This is one of Pablo's first interviews since being released this summer from a prison stint on illegal weapons charges. He expects to have an album out next year.

"Raise Up" is pure love for North Carolina. Do you ever have to buy your own drinks when you're in your home state? No, I don't. But it's a respect thing. People give me drinks all day long but at the end of the day, I have a job to do. A lot of times society has it where people with money don't have to pay for things. And people that don't have money, they don't get nothing. I like to keep it humble. Your drinks will always be.

What did it take to write the perfect North Carolina anthem? It's like aggressive but positive. It takes�humble yourself and to think about what you're great for. And to not forget where you came from. Try to make sure that people know no matter where you come from, you tried to make something of yourself. You take all that, mix it up and that's what you got.

Did you have the idea for that song already or did you write it entirely to Timbaland's beat? Tim gave me the beat, and it took me almost two weeks to write that record. For one, I'm a perfectionist. I second-guess myself; I'm my worst critic. That's one of the first tracks that Timbaland had ever gave me, and I wanted to prove myself worthy. I studied and studied. I think that's where a lot of artists go wrong, that they can take a track and just do something to it. When you marry a beat, it's just like having a wife, you have to be very attentive to get something out of it. You're attentive to your wife, she'll be the best wife ever. If you're attentive to the track, you know, the track will be your best work ever.