Polo G - Hall of Fame

 

'Hall of Fame' is the third record from Chicago rapper Polo G and begins intensely with 'Painting Pictures.' Over a decent piano-trap instrumental, a sincere Polo G paints the violent gang life before his rise to fame with anecdotes of the close friends he had lost. 

"Block died, we threw up X's, TimTim died, we threw up T's, Twin'nem died, banging L's, I wish they ain't never leave, For Killer, K's to the brain, I', scoring if I catch the G's... I was playing AAU with Ed it was ball is life Wish I could've warned him before he lost his life.' 

Polo G damns the gang life with 'SAY, 'Fuck The Opposites,' but deep down, we all alike,' criticizing its reckless nature and how conflict could arise based on which gang you affiliate. Polo G continues his brutal imagery of the gang life in his smash hit 'RAPSTAR.' 

"Homicides when we lurk, I'ma step till my feet hurt, Been putting them streets first, white tees tuned burgundy t-shirts.' 

'RAPSTAR' also has Polo G confidently calling himself a 'Pac rebirth' as he 'never put out a weak verse' while describing his struggle with anxiety and drug addiction. 

"I've been getting high to hide behind my insecurities, taking different pills, but I know it ain't gon... Anxiety killing me. I want to leave Earth. when they ask if I'm okay, it just makes everything seem worse, Try and explain your feelings sounds like something you rehearsed."

The ukelele, trap beats and segments of a piano make for a nice instrumental for 'RAPSTAR.' Sadly, the braggadocious hook from Polo G does somewhat drag. 

In 'No Return', Polo G collaborates with The Kid LAROI and Lil Durk. Polo G continues to deliver chilling anecdotes of his past gang life over a satisfyingly dark violin and piano, bearing witness to 'real killers' humbling those that 'think they are hot.' Additionally, The Kid LAROI vocally delivers a good chorus as he is grateful to be far from the lifestyle of 'Roaches in the crib, mama on drugs.'  Furthermore, an intense Lil Durk is tired of 'losing his friends to people who are new to killing', especially coming from the 'muddiest part of the trenches, where anyone will die any day.'  

'I'm a soldier you won't find nobody solider,' probably sounded better in Polo G's mind, yet made for an awkward start to 'Toxic.' Fortunately, Polo G does humorously claps back to his critics that say he is not going hard enough in the lines, 'A little white boy from the suburbs got the nerve to tell I ain't going hard enough like he really ever had it hard enough.' 

Following 'Epidemic', it is a trip in 'GANG GANG.' The pleasingly trippy synths supplement a charismatic Polo G recalling those that 'clowned him,' only for them to be looking down from Heaven's gates. Polo G's catchy hook smoothly transitions to an exciting feature performance from Lil Wayne, an excellent end to the track. 

'Boom' is an energetic banger with its enjoyably fierce beats, complementing a charged-up Polo G making it 'hot like it's June' while turning 'white tees to maroon.' After 'Black Hearted,' Polo G delivers decent singing, especially in the chorus in 'Broken Guitars.' The guitar riffs are a nice touch, yet the track does suffer from an uneventful Scorey feature verse. 

After a short and decent banger in 'GNF (OKOKOK)', Polo G calls upon G Herbo in 'Go Part 1'. The misty synths and cacophonic bass charge up a decent blast of violence delivered by Polo G and G Herbo. A merciless G Herbo is not afraid to brandish his AR when people 'run up on his Lamborghini'. Meanwhile, Polo G delivers more brutal lines like 'Ain't no need to check his pulse, they know he finished,' and 'He Reach for this Carti', it's gon be a whole lot of red.'  I rate that Playboi Carti reference. 

A solid pop-rap tune appears at 'Party Lyfe'. The bassline is joyous as Polo G delivers a breezy chorus while DaBaby is in his element on his feature verse. Wheezy makes a delightful appearance on the production booth for Polo G's 'Losses' featuring Young Thug. The instrumental is a pleasing mix of horns and hypnotic vocal samples, fitting for Polo G trying 'to be one of the richest' and a Young Thug 'above the climate and in the stars.'  The track also has a great chorus, with Polo G making a soothing inflection in his singing and Young Thug pleasantly crooning in the chorus' latter half. 

Over a blissful guitar and claps, Polo G nicely croons about his current girlfriend in the cute love ballad in 'So Real'. Nearing the record's close, Polo G rides a vibrant tropical dancehall instrumental in 'For The Love of New York,' featuring Nicki Minaj. Interesting, to say the least. 

The penultimate 'Clueless' is an atmospheric banger. Producer AXL unleashes an ethereal beam of synths, fuelling a gritty Pop Smoke, an enthusiastic Fivio Foreign, and a focused Polo G. Polo G remains focused in 'Hall of Fame's stunningly fervent ending, 'Bloody Canvas.' Here, over punchy bass, gloomy vocal samples, bassline and claps, Polo G tells a ferocious tale of vengeance. The imagery of Jacob's death is brutally vivid. 

"Blood oozing with his back on the ground, vision blurry, heartbeat slowing down, blood coming out of his mouth, feel like he starting to drown... His eyes rolling back, his auntie trying to tell him, 'Breathe.' 

The act of revenge brought by Sed to Jacob's killer, Rodney, is equally savage. 

"Sed hopped out of the car, he ready to erase him... Shots to the leg, hollow tips ate him, fell to the ground like his shoes, he didn't lace them, Sed walked up, stood over him like, 'Pussy this for Jacob.' Gave him four shots to the stomach, then he faced him.' 

I was concerned with the 20 track 'Hall Of Fame,' fearing it would sonically feel bloated. Thankfully, Polo G does solidly in keeping a lengthy record appealing. The introspections of past gang life were gripping through Polo G's vivid imagery of brutality in his lyrics, notably in 'Bloody Canvas' and 'Painting Pictures'. Additionally, most of the collaborative cuts were fruitful, such as 'GANG GANG', 'No Return' and 'Clueless' to name a few. Moreover, Polo G had decent ventures in pop-rap, like in 'Party Lyfe' featuring DaBaby, and love balladry in 'So Real.' However, in the future, I do wish for Polo to trim down to a more concise length on his next record because they were few tracks that I did not mention or go into deeply that I thought were at least forgettable. 

 

Best Track(s) : Clueless, GANG GANG, Bloody Canvas, Losses, No Return

 

7/10