Moses Mortimer Barrett III (born July 22, 1973), known by the
stage nameA stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Petey Pablo, is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper from
Greenville, North CarolinaGreenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
.
Biography
Born in
Greenville, North CarolinaGreenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
, Barrett spent five years in prison for a 1993 armed robbery and on his release moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he met
Black RobBlack Rob is a rapper who was formerly signed to Bad Boy Records.-Music career:Black Rob began associating with the label as early as 1996, appearing on the Bad Boy remix to 112's "Come See Me"...
and
Busta RhymesTrevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, and, according to legend, was signed by the A&R director of
Jive RecordsJive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
after hearing him rapping in a club bathroom. After a few guest spots, his first solo single was "
Raise Up"Raise Up" is a hip hop song by rapper Petey Pablo from his debut album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry.The song peaked at #25 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 30, 2001...
" in 2001 at the age of 28, produced by
TimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, followed by debut album
Diary of a Sinner: 1st EntryDiary of a Sinner: 1st Entry, released in 2001, is the debut album by rapper Petey Pablo. The album debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200 chart but grew rapidly with help from its lead single "Raise Up."...
the same year. "
Raise Up"Raise Up" is a hip hop song by rapper Petey Pablo from his debut album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry.The song peaked at #25 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 30, 2001...
" was helped by rotation on MTV and heavy play on urban radio, reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Rap Singles Chart.
The release of his second album,
Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry, was delayed until 2004. Lead single from the album, the sexually-explicit "
Freek-a-Leek"Freek-a-Leek" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rapper Petey Pablo. It was released in May 2004 as the second single from his second album Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry. It was produced by Lil Jon. The single peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2004....
" was another major success, reaching #7 in the Hot 100, although little chart success followed. In 2005 Petey Pablo formed a relationship with Suge Knight, but never signed an official contract with his former label Death Row Records.
Barrett currently resides in the
RaleighRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
suburb
Wake Forest, North CarolinaWake Forest is a town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake County in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is located just north of the state capital, Raleigh. The population was 12,588 at the 2000 census. In 2009, the estimated population was 27,915...
, where he is working under his own label: Carolina Music Group, or CMG.
In 2009, Petey Pablo collaborated with a music producer from Minnesota on a song title called "How Do You Know."
His new album,
A&R: Anticipated Recordings is scheduled to be released in 2011. He released the first single from the new album on July 22, 2010 entitled "Go", produced by Timbaland.
Controversy
On September 11, 2010, he was arrested at RDU Airport after allegedly trying to carry a 9mm automatic pistol aboard a US Airways flight bound for Los Angeles.
On September 26, 2011 Pablo was sentenced to 35 months in jail for this incident. It is unclear when he will begin to serve time.
Film career
In 2009 Petey played a character named B-Bone in the film "Just Another Day". The film is about the intersecting lives of an aspiring rapper and an old successful rapper over the course of one day. B-Bone is another successful rapper that has a beef with the successful rapper, A-maze.
In 2002 Petey played himself in the film "Drumline" performing "Club Banger", "You Can Find Me", and "Raise Up/I Told Y'All".
Discography
Studio albums
Independent albums
- TBA: A&R: Anticipated Recordings
External links
- [ Petey Pablo entry] at Allmusic