Pouya broke through with the Baby Bone EP highlight "Get Buck," a track so unrelenting and combative that it lacked space for a hook. The title of its 2013 parent release referred to the rapper's nickname and love for . While the influence of that pioneering melodic rap group can be sensed throughout Pouya's discography, the Miami native's highly personal and creative lyricism, combined with his easy adaptability to the wildly varying approaches of his producers, have made him stand out all along. From 2016 through 2018, Pouya's Underground Underdog, Drop Out of School (with ), and Five Five each hit Billboard charts, a period during which the rapper also scored with the collaboration "1000 Rounds." By the time that single went gold, in 2021, Pouya's catalog had expanded with additional independent projects such as The South Got Something to Say and Blood Was Never Thick as Water.