Polo G: Hip-Hop’s Favorite Underdog

Polo G is a Chicago rapper who had his first breakout moment with the hit single “Finer Things” in 2018. Since then, Polo has been constantly releasing new music and now he already has 2 critically acclaimed major studio albums under his belt. And during the course of his career, he’s quickly become one of Hip-Hop’s most likable and relatable individuals to have ever told a rags-to-riches story. Polo G’s musical style centers around piano-laced dramatic trap beats, melodic flows and lyrics about the trauma and the pain his former life has inflicted upon him and how he copes with them, lyrics about his success story and so on, basically, nothing out of the ordinary. But there is something about Polo that sets him apart from your average Trap Rapper that illustrates his come-up story on his songs.

Polo G’s music is dimensional, he presents himself as an extremely flawed individual who has difficulty expressing emotions such as love and happiness and he always raps about how he fears it might push people away. He doesn’t wear his struggles like a badge of honor, nor does he come off as if he’s humble-bragging and painting himself as this secret badass in an action movie with a tragic backstory the way so many rappers do. There are multiple reasons why Polo G is more believable and relatable than an average rapper but by far the biggest selling point of his music is his Honesty. Polo encapsulates the perils and the violence of the streets in shocking detail, “I miss Mike Durb, I won’t forget the things you used to say / My friends got killed on the same block where we used to play.” he raps on “Deep Wounds”. The theme of depression and isolation is also prevalent in Polo’s music with him referencing abusing xanax because he does not want to be awake, on the song “No Matter What”. Sure, I know what you might be thinking, there are many rappers that address the same topics who are also willing to express themselves that much but Polo’s emotional torment is deeply rooted and he’s willing to be completely explicit and spill his heart out on a track, on a level no other rapper I’m aware of would be even close to being comfortable. Take a look at the track “I Know” from Polo’s second LP, “The Goat”. On this track is where Polo gets harrowingly introspective, it’s heart-wrenching and almost difficult to listen to. Polo raps “By his auntie, he was molested as a baby boy / Messed up his head, it even changed the way he play with toys.”. The sheer heart and the strength he has to be able to share that story is incredible.

Besides his genuine stories about a traumatic, crime-ridden lifestyle, Polo also touches on a variety of other topics such as romance and heartbreak. “Broken hearts can make a grown man cry.” Polo states on “Beautiful Pain”. As I have mentioned before, Polo’s music is dimensional, it is a well-rounded and unabridged portrait of the trials and tribulations and achievements of Polo’s life, and Family is another leitmotif in Polo’s catalogue. If you’re a Polo G fan, I’m sure you’ve heard of the name “Maxine”. Maxine is Polo’s late grandmother who obviously had a positive effect on his life. On many occasions, Polo has iterated the significance of her presence in his life and the influence she has had on him. She isn’t the only family member Polo regularly mentions in his music, on “Through Da Storm” Polo raps about his brother and his sister, “Couldn’t leave my brother in them trenches, told him come and stay with me / We gon’ live like kings for all them nights ain’t have no place to sleep.” says Polo. So given all of those characteristics in his music and the genuineness with which Polo tells his stories, it is easy to see why he is one of the most inspiring rappers and why so many people with their own personal struggles gravitate towards his music and why they root for him so much. Now, it would be a safe assumption that Polo’s third album is still in the works and that it’ll be some time before he eventually unveils it but Polo is still consistency releasing new material and you can watch the video for his newly released single “Epidemic” right below.