Although quite problematic, not many of us can say that they didn’t succumb to the dealer fever a few years ago. It’ was 2015, and Netflix has just released one of its highest-revenue generating series, Narcos, narrating the story of South America’s biggest kingpin, Pablo Escobar. After three thrill-inducing seasons, the show came to an end in 2018 leaving fans with only a handful of quotes and camera stills to live off. But one person is reigniting that flame, and he happens to be hailing from the Kingdom of Morocco.
Mohammed Said, better known as Cheb Pablo online, has been embracing Escobar’s aesthetic by remodelling some of his most notorious aspects to appropriate them as his very own. Considering the daunting numbers he’s been generating, it’s safe to say that we’re far from being the only fans of the internet character. The Latino-infusing Arab has, since his first video posted in November 2021, built an impressively large community that gathers over 100.000 followers on his Instagram page alone.
Both suave and heartwarming, the 23-year-old’s content has drawn reactions from all over the internet. And that’s including ourselves, hence why sat down and caught up with the young digital creator: meet Cheb Pablo.
What was the initial concept behind your channel?
At the beginning, the idea started with a video of me impersonating Pablo during Valentine’s Day for laughs. Almost everyone agreed that there was a great similarity between me and Pablo, so we moved forward with this concept. The main idea was to prove that you should never be ashamed to show that you come from a family experiencing financial struggles. That’s also one of the reasons why we also film in our slum. But it was also a good idea because it is closer to what Columbian Favelas look like.
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What was the first video that went viral?
The first video that went viral is the one where Pablo brings a gift and bouquet of mint to his mother. It created huge traction online which motivated us to make more short videos.
What were you doing before this?
Before that, Cheb Pablo was in his 2nd year of law school and selling avocados at the same time.
Which post did you enjoy making the most?
The one I enjoyed the most, and where I’m sure everyone else did too, is when Pablo comes home with a beautiful girl who tells his mom “Soy la esposa de Pablo” which means “I am Pablo’s wife”.
Has anyone from the Narcos cast ever reached out to you?
Until now no one from Narcos reached out to us although, we always tag Netflix in our videos. Hopefully, they will come across our channel one day.
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How did you persuade your mother to join the adventure with you?
Actually, I didn’t have to convince my mother to join. She has trust in what I do and liked the vibe. We didn’t have to talk to her, she joined automatically. I hope that we will all succeed.
Do you have a team behind or do you do everything yourself?
To be honest, I have a person who works with me. His name is Netstyle and he was already involved in the filmmaking business. When I was selling avocados, we talked about the concept and he believed in my talent, so that’s how we started. Since then, he’s been the one directing my videos and steering the concept.
Do you think that we will ever see you act?
I would love to be part of international movies such as Narcos. In Morocco, I would consider acting in a movie that fits what I do and help me move forward on my career. For the other question regarding what is coming for the rest of the year, I would say we have many surprises.
