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Polo G Nearly Quit Music! The Shocking Truth Behind 'Hood Poet' | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Aug 5, 2024
🎤 Polo G Drops 'Hood Poet': The Truth Behind the Album 🎤
Join us on this captivating episode of Sway In The Morning as Polo G dives deep into the making of his highly anticipated fourth studio album, 'Hood Poet.' Discover the untold stories and raw emotions behind each track, featuring collaborations with Glorilla, Lil Durk, Future, G Herbo, Offset, and more. Polo G opens up about his relentless pursuit of perfection, facing personal adversities, and the journey of self-discovery that shaped this project.
From his meteoric rise in 2018 with hits like 'Finer Things' and 'Pop Out' to amassing over 18 billion streams globally, Polo G has come a long way. In this exclusive interview, he shares candid insights about overcoming obstacles, dealing with the pressures of fame, and his plans for future projects.
Don't miss out on this exclusive look into Polo G's creative process and the powerful messages interwoven in 'Hood Poet.' Subscribe for more interviews, behind-the-scenes, and all things hip-hop from Sway’s Universe. Follow us on social media for the latest updates and join the conversation now!
#PoloG #HoodPoet #SwayInTheMorning #SwaysUniverse #HipHop #ExclusiveInterview
#AlbumSymbolism #ArtistCollaborations #HipHopMusic #MentalHealthInMusic #SubstanceAbuseChallenges
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
01:10 - Polo G on New Album "Hood Poet"
05:00 - Polo G Discusses Well-Being
09:20 - The Energy of Polo G’s Locks
11:42 - Collaborating with Coi Leray
12:57 - Working with Lil Wayne
13:58 - Symbolism in "Hall of Fame" Cover Art
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
[Applause]
0:01
come on man let me tell you
0:04
man 2018 was a powerful
0:07
year that's when this man hit the scene
0:10
keep the Applause going for me towards
0:12
2018 with finer
0:14
things all remember pop out with my man
0:17
L TJ who I met at a studio in Midtown
0:21
Manhattan once before anybody knew his
0:24
name and he ran up on me on the corner
0:27
and said I'mma Be big one day watch sway
0:29
I love that
0:30
and sure enough I just start seeing his
0:32
star rise and people around him star
0:35
started to rise and this young man has
0:38
faced a lot of adversity in his time but
0:41
still he shines he the be love it over
0:43
18 billion streams worldwide give that a
0:46
round of applause let's go count it up
0:48
got over 49 tracks that charted on the
0:50
Billboard Hot 100 get that a round of
0:53
applause B deal go ahead give him an ow
0:56
too Platinum recording artist from the
0:59
day of D Legend to hood poet here in
1:03
2024 I want to welcome this man to the
1:06
show give it up for the one and only
1:08
Polo G man Polo
1:11
G welcome welcome to the show bro
1:14
appreciate yall having a beautiful ring
1:16
you got on your finger man ain't got no
1:19
rings like that you ain't got a billion
1:21
streams is that
1:23
why I mean the math is simple sway the
1:27
math is simple this is early in the
1:29
morning man man that you have you slept
1:31
when was the last time you slept this
1:32
album is a big deal I ain't getting no
1:35
sleep like that for real last night I
1:37
was uh I was in the studio I I caught a
1:40
few Z's in the lobby before I came in
1:42
the lby this Lobby yeah
1:46
wow wow okay well here he is man what
1:49
you what you finishing up final touches
1:50
on the album or yeah just a little
1:52
tweaks here now but how how involved are
1:55
you like I know when you first started
1:57
it was all new when you put out your
1:59
first project were you all over the
2:00
tracks then in terms of producing and
2:02
mixing I always been real hands on um I
2:06
I get input on production but I don't
2:08
really uh dabble in that yet but uh as
2:12
far as like recording organizing the D
2:15
tracks album layout things like that I'm
2:18
always saying though have you set some
2:20
scheduling yet for yourself because like
2:22
sway mentioned we all know that the
2:24
album itself is important but at times
2:26
when you just feel like well damn I
2:28
haven't slept in maybe 12 hours or I
2:30
just need to fall back just a little bit
2:32
just to get some quiet I don't even know
2:34
if it's a peace thing but maybe just
2:36
some quiet for yourself have you been
2:37
able to do that yet no not yet I'mma get
2:41
my chance but right now it's just you
2:44
know non-stop
2:46
work damn man do you have
2:49
fun right you young
2:52
too it's crazy because this album has
2:55
been a while in the making it's been
2:58
like three years um can can you speak on
3:01
what was causing the delay and also like
3:03
what exactly are those tweaks because
3:06
you have put so much effort patience
3:10
you're all into this and it's so crazy
3:12
to me that a few days before it drops
3:14
there's still little Perfections that
3:16
you can do yeah um it's just always
3:19
wanting to make sure um the body of work
3:21
you putting out is complete you know and
