text: Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973), known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper and record producer from Greenville, North Carolina. He is best known for his 2003 crunk single "Freek-a-Leek," which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and received platinum certification by the RIAA. Prior, he signed with Jive Records to release his 2001 single "Raise Up" (featuring Timbaland), which served as a tribute to his native Greenville and peaked at number 25 on the chart. The label released his first two albums: Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry (2001) and Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (2004); the former received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album while the latter peaked at number four on the Billboard 200. His following releases failed to yield any further commercial response.
  Biography
  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 to Jive Records after the A&R director overheard him rapping in a club bathroom.
  Musical career
  2001–2002: First album
  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. Pablo's first album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
  2003–2006: Second album, and hiatus
  In early 2003, Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album. It lost the award to Eminem's The Eminem Show.