| "Freek-a-Leek" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byPetey Pablo | ||||
| from the albumStill Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry | ||||
| Released | December 1, 2003 (2003-12-1)[1] | |||
| Genre | Crunk,dirty rap | |||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | Jive | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jonathan Smith, Corey Evans,Moses Barrett, Craig Love, LaMarquis Jefferson | |||
| Producer(s) | Lil Jon | |||
| Petey Pablo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Freek-a-Leek" is an American hip hop song co-written and recorded by American rapperPetey Pablo. It was released on December 1, 2003, as the second single from his second album,Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (2004). It was produced byLil Jon and is an example of acrunk song. The single peaked at number seven on the USBillboard Hot 100 in July 2004.
In 2000, following an appearance on the remix of theBlack Rob single "Whoa!", Petey Pablo caught the attention of record producerTimbaland, as well as theA&R manager ofJive Records, who helped Pablo acquire a deal with the record label.[2] Pablo's first single, "Raise Up", was an instant commercial success, reaching the top 25 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and receiving heavy airplay onMTV.[2]Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry, his debut studio album, was released later in the year and initially sold well due to the success of "Raise Up": however, the follow-up singles "I Told Y'all" and "I" failed to have any major impact on the charts. Consequently, Pablo's material received very little promotion from Jive over the next few years and the release of his second albumStill Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry, originally set for 2002, was postponed indefinitely: it was not released until 2004.[2]
Despite these delays, Pablo continued to record material for the album, eventually completing it during 2003.[3] He recorded "Freek-a-Leek" following studio sessions with Atlanta rapperLil Jon, whose popularity had increased following his work with southern hip hop duo theYing Yang Twins.[3][4] Before Lil Jon began work with Petey Pablo, at the request of Jive he had made fifteen productions for American rapperMystikal, who also recorded for the label, although he passed most of them on. One of these, the production that would eventually become "Freek-a-Leek", was given to Pablo by Jive without Jon's knowledge, after which he recorded the song.[3][4][5] Meanwhile, thinking that the beat had not been used, Lil Jon gave the production to American singerUsher for his single "Yeah!", from which a rough version of the song was recorded, mixed and mastered.[5] Although Lil Jon eventually realized the mistake after Pablo played him "Freek-a-Leek" during one of their studio sessions, Pablo was unwilling to give up the song, especially as it was already receiving airplay on Southern hip hop radio.[5] As a result, Lil Jon created an entirely new instrumental for "Yeah!",[5] and Jive Records solicited "Freek-a-Leek" as the first single fromStill Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry on December 16, 2003, through release as avinyl single.[6]
ASouthern hip hop song of three minutes and fifty-five seconds in length,[7] "Freek-a-Leek" draws heavily from the musical genre ofcrunk, while being backed by an instrumentation which features a "slowly strolling riff", as well as following a tempo described as "heavy-synthed marching band-inspired".[7][8] It begins and ends with a fake radio show, with Pablo acting as an impromptu host as well as introducing the song.[7] Pablo's vocals are built around a "novationsynth" based melody, with aflute becoming audible during the chorus as well as a set of "cleverly layered vocal chants".[9]
The lyrics of "Freek-a-Leek" were noted for their heavily sexually explicit nature: according to David Jeffries ofAllMusic, "Pablo rattles off the names of different drugs, girls and sexual positions as if he was checking off his grocery list".[7]
The remix featuresJermaine Dupri andTwista. The song appears on Twista'sKamikaze.
The music video was directed by Erik White and features actressEsther Baxter. The opening scene is based on the filmBelly. The sound was also featured in theMidnight Club 3 Soundtrack.
In 2019, American rapperSaweetie sampled the beat of "Freek-a-Leek" in her song "My Type".[10]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[25] | Gold | 500,000* |
| United States (RIAA)[25] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