3:24
it feel like something that the people
3:26
could live with for a long time even in
3:28
the 3 years it take me to make it is
3:29
always going to be I'm a perfectionist
3:31
too I say that's what it sound
3:33
perfectionist for sure but um most of
3:36
the most most of it was just like me
3:38
going through certain things and and
3:40
working on myself and figuring my own
3:42
self out and figuring out how to move on
3:45
from certain situations that happen word
3:48
I was going to say cuz I always try to
3:50
tell artists like before doing radio I
3:52
was doing music professionally you know
3:54
as well and one a producer had to tell
3:57
me one time you don't person sitting and
4:00
listening to this song 100 times you
4:02
going to hear every mistake that you
4:04
making you're going to hear every word
4:06
that you thought you should have
4:07
finished but once it gets out there
4:10
people going to appreciate the art stop
4:12
killing yourself cuz you like you want
4:14
to go back and change this line go back
4:16
and change that like you sometimes you
4:18
got to let the art just just flow out
4:20
you know and so maybe that will help a
4:23
little bit one day when you go back in
4:25
for your second one because being a
4:26
perfectionist sometimes will keep you up
4:29
for the rest of your life and you know
4:30
you got so much in you but you'll never
4:32
get it out cuz you too busy trying to
4:34
perfect it yeah that definitely just
4:36
clicked with me
4:37
cuz I I definitely play my songs
4:40
probably a thousand times before they
4:42
come out so by the time they out I'm
4:44
tired of yes yes in angels in the sky
4:49
like standout lines where it used to
4:51
wake up [ __ ] up like I can't wait
4:55
until I die and you have not only been
4:58
very candid both in your music but also
5:01
just as a human about um challenges with
5:04
substance abuse challenges with sobriety
5:08
you know all of these new chapters where
5:10
do you stand now in terms of your
5:12
well-being I feel like I'm I'm
5:14
definitely in a better place things like
5:17
it's is is one thing to create music but
5:20
to actually push out a finished product
5:23
is a great feeling though so in times
5:26
like this when I'm doing these pres even
5:28
though it's hard work and I a get no
5:30
sleep this the best part of my job cuz I
5:32
love actually moving around or seeing
5:34
what my music doing like so at a time
5:37
like this I'm going be in the best hair
5:38
space all the time wor I know there was
5:41
a time and correct me if I'm wrong if
5:43
hono said it U
5:46
but stupid yeah there was a time I felt
5:49
like you were talking about retirement
5:51
yeah and after this particular project
5:54
in fact right are you still in that
5:57
place because none of us want you to
5:58
retire but it ain't up to us right uh no
6:03
I I a I ain't really in that space no
6:04
more that was
6:07
like like a moment of
6:10
me really feeling like the stress that
6:13
come with rap being a rapper in today's
6:17
age like being overwhelmed with it and
6:21
probably just speaking out of emotion so
6:25
I I definitely don't feel I feel like
6:27
I'm I'm going be here for a while a long
6:29
time no that's crazy that he said that
6:31
though because I was speaking to a young
6:32
artist yesterday and I was telling him
6:35
to make as much music as you can now
6:37
like just just even if you don't put it
6:40
out just make as much music as you can
6:42
now because the music business actually
6:45
sucks and just in my opinion it sucks it
6:48
it you there's so many highs ridiculous
6:51
lows it has you
6:53
questioning your art your passion
6:55
everything and and that can happen on a
6:57
Tuesday or Friday it doesn't care make
6:59
as much music as you can before you hit
7:02
that wall too many times you you
7:04
questioning if you even want to do it
7:05
anymore but at least you have the
7:08
catalog you know at least you have this
7:10
the storage and the stack in place you
7:12
know so when it is time to do an album
7:15
hey you like damn this [ __ ] is relevant
7:17
I wrote this three years ago let me put
7:19
that out because you did the work
7:20
already so um I could understand saying
7:23
that he wanted to that was a time when
7:25
he said that because this game will do
7:26
that to you how old are you now I'm 25
7:31
25 let me see how old was Jay when he
7:33
did his first album Reasonable Doubt 25
7:38
so you about to you was thinking of
7:40
retiring at the age that Jay-Z first
7:42
album came out that's interesting but
7:44
you say it's the Perils of rap which is
7:46
very different for somebody who coming
7:48
up in the game today versus then than it
7:51
was then right how have you I know
7:55
you've done the work but what kind of
7:56
work have you done is it a a is it
7:58
therapy is the meditation is it
8:00
separating yourself from friends and
8:02
family how how did you get to how did
8:04
you get through it I always go through
8:06
my points in time where I just fall back
8:09
from a lot of stuff that's that's really
