Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973),
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.
[Shapiro, Peter (2005) The Rough Guide to Reggae, Rough Guides, ISBN, p.295-6]
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.
Pablo's first album
peaked at number 13 on the
Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the
RIAA.
2003–2006: Second album, and hiatus
In early 2003,
received a
Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. It lost the award to
Eminem's
The Eminem Show.
Petey Pablo's success continued with the release of his second studio album, 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.
After the release of his second studio album, Petey Pablo went on a hiatus from music.
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.
He released a track in July 2010 entitled "Go", which was produced by Timbaland.
In September 2011, Petey Pablo released a single called "Get Low" on iTunes.
Arrest and incarceration
On September 11, 2010, Petey Pablo 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.
On September 26, 2011, he was sentenced to 35 months in prison
and entered incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution (Beckley) on January 4, 2012. He was held at the Federal Correctional Institution (Fort Dix),
with a release date of July 17, 2014,
but he was released early on March 13, 2014.
On February 17, 2012, Petey Pablo released a mixtape called Carolina #1 while in prison under the independent newly founded label "Carolina Music Group".
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.
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".
Petey Pablo had a guest appearance in "A Thousand Deaths", a 2005 episode of
The Shield.
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.
Discography
- Studio albums
-
2001:
-
2004:
-
2018: Keep on Goin'
- Mixtapes
-
2007: Same Eyez on Me
-
2008: Life on Death Row
-
2012: Carolina #1
-
2013: Enormous
External links
