Midwest Hip Hop: “21” by Polo G

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DATE \@ "d MMMM yyyy" 27 April 2023
Midwest Hip Hop: “21” by Polo G
Renowned hip-hop artists from the Midwestern United States are popularly known for their Midwest hip-hop, a regional hip-hop music genre. This type of music genre has fewer constants in style or production, unlike its Southern, west coast, and East Coast counterparts. Extremely fast-paced rappers referred to as Choppers, like Eminem from Detroit, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from Cleveland, Atmosphere originating from Minneapolis, and Twista residing in Chicago, brought Midwest hip hop to national popularity in the mid-90s. Midwest hip hop exemplified drill music. “21” is a song in Polo G’s album The Goat, produced by Keanu Beats and Khaled Rohaim. The Polo’s sophomore album was released in May 2020. The song brings out an accurate illustration of life in Chicago. The city has numerous hip-hop artists, but Polo seems outstanding in a unique type of drill music. The lyrics and melody of Polo G are well-known and act as his identity. Some people view his artistic work as a melodic drill. He is creative in his work and uses his compositions and lyrics to illustrate life in Chicago. The lyricism in the Chicago style of music is rarely given the recognition it deserves. Chicago is well-known for its drill tunes, but it is also known as "Chiraq" due to the amount of danger and bloodshed. According to Amrani (2021), Chicago, Illinois, is called Chiraq. It refers to specific violent regions of Chicago and compares them to a war-torn city by fusing Chicago with Iraq. It is well-known that many Chicago rappers always refer to their city as Chiraq.
Midwest hip-hop has been inspiring many artists from other regions. Zach (2020) claims that rappers adapted the rough sound of the Chicago drill and added their regional spins and tales, making it appealing to wider audiences. As a result, the genre started to evolve at home. Taurus Tremani Bartlett, known by his stage name Polo G, was born in the United States on January 6, 1999, in Old Town, Chicago, Illinois. A new generation of Chicago rappers, led by Polo G, adopted the drill principles and added sounds, as well as more conventional lyrics and vulnerable storytelling. His "vivid and explicit storytelling" has garnered praise, and his lyrics frequently touch on sensitive topics like race and mental well-being. He also frequently honors his hometown. Polo G raps on "21" about his life experience and popularity at 21. "Decorate your block with red tape, foenem slidin' every day," Polo G reportedly remarked Bunch of hollows spittin' out the Glock" is how the hip-hop artist describes his gang ("foenem") executing a crime on a rival gang's zone. When a felony occurs, the police frequently use red tape to signal a preventative warning to onlookers. Polo G did not hold back while discussing how life looks to live and thrive in Chicago. "I've been serving friends all day, posted there with the gang N***a, and we were taught to get it off the block." Iraq was not a safe area, as stated earlier. As stated, many gangs exist in Chicago and Iraq, and gang violence accounts for 80% of killings.
Polo G played tribute to his close friend Juice Wrld, another top-ranking and renowned Chicago rapper, in the song. "R.I.P. to Juice, can't quit these drugs, man." We played with those Percs, and I popped my final one with you (“Polo G - 21 Lyrics Meaning”). Polo explained what these lyrics meant, giving deeper meaning in an interview; he remarked, "My last time I was popping a Percocet was with Juice WRLD, which is why I left it alone after that. I'm thinking, "I don't ever want to go back to that moment," knowing that it was the last time I did it with him and the circumstances surrounding his predicament. That caused me to stay away from it and decide it would be the last time I did it. My dog, Juice WRLD, was almost like a friend from my childhood neighborhood. That was the kind of friendship we had. I connected with him. I am aware that not many people in this field with whom you can "click" that way" (Rashed 2). For several years, Polo G struggled with Xanax and Percocet addiction. He was able to manage and control his drug habit due to Juice Wrld's passing. He also mentions N.B.A. player Kendrick Nunn, a native of Chicago, in the song.
Polo paints a clear picture of his growing up in Chicago and bad life experiences through his rap song; he claims, "Where I'm from, they turn death into a contest." My n****s went to war, but they ain't receive no Vietnam check (“Polo G - 21 Lyrics Meaning”). The way Polo uses "signifying" is incredible. Polo highlights and illustrates the gang lifestyle spread throughout Chicago in his songs. Most of the residents from Chicago can be portrayed as having been brought up in a gang-infested region and have witnessed their friends’ lives being taken away. "N***a, where I'm from, they make dying a game, livin' by the gun, all my faith in this compact" (“Polo G – 21”). The hip-hop artist created an outstanding piece of art expounding what...