Ever since the release of &#039;The Life of Pablo&#039; fans have have continued to question who Kanye West referred to

Who Is Pablo in Kanye West&#8217;s Album ‘Life of Pablo’? Is It Picasso, Escobar, or Saint Paul?

Holding 24 Grammy Awards to one’s name is no small feat, especially with a
career that started as freestyling to the beats. In the years that followed,
that very artist soon rose to prominence, coming across as arguably one of the
finest influencers of hip-hop with over ten studio albums, each unique and true
to a trademark style. However, in his music-production history, no other Kanye
West [https://www.netflixjunkie.com/tag/kanye-west] album has gone through as
many changes as his 2016’s ‘The Life of Pablo’.

Featuring song additions, remixes, edits, and even album name changes, the final
album dropped to fanfare, although not without debate.


KANYE WEST REFERRED TO MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN HIS FAMED ALBUM

Initially called ‘Help Me God’, ‘SWISH’, and ‘Waves’, Kanye West finally settled
on the title of his 2016 album but left fans open to guessing the identity of
Pablo. Wild theories ran amok, starting from the poet Pablo Neruda to a kid of
the same name supporting his then-presidential campaign. However, in the season
finale of Kocktails With Khloe in April 2016, the rapper disclosed that his
album referred to not a singular person but to Pablo Picasso, Pablo Escobar, and
Saint Paul.

kanye west anyma
[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]NEW
YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 11: Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 on
February 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
for Yeezy Season 3)

In an explanation, Ye stated that he chose Paul the Apostle for his role as the
“strongest influencer of Christianity,” justifying the gospel music in his
tracks. Thereafter, he chose Escobar because he stood as “the biggest mover of
product” and Picasso “was the biggest mover of art”. Therefore, his album came
as an amalgamation of ideologies from all these three men, or the world’s most
influential ‘Pablos’. “And that mix between message, art, and product is The
Life Of Pablo,” stated Kanye West to sum it all up.

ALSO READ: A Rare Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar Snap Sends Twitter Into Meltdown
From ‘The Life of Pablo’ Days
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-a-rare-kanye-west-and-kendrick-lamar-snap-sends-twitter-into-meltdown-from-the-life-of-pablo-days/]

About eight years down the line, the biggest selling point at this point for
West remains his album, ‘Vultures’, whose second volume faces the threat of
never taking flight.


‘VULTURES 2’ MAY NEVER LAND ON STREAMING PLATFORMS

Kanye West dropped the first volume of his Ty Dolla $ign collaboration,
‘Vultures 1’, to a decent reception. Moreover, ‘Carnival’ from that very album
has shown no signs of stopping
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-carnival-takes-the-throne-at-no-one-on-billboard-hot-hundred-sending-fans-into-ecstasy/]
as it holds back major releases. However, the ‘Y$’ collaborative duo had
announced three volumes of ‘Vultures’ with the second, lined up for a March 8
release, still not going live and without any official explanation.

Kanye West at 2019 Coachella
[data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==]INDIO,
CALIFORNIA – APRIL 20: Kanye West performs during 2019 Coachella Valley Music
And Arts Festival on April 20, 2019 in Indio, California. (Photo by Timothy
Norris/Getty Images for Coachella)

The rapper, though, in a recent interaction with a fan page, hinted at his plans
to shelve the idea of dropping his releases on streaming platforms altogether.
Rather, he asked if they “get a million people to buy the album” as a means to
enable them to get rid of streamers’ “control” of artists. With a week’s worth
of delay fast approaching, fans may well agree to West’s alternatives.

ALSO READ: Kanye West May Not Drop ‘Vultures 2’ for Streaming at All, Asks for
an Alternative Instead
[https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-kanye-west-may-not-drop-vultures-2-for-streaming-at-all-asks-for-an-alternative-instead/]

What did you think of who Pablo stood for in Kanye West’s ‘Life of Pablo’? Let
us know in the comments below.

