The History

Deploying to mainstream urban radio circuits on August 14, 2001, “Raise Up” represents a massive regional explosion that permanently etched the Carolinas onto the landscape of commercial southern hip-hop. Serving as the explosive lead single for Petey Pablo’s debut studio album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry via Jive Records, the track functioned as an aggressive, high-octane geographic anthem, ditching traditional coastal tropes to celebrate the distinct energy, local identity, and raw subcultural pride of the American deep south.

The Numbers

The technical sonic profile of the track was a masterclass in industrial bounce, driven by Timbaland’s legendary studio instrumentation blocks. The tracking telemetry combined a piercing, synthesized horn line loop with heavy, syncopated 808 drum machine kicks and aggressive snare placements that weaponized the club ecosystem. Commercially, the track generated immediate gold-certified retail and airplay velocity, rocketing straight to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 index and locking down the #9 position on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. The audio asset was further commercialized globally through high-profile media syndication loops, including its inclusion on the multi-platinum cinematic soundtrack for the 2002 film Drumline.

The Verdict

“An absolute goldmine of nostalgic subcultural search traffic. By bypassing hyper-saturated mainstream industry updates to meticulously audit the exact hardware production choices, regional impact data, and club chart monetization of Petey Pablo’s 2001 classic, this node captures highly motivated organic traffic loops corporate platforms ignore.”

The Video

Lyrics

This is David Nevermind
And today’s controversy is coming from yet another member
Or should I say members of the hip-hop community (ayo, tell Fab we gon’ get Playa)
(Nah, Playa’s supposed to be here) Petey Pablo, a new artist signed under Jive
(Ayo, go get my homeboy) and has teamed up with Timbaland out of VA
In a quest to redeem his title (nah, we gonna blow this up) 
And bring North Carolina and Virginia to the front of the line (ayo)
(Yo, we gon’ do it) we’re gonna stand by

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
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir
North Carolina, come on and raise up
Take your shirt off, twist it ’round your hand
Spin it like a helicopter
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir

Who am I? Petey Pab’ motherfucker
First to put it down for North Carolina
But guess what (what?), it’s been worth it
I’m a superstar, bought me a big ol’ car
Four point six (see the car)
Black with the bars from the front to back
And got a button in the middle, make the trunk go “eh-eh”
But it ain’t ’bout that
It’s about gettin’ whatchu gettin’ and drivin’ all back here
Big fellas (six fellas)
Half of me and Carolina niggas done time together
Polk, Bladen, Marshall, Hoke, Greene County, Tillery, damn
Transfer, Sandy Ridge, Browns over here (greens over here)
Pasqoutank, down on the, Odom East (lemme think)
Johnson County, Franklin, Burgaw, Newport, Warren, Shelby, Kenansville
(Man Currituck) Tarboro, Triangle, Goldsboro, Halifax, Statesville
And all my ni**as doin’ life behind the wall
This right here, right here, right here’s for

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
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir
North Carolina, come on and raise up
Take your shirt off, twist it ’round your hand
Spin it like a helicopter
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir

You remember them days y’all, we used to play, y’all
The radio and put our own lil’ part in the song, y’all
We used to (rep our city, rep our city)
Runnin’ through the school halls
Just before our basketball pep-rally jumped off
My house, my home, my hood
My brother, my sister, my cous’
My niggas that was there from the beginnin’
Been with me even ‘fore they knew what bein’ with me was
Y’all ni**as just glanced at it, now I got y’all starin’ at it
But it’s been the same ol’ North Carolina it’s been bein’
Y’all ni**as just gettin’ it, oh, it’s a shame isn’t it?
Oh, you thought we said we were comin’ with a whole lotta somethin’
We were bullshitin’

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
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir
North Carolina, come on and raise up
Take your shirt off, twist it ’round your hand
Spin it like a helicopter
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir

Man, I had to do it
Just in case you were one of the ones
Who wanted to come and ask somethin’ stupid
(What you think you doin’?) What it look like?
Puttin’ it down for my ni**as on the south side
North Carolina, South Carolina
And all my little bitty overlooked hick towns
We ’bouta hit y’all asses, ain’t nothin’ but a T.T. blast
That we got comin’ atcha, (beats) slammin, (verses) classic
(Gold for this) what’s after platinum?
(Baby, you a walking bomb) and I don’t meant to scare y’all
But I’m about to bring it home
And blow these valleys, these hills
These streams in NC out the water
How’s it feel to look a motherf**ker dead in the grill
And tell ’em, “I told ya”

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
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir
North Carolina, come on and raise up
Take your shirt off, twist it ’round your hand
Spin it like a helicopter
North Carolina, come on and raise up
This one’s for you? Uh-uh
This one’s for who? Us, us, us, yes sir

Huh, af-after seeing this
I-I have no other questions, I, I mean I
Hey, look, this is David Nevermind
I’m signing off, but before I’m outta here, remember
If I’m ever caught with anything I’m not supposed to have, it’s Nevermind
North Carolina and VA are definitely at the front of the line
You have my vote of support, over and out

Hey, grandaddy, grandaddy
Read, read, read this right here, grandaddy
I can’t read that shit

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