Polo G – “H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. 2 (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) 2” review

Brand new LP & the 6th overall from Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive Polo G. Rising to prominence in 2019 off his full-length debut Die a Legend which I personally found it to be decent, it wasn’t until the sophomore effort The GOAT the subsequent spring where I noticed some significant improvements. Hall of Fame & it’s sequel on the contrary were both released to mixed reception in 2021, redeeming himself to me anyway as the H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) a year & a half ago. Last week however, he announced a follow-up to the latter & gave me hopes of him continuing to head down the right direction musically.

“Painkillers” produced by Smatt Sertified actually starts off pretty solidly talking about being a Chiraq veteran who sticks his chest out when speaking prior to “Move Wrong” sampling “Lay It Down” by 8Ball & MJG featuring Crime Boss so he & VonOff1700 can ruin it. “Hard Body” blends acoustics & hi-hats talking about him continuing to follow paper trails while “Crash the Party” sends 100 rounds with no fucks given.

The instrumental on “Chances” doesn’t really do a whole lot for me & it’s a shame because I feel like the subject matter of him taking risks to get where he is comes from a serious place until the 6th & final single “Gangsta Graduation” featuring G Herbo talks about making out of the streets over an equally uninteresting beat. The 3rd single “Chinatown 2” picks up where The GOAT standout left off conceptually although I’d very much prefer the original just before “Lost My Friend” works in some average sampling masking the pain of a colleague he ain’t cool with anymore.

“High Tolerance” was obviously chosen for the 5th & penultimate single due to it’s predictable sound although I’m not gonna dismiss the idea of him being used to emotional struggles while “If I Gat To” speaks of his belief that we all face common battles, which I can agree to a certain extent. “Shoot It Off” made for an average 2nd single blending gangsta rap & trap figuring why this person he knew chose to speak if he has the right to remain silent while “1 More Time” confesses he thinks it’s fucked up the way a homie thinks he see shit.

Meanwhile on “Insubordinate”, we have Polo G talking about going from only wanting millions of dollars in cash to solely desiring peace while the 4th single “Quality Over Quantity” comes off a bit ironic since one could use that title in an argument regarding this spiritual successor being less enjoyable than the predecessor. “Dope Peddler” calls himself a cocaine specialist when I’d personally give that title to Clipse while moving forward asking who’s “Left to Blame” when he’s down & out.

“Boring Soul” surprises me with one of the more appealing moments instrumentally talking about being an uninteresting person on the inside advising to never put somebody before yours due to him not seeing a lot of people he knew anymore while the lead single “My All” was my favorite of them all from the Southside & TM88 beat to the lyrics about his struggles with love while “Spiritual War” talks about the reason why he’s been having the feelings he’s been experiencing.

King Von makes a posthumous appearance during “95 Bulls” & that itself is basically Polo G’s eulogy to his late friend who was killed half a decade ago already that I can admire for what it is while “Madden” boasts of him always making his opposition the angriest. “Rent Due” concludes H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. 2 (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) 2 dropping off 3 verses straight without a chorus sticking to a vow he made of not folding.

I’m very well aware I’m in the minority of the original H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) being an improvement over both Hall of Fame albums, but at least Southside producing 72% of it gave it something going for it & a great deal of this sequel over an entire year later has very little purpose to it besides a small handful of tracks. The topics addressed are still the ones he’s basically become known for except the production has downgraded tremendously.

Score: 1.5/5

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Polo G – “H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma)” review

Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive Polo G returning for his 5th LP. Rising to prominence in 2019 off his debut album Die a Legend which I personally found it to be decent, it wasn’t until the sophomore effort The GOAT the subsequent spring where I noticed some significant improvements. Hall of Fame & it’s sequel on the contrary were both released to mixed reception in 201 & is looking to redeem himself as the H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. or He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma.

“God’s Favorite” was a decently thunderous trap opener produced by Nick Papz & Allen Ritter starting us off letting us know that’s exactly what he’s feeling like right now whereas “No Recruits” featuring G Herbo has a stronger instrumental that Southside & Smatt Sertified cook up together going Chicago drill telling us how wicked it gets in Chiraq. “Barely Holdin’ On” with co-production from former G.O.O.D. Music in-house producer Noah Goldstein & unfortunately Dr. Luke was a emo pop rap fusion that goes over decently, but then the cloudy/trap crossover “Only Gang” featuring 42 Dugg talks about not fucking with these newer guys.

Fridayy gives “Same Me” a moodier feeling reassuring everyone that he’s still the same guy as he was when he first blew up leading into the twangy trap vibes of “Detox” talking about falling in love with the Glock & needing to do exactly that after taking in too much fake love in recent years. “Thorns” has a catchier trap flare generally needing a light for his dark soul just before “G63” featuring Offset heading for a psychedelic direction pullin’ up jumpin’ out the titular whip.

