This is the 4th full-length album from Chicago rapper, singer, songwriter & record executive Polo G. Rising to prominence a couple years ago off his debut album Die a Legend which I personally found it to be decent, it wasn’t until the sophomore effort The GOAT a year & a half ago at this point where I noticed some significant improvements. He just dropped Hall of Fame this past spring & is now quick to follow it up with a sequel.
“Bad Man (Smooth Criminal)” is a brief yet clever opener paying homage to the late, great Michael Jackson whereas the Lil Baby-assisted “Don’t Play” mixes some snares with a vibraphone very well as both of them talk about being a problem. “Start Up Again” with Moneybagg Yo is a short & mid gangsta rap theme, but then “Heating Up” takes another jab at it actually sounding more threatening despite YungLiV’s wack ass feature.
Meanwhile on “Black Man in America”, we have Polo successfully delivering what could possibly be his most conscious song yet just before “Young n Dumb” serves as a raw & emotional depicting the live in the slums. “Unapologetic” has a more atmospheric tone & Polo’s verse is catchy even though I can’t say the same for NLE Choppa’s leading into the 2-minute rock-infused “Fortnight” telling his lover he’d die for her which I wish was about another minute or 2 longer.
“Decisions” goes into a more acoustic direction melodically asking if he can count on this woman whereas “With You” brings in a skeletal yet moody beat saying the hardest thing is to sacrifice & lose”. Things go back into acoustic territory for the weak breakup ode “Partin’ Ways” & the same applies to “Suicide”, except Polo & Lil Tjay are talking about people trying to go up against them.
The penultimate track “Piano G” perfectly lives up to it’s name with a rich beat tugging at the heart strings & Polo admitting he was in denial running from reality, but “Alright” ends the album on a more optimistic note with some more acoustic passages & encouraging the listeners that everything will be ok in the end.
Compared to the predecessor, this is a bit of a decent sequel. The first leg starts off pretty solidly & I appreciate that Polo continues to make him sound different from everyone else in the trap landscape, but the latter half (especially all the forced lovey dovey shit) is a bit of a mess.
Score: 3/5
Legends Will Never Die 