New Music: Petey Pablo "Go"". Rap Radar. 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  12. ^ "iTunes – Music – Get Low – Single by Petey Pablo". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-09-06. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  13. ^ Price, Jay. "Rapper arrested on gun charges at RDU – Music". NewsObserver.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  14. ^ "Rapper gets 35 months in prison on gun charge". WRAL.com. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2012-04-04.
  15. ^ Kuperstein, Slava (2012-02-26). "Petey Pablo Reported To Prison In January For Three-Year Sentence | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  16. ^ "Petey Pablo Was Released From Prison – XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  17. ^ a b Welker, Thomas (April 10, 2014). "Lost Ones: What Happened to Petey Pablo?". Redefined Hype. Archived from the original on May 3, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  18. ^ a b Arnold, Paul W (2011-09-22). "Petey Pablo Talks J. Cole's Respect, Parting From Suge Knight, And Possibly Facing Time | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  19. ^ Rafferty, Scott (2016-01-22). "Carolina Panthers Get a New Anthem, Courtesy of Petey Pablo". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  20. ^ "WATCH: Petey Pablo drops 'Carolina Colors' video before Panthers game - CBSSports.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-02. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  21. ^ "Full cast and crew for Drumline (2002)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
  22. ^ ""The Shield" A Thousand Deaths (TV Episode 2005)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  23. ^ "Terrence Howard Got Petey Pablo a Guest Spot on Empire Instead of Paying Him the $200 He Owed Him". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-10-31.
  24. ^ "Petey Pablo Receives Three Year Sentence For Gun Charge". The Versed. 2011-09-28. Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2012-12-21.

External links

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