“We Uh Shoot” featuring Lil Durk fusing gangsta rap & trap together reaffirming that both of them stay carrying sticks while “Rain Fallin’” featuring The Kid Laroi stands as one of the weaker moments on the album further embracing the emo influences from earlier although Kid Laroi’s take on it still rubs off as tacky. “Distraction” picks things back up with what I thought was an incredible lead single from the acoustic trap production to Polo calling out those discrediting his talent & “No Turning Back” featuring Hunxho cavernously explains making it this far.

Easily the weakest single of the rollout has to be “Angels in the Sky” due to it’s horrendous mixing, which is a shame because the overall theme of it comes from a good place & “Darkside” once again makes up for it this time by telling us his mental state in 2020 when both installments of the Hall of Fame series came over pianos & hi-hats. “Bad Kids” featuring Glorilla keeps the keys together swapping the hi-hats out in favor of 808s telling us who they hung around growing up while “Survival of the Fittest” featuring Future goes drill saying that’s what it’s like in the trenches.

“Father’s Day” nears the final moments of H.O.O.D. P.O.E.T. (He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma) with Cubeatz helping Allen Ritter & Southside provide a delicate trap atmosphere serving as an open letter to Polo’s own father knowing that he’s forever here for him that is until “From the Heart” ends Polo’s return-to-form hopping over a roomy beat telling the world that from this point forward, he’s only writing songs if it comes from the heart rather than ego. I even like the reference to the greatest WWE superstar ever; Hall of Famer, 7-time world champion & 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker.

Right when people had already started assuming he had fallen off, Polo G returns to the fore with more life experience & rededicated to spitting about what he knows best: unflinching narratives of pain & pleasure, hood parables & romantic woes. The production has gradually improved from the 2 offerings from 4 years ago, most of the features nailed their contributions & Polo’s own versatility game has gradually stepped up.

Score: 3.5/5

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Polo G – “Hall of Fame 2.0” review

This is the 4th full-length studio LP from Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive Polo G. Rising to prominence a couple years ago off his debut album Die a Legend under Columbia Records 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 as well as WWE Hall of Famer & former World Heavyweight Champion The Great Khali 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. Smatt Sertified gives “Unapologetic” 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 thanks to Census, Nash & Taz Taylor of Internet Money Records 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 although I can’t say I enjoyed it as much. 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: 2.5/5

Polo G – “Hall of Fame” review

Polo G is a 22 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & record executive from Chicago, Illinois rising to prominence a couple years ago off his full-length studio debut Die a Legend. I personally found it to be decent as a whole, but heard major improvements on the sophomore effort The GOAT last spring. And now with 13 months passing since that acclaimed predecessor, Polo’s coming through with his highly anticipated 3rd album.

“Painting Pictures” starts the album off as an endearing homage to Lil Wooski whereas the Einer Bankz-produced “Rapstar” works in a ukulele as Polo talks about his newfound fame. Lil Durk tags along to help say they ain’t ever going back to being broke on the weepy “No Return” even though The Kid Laroi’s hook is wimpy as fuck but on “Toxic”, the instrumental from Taz Taylor has a grungier feel to it as he tells his girl he prefers the streets over her.

Meanwhile on “Epidemic”, we get a glistening piano loop with Polo rapping about how he bleeds mob ties before he & Lil Wayne talk about having the game on lock for the euphorically-produced “Gang Gang”. We go into a more atmospheric direction on the braggadocious “Boom” while the twangy “Black Hearted” speaks on disloyalty.

“Broken Guitars” has an ambitious trap rock fusion in the beat despite the horrible Scorey verse near the end while “Give No Fuck (OKOKOK)” is a drill banger detailing life as a gang member. G Herbo goes back & forth with Polo about wishing for a hero on the icy “Go” while the Rod Wave-featured “Heart of a Giant” has a luxurious instrumental with the 2 talk about being big-hearted people.

Moving on from there, “Zooted” is an off-the-top freestyle with a polished beat whereas “Party Lyfe” with DaBaby is a perfect summertime theme. Wheezy comes through with a reversed loop on the Young Thug-assisted “Losses” as both of them remind listeners that they were cut from a different cloth referencing the greatest WWE superstar ever in former 7-time world champion, 7-time tag team champion & WWE Hardcore Champion The Undertaker while “So Real” is a country trap joint showing Polo’s vulnerability.

The song “Fame & Riches” with Roddy Ricch is an acoustic tune about them living lawless & “For the Love of New York” is a horrendously tropical romance duet with Nicki Minaj. The penultimate track “Clueless” with Fivio Foreign & the late Pop Smoke goes back into drill territory with the lyrics being about staying true to themselves, but then the closer “Bloody Canvas” vividly details a 14 year old named Ced getting involved in criminal activity & getting 25 years in prison.

Although I don’t think it’s as great as The GOAT was 12 months ago, Hall of Fame still has some high points of it’s own & makes for a decent follow-up to the greatest work of Polo G’s entire career that may not ever be topped if we’re being honest with ourselves. Some production moments feel a bit run-of-the-mill & a few guests don’t stick the landing, although I can understand him finding a new way to reiterate the idea of his status in the Windy City.

Score: 3/5