Hall of Fame 2.0

In the official album trailer for Polo G’s Hall of Fame 2.0, where the Michael Jackson-sampling “Bad Man (Smooth Criminal)” plays in the background, Polo explains that the first Hall of Fame “was me beating my chest, really coming into my own as an artist and showing I’m here to stay.” He goes on to contextualize 2.0 as the closing of this same chapter while encouraging fans to “turn up this one more time.” It goes without saying that at this point in his young career, the self-proclaimed GOAT truly does have a catalog worth celebrating, but in the case of Hall of Fame 2.0, turning up is hardly the full story.

Across 2.0, Polo G is as lucid, thoughtful, and reflective as he’s ever been. This version of Polo is particularly concentrated within the project’s 14 new selections. He’s made time to have fun—as have guests Lil Baby, Moneybagg Yo, and Lil Tjay—but the meat of the new additions lies in Polo’s worldview, the rapper facing down survivor’s remorse (“Decisions”), unhealthy relationships (“Partin Ways”), prioritizing his mental health (“With You,” “Alright”), and the impossibility of the Black American experience (“Black Man in America”). Hall of Fame 2.0 may have initially been billed as a deluxe version of its predecessor (it also features the 20 tracks of the original), but as a stand-alone collection of music, it makes yet another case for Polo’s jersey to one day hang from the rafters.