Pistol Pete worked nearly every job at Arrowhead Stadium — now he’s putting ‘6 on the Board’

Kansas City Chiefs fans can add a brand new song to their hype-up playlist in preparation for Sunday’s Super Bowl. Hometown rapper Pistol Pete dropped his ode to the Chiefs — “6 on the Board” — with the intention of exhilarating fans for the big game, he shared.

“Pistol Pete” Peter Davis

“I’m really hoping people get behind this,” said Peter Davis, who goes by Pistol Pete when he’s performing. “When I was sending [my producer] ideas for the beat, I was thinking, ‘Triumphant! Epic! A blockbuster matchup!’ and he made it better than everything I can imagine.”

“6 on the Board” was produced by Cody Pieschl (artistically known as Code Red) and succeeds Pistol Pete’s 2015 single “Chiefs Nation.” 

When he’s not behind the mic, Davis can be found at Arrowhead Stadium where he works as an operations lead for the Chiefs. He and his mother journeyed as fans alongside the team to last year’s Super Bowl in Miami — and he’s headed to Tampa this weekend.

“This is my sixth season with them,” Davis said. “I’ve done just about every job in [Arrowhead] stadium to get where I’m at … It’s really cool to have the team support my music as well.” 

Click here to listen to “6 on the Board.”

 

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‘KC Made Me’

From his parents playing “oldies” around the house, to expanding his love for hip hop through the skateboarding community, Davis recalled always being surrounded by music. 

“Pistol Pete” Peter Davis

“My friends had a big influence on me,” he shared. “We would just be at parties and freestyle — which is where my love for finding cadence around different measures and beats per minute sparked. I studied that from a bunch of different artists and started freestyling.” 

When his parents divorced during his late-high school years, Davis said, he used music as an outlet to express what he was going through and even recorded his raps on a webcam to share with others. 

As he picked up the pace with his music career, “Pistol Pete” (a nickname he was given during pick-up basketball) emerged onto the Kansas City hip-hop scene. 

“I feel like it has a deeper meaning with how I find cadences on beats, if you will — kind of like a firecracker tap dancing on some beats,” Davis said. “I feel like the word pistol accurately describes how I rap.” 

Davis describes his music as a “positive, Kansas City-diven, alternative hip hop.” 

His first music video “KC Made Me” was released in 2013 and features various spots around downtown Kansas City. It marked a landmark moment in Davis’ music career, he said. 

“I had been making music for some time, but it wasn’t until I had that visual that people started noticing me. It was eye opening, like, ‘Wow people are paying attention to this.’”

Click here to check out Pistol Pete’s website.

Through the years, Davis has found that the most important part of his writing process is the intention, he said — noting that he asks himself what message he’s trying to convey before putting ink on paper or beats on a track.

In his 2020 music video “Joy,” the intention is to share all the things that bring him happiness in Kansas City, Davis explained. The music video features Davis skateboarding with friends, dining on local sweets and even a cameo of his mother dancing along to his music. 

 

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His surroundings and real-life experiences inspire much of Davis’ music, he shared, as he strives to be honest with people. Kansas City, along with the community, has been a big inspiration for him, he added. 

“Oh man, I love Kansas City,” Davis said. “I obviously love the logistics to the city, but it’s the people who keep me here. Everybody is just so grounded; there’s that genuineness to Kansas City. It’s nothing like any other city.” 

‘The Sweep’

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t prevent Davis from creating and releasing new music. Pistol Pete’s fourth album “The Sweep” was released September 2020.

“Sweep” by Pistol Pete

“When I got to the end of the album and we were still in the pandemic, I just knew I had to put this out because this is my best piece,” Davis said. “People are cooped up. People are going through depression, anxiety and all these dark things. If my music can get them out of that for a second, then that’s my meaning on this earth.”

“The Sweep” wasn’t a solo effort; it came together with some help from good friends, Davis noted. The album was produced by Code Red, who also did sound for Pistol Pete’s live shows before the pandemic. 

“We started working on songs at the beginning of the pandemic and before we knew it, we had a complete album,” Davis stated. “Since I’ve been working with Code Red, he’s lifted my sound all the way up to where I’d feel comfortable with it playing in a studium.

“… My friend Storm Fritz does amazing photography work and shot the album cover,” he continued. “The cover of a city worker is meant to really lift up the little man.”

The listener response has been across the board when it comes to people’s favorite tracks, Davis said — adding that he’s excited for the day that he can perform the album live. 

“The album really has a feel for everybody,” he shared. “You can go through this trancey hip hop to this heavy hardcore rap. It’s been really cool to receive that diversity of feedback. … I wish we could do a show, but I don’t regret putting it out when I did because I think it brought people life.”

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This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.

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