Culture State: Petey Pablo made it cool to be from North Carolina
Posted February 10, 2021 7:57 p.m. EST
Updated February 10, 2021 8:05 p.m. EST
In 2001, Snow Hill, NC native Petey Pablo released his single called "Raise Up" on Jive Records, a different type of Southern Hip-Hop anthem that put North Carolina on the forefront.
I was 15 years old living in High Point, North Carolina at the time and Like many of my friends, I was a huge Hip Hop fan. At the time Southern Hip Hop had firmly taken a hold in the Hip Hop world, which was dominated by Northern Hip Hop music for much of the 90's. The Mid to late 90's saw areas such as Atlanta, Memphis, Miami, Saint Louis and New Orleans bring their regional flavor to the national stage.
Petey Pablo made sure it was North Carolina's turn.
That summer I took a trip with my family to Los Angeles during summer vacation. Without fail, any time I spoke with a kid my age and told them I was from North Carolina, the typical follow up was, 'Do you really twist your shirt around your head like a helicopter?' And it didn't just happen that summer, it happened most times over the next few years whenever I traveled.
Before this song came out, if people asked where I was from, the response to my answer was, 'Where?'
That was the effect Petey Pablo had on my life at least, even if he didn't realize.
Starting this 'Culture State' Podcast with Dennis Cox, we knew there were amazing stories from our state that needed to be highlighted and put to the forefront. The stories of people who 'made it' in the world of sports, entertainment, pro wrestling and so on. Of course folks like Michael Jordan and Ric Flair gave our state some sort of an identity, but within the regional pride of the Hip Hop world, North Carolina had very little representation up until that point. So it was just natural that Petey Pablo would be one of our first guests, and lucky for us, he answered after emails and direct messages.
In this episode of 'Culture State', Mr. Petey Pablo joined Dennis and myself to talk about that famous song and how it was made. He also goes on to tell us about his love for the state and what he's up to these days.
"Raise Up" is played at Carolina Hurricanes home games, UNC Football home games and other sporting events around the state. it truly has become apart of the cultural fabric of this state.
Thank you, Petey.
