Culture & Sound

“North Carolina, come on and raise up.” Tonight that refrain moves to Charlotte. The Spectrum Center event listing names Petey Pablo as the halftime show for the Hornets' home opener against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Oct. 23, and WSOC-TV reports the game tips off at 7 p.m.

Pablo is a Grammy-nominated rapper from Greenville, N.C., who has represented the state in hip-hop for more than two decades, WSOC-TV reports. “Raise Up,” “Carolina Colors” and “Vibrate” have become regular features at sporting events across the Carolinas. WSOC-TV says this is his first Hornets game performance since 2022.

The business side of the night is easy to see. Fans entering the arena get an exclusive “Raise Up” T-shirt, and the team and Pablo are launching a limited-edition merchandise collaboration, sold at the Charlotte Hornets Fan Shop inside Spectrum Center on game night while supplies last, according to WSOC-TV and FOX8.

“Opening Night at Spectrum Center is always about celebrating the passion of our fans and the rich culture of the Carolinas,” Hornets Chief Marketing Officer Tyrel Kirkham told FOX8.

“I love that song, man. … I think it should be a staple (at Hornets games).” — Hornets forward Grant Williams, to Hornets On SI

The 252 read-through: a song from Eastern North Carolina that keeps getting called back to the biggest stages in the state is a catalog asset, not just a memory. Tonight's merch collaboration is one example of how a regional anthem can open a new product line. It is also a reminder of the questions this magazine will keep asking: who owns the work, who gets paid, and how the next Greenville artist builds the same kind of staying power.

Buffalo-born, now Atlanta-based rapper and producer Che Noir released It Takes A Village today, Oct. 23. Her own Bandcamp page credits the album to Poetic Movement Records, and Album of the Year lists it as her fourth studio album.

BroadwayWorld reports the title is drawn from her life: she became a first-time mother in the lead-up to the project and relocated from Buffalo to Atlanta, and the album explores the support systems and sacrifices it takes to build a life and a career at the same time. A new video for “Blood Bath” arrived with the release.

The guest list matches the title. Black Thought joins on “Fame & Fiction,” The Uce on “Urban Essence,” Jynx716 on “Olive Branches,” Ransom on “Wasted Time” and Bruiser Wolf on “Magic.” Havoc produced two tracks, “Urban Essence” and “A Caged Mockingbird.” The production credits also include Nottz, Conductor Williams, Mathematics, Chuck Strangers, Playa Haze, Bopman, DJ Design, A Guy Called Purple, Kage Green and ill Brown.

The business model: the album is on streaming services now, while HiPNOTT Records is presenting the physical editions on its Bandcamp page: a limited cyan blue vinyl, a black vinyl and a digipak CD, each listed as an edition of 100. HiPNOTT lists the CD as shipping on or around Nov. 30 and the vinyl on or around Dec. 31, 2026. It is a clear example of an independent artist pairing her own label for the release with a specialist partner for small-run physicals.