Name: Petey Pablo

Where You Find Him: On Twitter or in jail.

What You Might Know Him For And Why You Could’ve Cared: The North Carolinian rapper placed the Southern state on the mainstream rap radar couple years before the rise of acts like 9th Wonder and Little Brother. His quintessential, Timbaland-produced anthem “Raise Up,” which had men of all colors and creed to take off their shirts and spin them like a helicopter, reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. With his debut Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry reaching gold status, his single for the second album, “Freek-a-Leek” became an even bigger hit, becoming number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and showcasing a luscious video with vixen Esther Baxter). It’s also noted that the rapper’s guest appearance on Ciara’s “Goodies,” made national attention.

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Current Status: After severing ties with Jive Records, Petey Pablo decided to develop his own record imprint, Carolina Music Group. A Timbaland-produced single “Go,” followed by another party rocker (“Get Low”) later, Petey announced the title for his upcoming studio albumAnticipated Recordings, without a set release date.

But before the fans were able to check out Petey’s latest musical offering, the rapper was arrested on September 11, 2010 at Raleign-Durham International Airport after attempting to carry a 9mm automatic pistol aboard a US Airways flight. He started his sentence on January 4, 2012, and is expected to be released on July 17, 2014. —Jaeki Cho (@JaekiCho)

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