Imteshal Karim

Comment

Who Is Pablo in Kanye West&#8217;s Album ‘Life of Pablo’? Is It Picasso, Escobar, or Saint Paul? - Netflix Junkie

Home

Music News

Netflix Junkie

https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/nj_bg_transparent-1.png

Imteshal Karim is a Hollywood News reporter at NetflixJunkie. With a penchant for writing in multiple forms, he is a published writer with his works published in anthologies. A star at his college’s writing competitions, he loves telling a good story and hopes to tell impactful ones about the unexplored side of the Entertainment industry. Imteshal found the movie of his life in 2014’s Interstellar, which fascinated him with the perfect blend of science and cinema, leaving him curious about Hollywood. In his leisure time, you will find him indulging in photography, gardening, and cycling.

https://netflixjunkie.com/music-news-who-is-pablo-in-kanye-west-album-life-of-pablo-is-it-picasso-escobar-or-saint-paul

Who Is Pablo in Kanye West&#8217;s Album ‘Life of Pablo’? Is It Picasso, Escobar, or Saint Paul? - netflix-junkie

14 Cities at Just 13: North West Teams Up With Molly Santana for Summer Concert

Olivia Wilde Blames ‘Parasocial Attachment’ for Fury Over Harry Styles Romance

'House of the Dragon' Season 3: What is the Battle of the Gullet? Everything to
Expect in Episode 1

Wu-Tang, Fat Joe, and Chuck D Drop Rap Rivalries to Celebrate the Knicks’
Historic NBA Title

Taylor Swift and Electric Lady Studios: History and Reason Why the Multi-Time
Grammy Winner Prefers It

Jelly Roll & Bunnie Xo Kids and IVF History: All About Their Children

Who Is Elvis Guetta? Meet David Guetta’s 22-Year-Old DJ Son Who Opens Shows for
Him

Does Kanye West Have Any Siblings? Inside the Rapper’s Family

Drake’s ‘ICEMAN’ Sets New 2026 Billboard 200 Mark, Surpassing BTS and Noah Kahan

Holding 24 Grammy Awards to one’s name is no small feat, especially with a career that started as freestyling to the beats. In the years that followed, that very artist soon rose to prominence, coming across as arguably one of the finest influencers of hip-hop with over ten studio albums, each unique and true to a trademark style. However, in his music-production history, no other <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/tag/kanye-west">Kanye West</a> album has gone through as many changes as his 2016’s ‘The Life of Pablo’.
Featuring song additions, remixes, edits, and even album name changes, the final album dropped to fanfare, although not without debate.
<h2>Kanye West referred to multiple people in his famed album</h2>
Initially called ‘Help Me God’, ‘SWISH’, and ‘Waves’, Kanye West finally settled on the title of his 2016 album but left fans open to guessing the identity of Pablo. Wild theories ran amok, starting from the poet Pablo Neruda to a kid of the same name supporting his then-presidential campaign. However, in the season finale of Kocktails With Khloe in April 2016, the rapper disclosed that his album referred to not a singular person but to Pablo Picasso, Pablo Escobar, and Saint Paul.
<figure id="attachment_94081" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-94081" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-94081 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-scaled.jpg" alt="kanye west anyma" width="2560" height="1707" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-509641192-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-94081" class="wp-caption-text">NEW YORK, NY &#8211; FEBRUARY 11: Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 on February 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3)</figcaption></figure>
In an explanation, Ye stated that he chose Paul the Apostle for his role as the “strongest influencer of Christianity,” justifying the gospel music in his tracks. Thereafter, he chose Escobar because he stood as “the biggest mover of product” and Picasso “was the biggest mover of art”. Therefore, his album came as an amalgamation of ideologies from all these three men, or the world’s most influential &#8216;Pablos&#8217;. “And that mix between message, art, and product is The Life Of Pablo,” stated Kanye West to sum it all up.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-a-rare-kanye-west-and-kendrick-lamar-snap-sends-twitter-into-meltdown-from-the-life-of-pablo-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Rare Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar Snap Sends Twitter Into Meltdown From &#8216;The Life of Pablo&#8217; Days</a>
About eight years down the line, the biggest selling point at this point for West remains his album, ‘Vultures’, whose second volume faces the threat of never taking flight.
<h2>‘Vultures 2’ may never land on streaming platforms</h2>
Kanye West dropped the first volume of his Ty Dolla $ign collaboration, ‘Vultures 1’, to a decent reception. Moreover, <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-carnival-takes-the-throne-at-no-one-on-billboard-hot-hundred-sending-fans-into-ecstasy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">‘Carnival’ from that very album has shown no signs of stopping</a> as it holds back major releases. However, the ‘Y$’ collaborative duo had announced three volumes of ‘Vultures’ with the second, lined up for a March 8 release, still not going live and without any official explanation.
<figure id="attachment_94082" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-94082" style="width: 2560px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-94082 lazyload" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" data-src="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-scaled.jpg" alt="Kanye West at 2019 Coachella" width="2560" height="1707" data-sizes="auto" data-srcset="https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-1144131570-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-94082" class="wp-caption-text">INDIO, CALIFORNIA &#8211; APRIL 20: Kanye West performs during 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 20, 2019 in Indio, California. (Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images for Coachella)</figcaption></figure>
The rapper, though, in a recent interaction with a fan page, hinted at his plans to shelve the idea of dropping his releases on streaming platforms altogether. Rather, he asked if they “get a million people to buy the album” as a means to enable them to get rid of streamers’ “control” of artists. With a week&#8217;s worth of delay fast approaching, fans may well agree to West’s alternatives.
ALSO READ: <a href="https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-kanye-west-may-not-drop-vultures-2-for-streaming-at-all-asks-for-an-alternative-instead/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kanye West May Not Drop ‘Vultures 2’ for Streaming at All, Asks for an Alternative Instead</a>
What did you think of who Pablo stood for in Kanye West’s ‘Life of Pablo’? Let us know in the comments below.

