Who is Hoodrich Pablo Juan? The next star to blow out of Atlanta

One does not simply break out of Atlanta as a hip-hop star.

While it may not seem that way, with decades of dominance dating back from Goodie Mob and Outkast to Killer Mike and Future, because hip-hop has become Atlanta’s number one cash crop, it’s tougher than ever.

That’s why Hoodrich Pablo Juan cannot be overlooked.

A little over a week ago, just three months removed from dropping his Designer Drugz 3 album, Hoodrich Pablo Juan came back swinging with his newest offering Rich Hood.

The album adds to his already building momentum and solidifies him as the next to blow out of Atlanta.

The 28-year-old rapper has long been apart of the Atlanta hip-hop scene but really broke in 2015 with his debut mixtape, Designer Drugz.

The tape, assisted by heavy hitters like Migos, Peewee Longway, and Jose Guapo, instantly put him on the forefront of the Atlanta music scene and he has not looked back since.

Moving to Atlanta at the tender age of 3 must have been destiny for HoodRich, who seamlessly ingratiated himself to the city’s workaholic mentality a la Gucci, Future, and others, dropping tape after tape with hardly any time in between.

But it wasn’t until after seven solo mixtapes and eight collab projects later that the “We Dont Luv Em” rapper was finally singed to Gucci’s 1017 Eskimos early last year and has not stop grinding since.

Citing Boosie, Gucci Mane, C-Murder, and Pimp C as influences, it’s clear Juan has a low priority for lyrical wordplay. At the same time however, it’s just as clear that he has a nose for the groove that artists spend careers trying to get a pulse of.

Pablo Juan raps almost in a low-whisper, gliding over one stomping 808 to another as if subwoofers were guiding him. His uncanny ability to select the right cadence, hook and beat, mixed with his braggadocious bravado brings together a sound that has gotten the city’s attention.

Take “The 9 + Z6NE” off his Rich Hood tape for example. Somehow he managed to piece together a song that can easily be a studio album single, club banger, and street anthem all at once; this also goes for “18K” off the same album.

You give Hoodrich the right instrumental and he brings the persona and point of view that will carry the entire song.

With his work ethic, I’m positive were going to hear from Hoodrich Pablo Juan again before the year’s out. It’ll be interesting to see how he pushes his sound and how far he goes.