Polo G

Born Taurus Bartlett in 1999, Polo G was raised in Chicago public housing, coming up through the rough, quick-delivery style of local hip-hop known as drill. Like local heroes G Herbo, Lil Durk and, to a lesser extent, Chief Keef, Polo’s primary subject was pain: personal, racial, generational. But as compelling and tightly wound as his debut was (2019’s Die a Legend), he knew you could only get so much mileage out of the same story, and took his follow-up—2020’s THE GOAT—as a chance to evolve, exploring more pop- and club-oriented sounds while retaining the intensity that makes his performances shine. Polo G later leaned even further into the introspective, piano-laced sound that made him both a voice for the streets and a global pop fixture. His 2021 blockbuster Hall of Fame proved his staying power. The Chicago rapper then took his time before returning with 2024’s HOOD POET, an acronym for “He Overcame Obstacles During Pain Or Emotional Trauma”. Even in the crowded field of mournful singer-rappers, Polo G stands out. It’s not the depth of his trauma—poverty, hunger, gang violence, drug addiction and prison, all before his 20th birthday—or even his willingness to share it. It’s his focus.