More recently, Mobile, Alabama, has birthed some incredible talent, from Yung Bleu to OMB Peezy to Flo Milli to NoCap.
Now comes PBE Pluto, who’s here to make an impact not just in the music industry but the overall culture. Having gone to the Navy for 4 years, PBE Pluto creates music inspired by real-life experiences, and he’s here to motivate the masses to get up and go after their wildest dreams… just like he did.
At the young age of 10, PBE Pluto was already playing the drums in a live band. By the time he was in high school, he had landed a spot in the second-line band, eventually learning how to freestyle and rap.
PBE Pluto explains, “I started using music as a diary, that’s how I was escaping what I had going on in life. I was able to put what I had going on into the music. That’s how I really fell in love with rapping, but the music’s always been there.”
Doing everything completely independent, PBE is excited as ever to be releasing his newest single titled “50 Ball.” In addition to his own artistry, PBE is the CEO to his own label Parker Boy Entertainment llc, and also has a strong passion for helping other artists elevate their brands.
AllHipHop spoke with PBE Pluto virtually to discuss his roots in Mobile, top 5 artists, “50 Ball,” why being rapper is dangerous, and more!
AllHipHop: What was it like growing up in Mobile, Alabama?
PBE Pluto: Mobile, there weren’t really any big things to do. People were more into sports, you didn’t see a lot of artists pop off. Maybe one artist pops, then 10 years later another one pops. We’ve had artists such as T-Bird with his My Baby Daddy” song, The Last Mr. Bigg, Rich Boy. All of them had their own different time frames, but recently we had a lot of people popping off like Yung Bleu, NoCap, Flo Milli.
AllHipHop: I’m obsessed with NoCap, I listen to him all the time.
PBE Pluto: Oh forreal, yeah NoCap’s from Mobile, Alabama too. We’ve got at least 10 to 15 artists that’s from Mobile, Alabama.
AllHipHop: How does it feel to have your city be put on the map like that?
PBE Pluto: It’s a blessing because I come from the timeframe of when you had to really do guerilla marketing. I came in the cusp of that time frame leading to the internet phase. I seen a lot of artists that we felt was right at the door, they gave up on the motion when the internet came. I seen how a lot of those trees that were cut down and the roads that were paved start paying off with a lot of these artists that’s popping off right now out of the city. It’s a blessing to see it and be a part of the whole movement and motion.
AllHipHop: Who are your Top 5 artists in rotation?
PBE Pluto: Let me see. It’ll be more like Boosie, Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, Yo Gotti. Maybe Kodak Black. Of course, all the artists that’s poppin’ from Mobile too, that’s doing their thing also. They automatically in the Top 5, but the main thing is really people that are inspiring all across the country.
AllHipHop: You just dropped your new song, “50 Ball.” What’re you most excited for?
PBE Pluto: I’ve been performing that record for months, giving people teases. You couldn’t hear the full record unless you were at one of my shows. I always get people inboxing me, hitting me like “yo, where’s that record where you’re saying ’50’?” I always had a crowd do a whole little hand motion and shoot the bird. When I say “p#### ass n*ggas,” you guys say “I’m sick of y’all.” I tell the crowd, run it!
People hit me like “yo, what that song was where you’re shooting the bird to? I’ve been trying to find it, I can’t find it.” It ain’t out yet, I’m a drop it Monday. Eventually, people kept getting at me so bad about it, that I said man, I’m a put it out. I was originally gonna drop it on the whole EP that I did with producer Mattazik Muzik, who’s signed to Lil Baby’s 4PF. He produced a lot of big records for Lil Baby, EST Gee, Gotti, Young Thug.” 50 Ball” was the first one I was trying off the EP an, people just grew to love the record. They were learning it off my Instagram, just the little 30 second clips that I post.
AllHipHop: Was there a certain moment where you went viral and got a bunch of followers? Or was it a steady grind?
PBE Pluto: I had records that hit BET Jams, MTV, Shade45, REVOLT TV. I’ve been on a lot of amazing platforms. I’ve always been very active. I’ve been in the military also, so that really helped spread the brand in a lot of different markets. By the time I really got serious, when I really started pumping music back then: I was tapping in, but I was learning a lot about the business. I was already going to different cities, going to all these different summits.
Say if I wanted to tap in with you, I’ll follow you. I’ll start liking stuff on your page, sharing stuff. I’ll see where you’ll be at. You gon’ be at the summit in Miami, I’m a come to Miami to try to tap in with you. People don’t understand that part of it. Sometimes, you gotta put your investment up and go in to tap in with the people you need to tap in with. I started moving like that and creating a relationship. So when I really was ready to drop, I already had everybody on board. “Oh, you know him? Oh, you know him too? Yeah I know him. I didn’t know you was tapped in.” It was that type of time, it was the connections that was already set in place, well before I really started pushing.
