Freek-a-Leek

"Freek-a-Leek" is an American hip hop song co-written and recorded by American rapper Petey 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 by Lil Jon and is an example of a crunk song. The single peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 in July 2004.

"Freek-a-Leek"
Single by Petey Pablo
from the album Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry
Released	December 1, 2003 (2003-12-01)[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
"Club Banger" (2003) "Freek-a-Leek" (2003) "Vibrate" (2004)

Background and recording

In 2000, following an appearance on the remix of the Black Rob single "Whoa!", Petey Pablo caught the attention of record producer Timbaland, as well as the A&R manager of Jive 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 US Billboard Hot 100 and receiving heavy airplay on MTV.^[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 album Still 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 rapper Lil Jon, whose popularity had increased following his work with southern hip hop duo the Ying Yang Twins.^[3][4] Before Lil Jon began work with Petey Pablo, at the request of Jive he had made fifteen productions for American rapper Mystikal, 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 singer Usher 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 from Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry on December 16, 2003, through release as a vinyl single.^[6]

Composition and lyrics

A Southern hip hop song of three minutes and fifty-five seconds in length,^[7] "Freek-a-Leek" draws heavily from the musical genre of crunk, 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 "novation synth" based melody, with a flute 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 of AllMusic, "Pablo rattles off the names of different drugs, girls and sexual positions as if he was checking off his grocery list".^[7]

Remix

The remix features Jermaine Dupri and Twista. The song appears on Twista's Kamikaze.

Music video and use in other media

The music video was directed by Erik White and features actress Esther Baxter. The opening scene is based on the film Belly. The sound was also featured in the Midnight Club 3 Soundtrack.

In 2019, American rapper Saweetie sampled the beat of "Freek-a-Leek" in her song "My Type".^[10]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 63 Australian Urban (ARIA)[12] 18 Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)[13] 13 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 93 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 7 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 5 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[17] 2 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[18] 17 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[19] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position US Billboard Hot 100[20] 14 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[21] 16 US Hot Rap Tracks (Billboard)[22] 2 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[23] 62 US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)[24] 3

Certifications

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.

References

1. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1532. November 28, 2003. p. 20. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
2. Birchmeier, Jason. "Petey Pablo > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
3. Patel, Joseph; Waller, Curtis (December 31, 2003). "Petey Pablo Denies He's Rapper, Eats Banana Out Of Will Smith's Bowl". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on February 10, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
4. Drumming, Neil (May 14, 2004). ""Yeah," Lil Jon came through again". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
5. Reid, Shaheem. "Usher: King Me". MTV News. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
6. "Freek-A-Leek [US] – Petey Pablo > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
7. Jeffries, David. "Freek-A-Leek – Petey Pablo > Overview". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
8. "Album Review: Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary, 2nd Entry". Prefix Magazine. May 4, 2004. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
9. Drake, David (July 2, 2004). "Petey Pablo - Still Writing in my Diary: The 2nd Entry". Stylus Magazine. Todd Burns. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
10. "Watch Saweetie's 'My Type' Video". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
11. "Issue 761" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
12. "Issue 766" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
13. "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1560. June 18, 2004. p. 32. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
14. "Petey Pablo – Freek-A-Leek" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
15. "Petey Pablo Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
16. "Petey Pablo Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
17. "Petey Pablo Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
18. "Petey Pablo Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
19. "Petey Pablo Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
20. "2004 Year End Charts – The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
21. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 2004". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
22. "2004 Year End Charts – Hot Rap Singles Titles". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
23. "2004 The Year in Charts: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs". Billboard Radio Monitor. Vol. 12, no. 51. December 17, 2004. p. 22.
24. "Year in Music & Touring: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. December 25, 2004. p. YE-75. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
25. "American single certifications – Petey Pablo – Freek-A-Leek". Recording Industry Association of America. June 14, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2018.