Review: Petey Pablo, Raise Up

"This ones for North Carolina!". For fans of Petey Pablo, and Southern Hip-Hop alike, this became one of Petey Pablo's calling cards. "Raise Up" is one of those anthems, that not only captures a time and a place, but unlike many hits, to this day, "Raise Up" can get a party started like few songs can.

Raise Up!

Home Sweet Home From the offset, Petey Pablo's "Raise Up" introduces you to the place that Petey calls home: North Carolina. Before "Raise Up", North Carolina was a part of the map largely unnoticed, by the Hip-Hop community as a whole. Things would soon change, when "Raise Up", the first single from Petey's debut album "Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry" would be introduced to the public. Catchy hook "Raise Up" would grow to become a song, that typified the style of song that the South was best known for. Having a good time, and showing love for where you were from, and nothing captures this more than the words of the hook (chorus). "This one's for North Carolina! Come on and raise up, take your shirt off, twist it round your hand; spin it like a helicopter!" Southern Hip-Hop, and especially North Carolina, finally had a way to represent their part of the map, and Petey Pablo would be the man to bring the masses to N.C., and all he needed was four minutes.

Production

Timbo the King
Besides, the catchy hook and the unique Southern drawl, that would grow to be Petey Pablo's modus operandi, the song is helped out hugely by the production of seasoned veteran Timothy 'Timbaland' Mosley. Outside of Hip-Hop, the South has always been famous for one of its main musical exports, Country & Western. Timbaland (a Virginia native himself), does well to pay homage to this with his use of a combination of fiddle, and Southern style banjo/guitar arrangement.
This is backed by orchestral strings, and his signature hard-hitting,
neck-braking drum patterns. Match made in North Carolina The combination of the lyrics, style, and production, "Raise Up" will always be synonymous with Southern Hip-Hop. Although N.C. has managed to export the likes of Little Brother and J. Cole from its home, "Raise Up" will always and forever be their anthem.