North Carolina
Petey Pablo leads North Carolina Music Hall of Fame 2024 class
The lyrics “North Carolina, come on and raise up,” might as well be the unofficial anthem of the Tar Heel State. And the rapper who wrote and spoke them will soon obtain a bit of immortality.
Petey Pablo, it was announced this week, leads the 2024 class of inductees into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, located in Kannapolis. The Greenville native and four other artists — and the Durham-based Merge Records — will join the already existing 132 other honorees. Qualifications for induction into the hall, located on Dale Earnhardt Boulevard, is to have roots in the state of North Carolina and achieve at least 10 years of national prominence.
Born Moses Barrett III, Petey Pablo more than fits the bill.
After spending time in prison for armed robbery, he turned to hip-hop and hooked up with Jive Records. His debut album “Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry” was produced by Timbaland and debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard Top 200 music chart in November 2001. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and was then nominated for Best Rap Album at the Grammys. It contained the hit single, “Raise Up,” which peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The iconic song can easily be heard at sporting events across North Carolina these days, particularly at UNC-Chapel Hill football games and after the Carolina Hurricanes score a goal. The video for the song was filmed in Raleigh, and it’s likely the only hip-hop song that namechecks North Carolina towns like Tarboro, Goldsboro, Halifax and Statesville.
Petey Pablo’s second album, 2004’s “Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry,” was also certified gold and featured the hit single “Freek-a-Leek,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard charts. The rapper spent time in prison again after pleading guilty in 2011 to possession of a stolen firearm.
In 2016, he released a single called “Carolina Colors” that has been used as a hype-up anthem for the Carolina Panthers. Petey Pablo has also acted a bit, appearing in shows such as “The Shield” and “Empire.”
Petey Pablo is widely regarded as a pioneer in North Carolina hip-hop, an icon in the southern rap scene, and one of the original voices of crunk music. On Instagram, he wrote of his induction into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame, “Words can’t really express the true feeling and gratitude for such an honorable recognition.”
Lissa Gotwals
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Other inductees include the late music executive Clarence Avant, the late musician and teacher Mary Cardwell Dawson, the late country singer and songwriter Tommy Faile, and Grammy-award-winning bluegrass artist and fiddler Bobby Hicks.
Also being honored is Merge Records, which was founded in 1989 in Durham by Mac McCaughan and Laura Balance — who are also members of the band Superchunk. The influential independent record label has produced and released years of music, including from Arcade Fire, Caribou, She & Him, and Hiss Golden Messenger.
A ceremony to honor the inductees will be held on Oct. 17.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Copper theft is becoming a growing problem across North Carolina, with AT&T officials warning that the crime can leave entire neighborhoods without phone or internet service and, in some cases, disrupt emergency communications.
According to AT&T, the company has recorded 215 copper theft incidents across North Carolina so far this year. Buncombe County alone has seen about 40 incidents over the past two years. Thieves often cut down or dig up communication lines, strip the copper from the wire and sell the metal for scrap.
“It’s problematic, largely from a public safety standpoint,” said Trey Rabon, president of AT&T North Carolina. “If folks need to call emergency services, need to call 911, they’re not able to access the infrastructure necessary to complete that call.”
“Sometimes we see instances where emergency communications are disrupted, communications between public safety agencies are disrupted,” Rabon added. “It has become an acute challenge, particularly in western North Carolina.”
5 CHARGED AFTER AT&T WIRE THEFTS CAUSED WIDESPREAD OUTAGES IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY
Rabon said thieves frequently target both residential and commercial communication lines, taking advantage of remote mountain locations where utility poles are often out of sight from nearby homes.
“In the mountains, oftentimes personal property is not in line of sight for other neighbors,” Rabon said. “Would-be thieves have the ability to climb a pole, disconnect a line, drive to the next pole and disconnect that line.”
In May, five people were charged in connection with multiple copper thefts across Buncombe County that investigators said caused widespread outages. Law enforcement also discovered several wire-stripping sites in Swannanoa and Leicester.
The thefts have also impacted local businesses.
SWANNANOA PIZZA SHOP SAYS INTERNET WIRES WERE STOLEN, FORCING A DAY CLOSURE
In early June, thieves cut and stole internet lines serving Good Pizza Company. Owner George Peyton said the outage forced the restaurant to close because employees could not access essential business systems.
“Nobody could clock in, couldn’t print tickets, couldn’t take phone orders, and that’s about 80 to 85% of the business,” Peyton said.
AT&T officials say one of the most effective ways to prevent copper theft is for communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
“They don’t like to operate in the light of day, and they certainly don’t want to operate with a hyper-aware and vigilant community,” Rabon said.
Anyone who suspects someone is stealing communication wire is encouraged to contact local law enforcement.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — The Myrtle Beach Police Department announced Monday the arrest of a man wanted in North Carolina.
Officers arrested Leko Jones, 46, who was wanted by authorities in Burlington, North Carolina, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Jones is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault by strangulation.
The arrest resulted from a coordinated effort between the Myrtle Beach Police Department’s Patrol Division and Investigations Division, working alongside the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators said they safely located Jones and took him into custody.
A section of E. 4th Street in Washington will close next week for sewer line replacement work.
According to the city, E. 4th Street from Hudnell Street to Aycock Street will be closed to local traffic on Tuesday, July 14, and Wednesday, July 15, from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
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