Petey Pablo | |
---|---|
Birth name | Moses Mortimer Barrett III |
Born |
Greenville, North Carolina, USA |
July 22, 1973
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, singer, actor |
Years active | 2000–present |
Labels | Jive Records, Death Row Records, Carolina Music Group |
Website | peteypablo |
Moses Mortimer Barrett III (born July 22, 1973), known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper from Greenville, North Carolina.
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 by the A&R director of Jive Records after overhearing him rapping in a club bathroom.
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. Petey Pablo's debut album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
In early 2003, Petey Pablo's debut album received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album, losing the award to Eminem's The Eminem Show. Petey Pablo would continue his success 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 ended up being Petey Pablo's biggest hit single of his career by reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Also in 2004, Petey Pablo achieved more mainstream success for his feature on Ciara's hit single "Goodies" which topped the Billboard Hot 100. Eventually after the release of his second studio album, Petey Pablo went on a hiatus from music.