The Ones: Hoodrich Pablo Juan’s “Myself”
With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.
Hoodrich Pablo Juan - “Myself”
Hoodrich Pablo Juan comes from the lineage of straight-talking Atlanta street rappers like Young Scooter. There is little room for interpretation; what he says, he means. He is also from the longer lineage of hyper prolific trappers turned hyper prolific rappers: He has released more than a dozen projects since 2015, many of them doing the same things. Juan is nothing if not consistent.
He isn’t really doing anything out of character on “Myself,” one of his best songs. Sometimes circumstances can make all the difference. Here, he sounds formidable rapping about standing resolutely alone and being self-sufficient. His no frills approach only serves to bolster his claims of autonomy. What makes the song really interesting is the whirring Tay Keith production, which is mesmerizing in its recurrent motion. The array of synths is so disorienting that Juan’s bluntness is required to navigate it. The Atlanta rapper charts a path directly through, talking up his own steadfastness the entire time. If the song proves anything, it’s that it usually pays to be true to yourself.
Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Hoodrich Pablo Juan and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
