19-year-old recording artist Pablo YG has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of dancehall music in 2023.
Since releasing his first single, “Ready” in 2020, he has worked steadily, finding his breakout moment in the last days of 2022 at Jamaica’s annual Sting Concert, dubbed “the greatest one- night reggae and dancehall show on earth.” In the months that followed, he surpassed 40 million views on his YouTube channel, was featured in a fashion campaign for a collaboration between Supreme and Clarks and earned one of dancehall’s hottest songs of the year with “Rich N Richer” released on his 14-track debut project, Bad Juvi Mixtape.
Born Romeo Hines in 2004, Pablo YG grew up in Shaw Park, a town also known as “Crimetop” on Jamaica’s northern coast. He earned his nickname “Pablo” in high school after a teacher compared his skills on the soccer pitch to those of Argentinian footballer Pablo Aimar. “YG” came from his father, Mr. Groove, a singer in his own right, who also had a hand in inspiring the younger Hines to pursue music.
Before rising to national fame, Pablo YG built a local buzz in his hometown, performing at successive stagings of Crimetop’s Annual Treats festival. In early 2020, he hit the studio with producer Spinaz YG Muzik, and recorded “Ready” over the Wildside Riddim, a fitting start to a promising career. Now managed and produced by Spinaz YG Musik and YGF Records, he built his momentum with his follow-up singles “Sauce Gad” “Changes” and “Postmortem”.
Since then, he’s collaborated with some of the biggest names from the scene: Skillibeng (“Galore”), Valiant (“Motorsport”), 450 (“Gyal Magnet”), among others. However, his biggest hit to date is a solo track; “Rich N Richer” a soulful mission statement that has resonated with millions for its message of resilience and ambition. The explosive growth of the song, months after its release, has set the stage for another fruitful year for Pablo YG in 2024.
Watch the music video for “Rich and Richer”