A Rare Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar Snap Sends Twitter Into Meltdown From ‘The
Life of Pablo’ Days

Kanye West May Not Drop ‘Vultures 2’ for Streaming at All, Asks for an
Alternative Instead

LOS ANGELES, CA &#8211; AUGUST 30: Recording artist Kanye West accepts the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/MTV1415/FilmMagic)

2015 MTV Video Music Awards &#8211; Roaming Show

https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/netflixjunkie-logo-2.jpg

https://www.staging.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/GettyImages-486015708-scaled.jpg

Ever since the release of 'The Life of Pablo' fans have have continued to question who Kanye West referred to, until the truth came out

Who Is Pablo in Kanye West's Album ‘Life of Pablo’? Is It Picasso, Escobar, or Saint Paul? - Netflix Junkie

Imteshal Karim is a Hollywood News writer at Netflix Junkie with over 700+ articles under his belt. His love for MCU and DCU superheroes see him decode the many Easter eggs and potential storylines within his articles. Imteshal’s penchant for research and latest updates is present in his extensive coverage of entities like Ryan Reynolds and his Deadpool franchise. Having contributed to The Quill House’s Silhouettes Volume 3, he aims to tell impactful and good stories about the behinds-the-scenes of the entertainment industry. When he is away from stories and Hollywood, he indulges in cycling and gardening.

https://image-cdn.netflixjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/imteshal-karim-nj.png

Ever since the release of &#039;The Life of Pablo&#039; fans have have continued to question who Kanye West referred to, until the truth came out

description

Who Is Pablo in Kanye West&#039;s Album ‘Life of Pablo’? Is It Picasso, Escobar, or Saint Paul?

https://www.netflixjunkie.com/music-news-who-is-pablo-in-kanye-west-album-life-of-pablo-is-it-picasso-escobar-or-saint-paul/

Who Is Pablo in Kanye West’s Album ‘Life of Pablo’? Is It Picasso, Escobar, or Saint Paul?

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

EDITORS' PICK

The World of NJ

Connect With Us

General

Legal