AllHipHop: What sets you apart from other artists?
PBE Pluto: The fact that I want to see everybody win. I’m not a selfish person. I understand the game, I understand the business. I don’t look at it as I’m an artist, I’m a businessman. Being an artist is one of my businesses. I look at it in a different entity than a regular artist would. They’re like “I’m a rap. I do music.” No, rapping is just one thing I do. That’s one of my businesses, I have multiple businesses that I do besides standing around and entertaining.
AllHipHop: Why is being a rapper a dangerous job?
PBE Pluto: We just seen today with Takeoff. That really touched me a lot, because this dude got hit in the head and died. A month and a half ago, I got shot in the head and God spared me. I understand the fact that being a rapper makes you a target, because people gotta see your lifestyle. That’s the crazy part about social media, people want to see what you do on a day to day basis. Whether you’re really doing it or not, they want to see it. They want to see you riding in your car, they want to see how your house looks. They want to see how your shows is, they want to see people networking. It makes you too much of a target.
If you’re doing too much, then people sit back and hate because they feel like they should be in a position. “Why this ain’t happening for me? I rap better than him.” They don’t understand this is not about the talent, the talent is only 10% of this. It’s the business and the people that understand the business of music, they’re the ones that are successful.
But the ones that think that it’s about talent, sometimes they get irritated and mad with the people who are winning. That can cause all types of situations when it comes to people talking down on your brand, people making up stories or going by what somebody else told them. Stepping like it’s really the truth when they never had a conversation with you. Your lifestyle being out in the open like that makes you a target, and it makes it more dangerous. You can be blessing somebody, but they can be on the passenger side and they want to be the one driving the car. They waiting on the perfect moment to happen to pull something, to take you out.
AllHipHop: Being shot in the head is awful, I’m so sorry that happened to you.
PBE Pluto: I’ll talk about it just a little bit. I ain’t gonna mention where it happeneed, but it was a situation where people hating. Had something built up on them, I never really had no issues with them beforehand. People feel like you owe them something out of nothing. Or they feel like if somebody else playing, they could play. One thing led to another.
Ultimately, they caught me with my back turned. They ain’t pulled nothing in my face, they waited till I had my back turned and that’s when they came out. You gotta be watching for people at all times and move strategically. You never know when it’s gonna be a moment, somebody in their feelings. That’s the biggest thing with it.
AllHipHop: Did you get trauma from that?
PBE Pluto: Well, I’ve been in the military so I already had PTSD. I know how to deal with traumatic situations, that’s why everything was very calm about it. I didn’t overreact to anything. The doctors were very intrigued, they said “how can you be so calm and have such a traumatic situation?” They were more amped up and going crazy than I was. I was chillin’, but I know God. When you move by the spirit, you already know what you know before anything. I felt it coming down the pipeline before it happened.
I told my brother 2 hours before it happened. I said something is about to happen but everything is gonna be good, God said I’ll be good. Some people wasn’t as fortunate as me with other situations, I still thank God that it wasn’t my time. It’s a matter of knowing how to strategically move, understanding the spirit and knowing what you know. Some people don’t have that spiritual connection with God, so they ain’t gon’ understand it. You can’t always win. Life ain’t just about W’s, sometimes you gotta decrease in order to increase.
AllHipHop: What is it you want fans to take away from your music, your story?
PBE Pluto: This is real life. I try to keep my music very realistic, dictate my lifestyle. I don’t come up with these extravagant things that I haven’t seen, I’m just telling you my life within lyrics. I want people to take that and understand, you could be you. I been through the phase where people are laughing, people are talking down on me. Same people turn around and ask for a job, for the same thing they were laughing at me for doing.
You gotta stand out and stick out, do what you gotta do for you. You can’t be trying to please everybody else when you’re trying to elevate. They either gon’ jump on board or not. Don’t focus on the ones that’s going against you, focus on the ones that is supporting you. Out of million people, if 10 people messing with your brand, just focus on those 10. Because them 10 will turn into 100, that 100 will turn into a 1000, 100 to 10K, that 10K will turn into 100K. That 100K could turn into a million. You gotta focus on who’s banging with you, don’t worry about the ones who aren’t. That’s what I want people to take from me, my brand, and my music. Not who ain’t, just jump on who is.