8:11
all it was I just fall back from just
8:13
being in the scene taking time just to
8:16
be myself be my family you know and
8:19
really be able to think though it's hard
8:21
to think when you got so many people
8:22
around you yeah that's true when your
8:25
family your family makes headlines too
8:27
and it's and it's controversial or is
8:30
you know it's all of these different
8:31
things and you want to we all came up in
8:33
the industry so you want to share with
8:35
your family look listen you know I'm I'm
8:38
I may be the rapper but we're all
8:40
celebrities now how we function
8:43
everybody's going to look at you know
8:45
how have you coped with that now when
8:47
family members are now making headlines
8:49
so you have a family gathering do you
8:51
talk to them yeah all all the all the
8:55
above I definitely don't really get too
8:58
wrapped up in things like that cuz I'm
9:00
like outside of myself I know things
9:03
happen and I know it's like how you
9:05
saying it's going to be a light shared
9:07
on on it more cuz it's me but I'm still
9:10
aware like from a just a regular human
9:12
standpoint that things going to go down
9:14
everybody every family got issues and
9:16
problems yeah so I don't really be
9:18
tripping off of
9:19
it okay um I mentioned little TJ man a
9:22
lot of folks say hey is him is L TJ
9:25
gonna be on this project gonna make
9:26
music again is that ever a possibility I
9:30
definitely um would put him on the
9:33
deluxe um we definitely we got a lot of
9:35
music in a tuck but I I will want to
9:37
make something new with him for the
9:39
project yeah all right Polo G is here
9:42
man get this man a round of applause he
9:44
he Broly up
9:45
y'all his locks is beautiful how long
9:48
you been locking man uh five years I
9:51
actually got my locks done when they
9:54
first got done
9:56
here York yeah a Jamaican lady came and
9:59
did
10:00
yeah and then how you maintain them I I
10:02
you know I don't know if you know if you
10:03
look me up in the past you know I used
10:06
to rock the locks bro oh you cut him
10:08
yeah no I cut him in 09
10:12
dog cut him thanks for paying attention
10:14
to my
10:15
career oh you cut him yeah
10:19
man 15 years
10:22
ago wrapped up y that's true that's true
10:25
that's true but what kind of energy like
10:27
the locks bring a whole another energy
10:29
from from people right what kind of what
10:30
kind of energy you get from people you
10:33
saying what like just because of the
10:34
locks like how it attracts people what
10:36
kind of things you know they say they
10:40
look I don't know uh I don't really know
10:45
you said what type of energy do well
10:47
when I had my locks when I walked in the
10:50
room well my locks might have been
10:52
different from his he when I walked in
10:53
the room you know it it everybody paid
10:56
attention you know it kind of was like a
10:58
a lure M folks came around me white
11:01
folks Asian folks whatever folks from
11:03
all walks of life were attracted to the
11:06
locks MH lot of power in the locks yeah
11:08
yeah I wouldn't be able to gauge if like
11:11
what reason somebody coming up to me or
11:13
like why we why we talking and stuff but
11:16
do you feel like folks have treated you
11:18
differently since you started growing
11:19
your
11:21
locks I feel like I move differently
11:24
when I start growing my definitely I
11:26
feel like it's definitely powering and
11:29
locks you
11:30
know mhm I like how you Endo answers
11:34
man you think it's an
11:39
ellips he come right back with it um
11:43
let's talk about some of the folks you
11:44
work with on this project man I'm really
11:47
in recent years it's been we we've seen
11:49
a lot of women MC's come up man and and
11:51
they've been doing excellent shout out
11:53
to the the female MC's big glow is my
11:56
homie you know what I mean and talk
11:57
about that relationship working with her
12:00
I rock with glow tough like you know uh
12:03
we got a we got a cool relationship as
12:05
far as like speaking she just check in
12:08
with me you know that's like one of the
12:11
only female artists that I had that type
12:13
of relationship with just like always
12:15
speaking to him man like the chemistry
12:18
that we built in the in the stool it's
12:20
not that many times where I get in in
12:22
with another artist and I make some good
12:25
music right off the bat like that's one
12:27
of the only artists that like the
12:29
chemistry head off like right from the
12:31
jump how' y'all
12:33
meet uh really through the DM like I
12:37
seen she was in LA I'm like yo I'm
12:40
trying to go in the sto cuz we have
12:42
been exchanged information to create a
12:45
song but it was like just sending a MP3
12:48
she just jumped on it so when that when
12:50
we connected the dots already earlier
12:53
that's when it was easier to be like yo
12:54
let me pull up on you let's hit the
12:56
stool you know mhm have there been any
12:58
older artist um that you've looked up to
13:01
that you've been able to meet and
13:02
receive some game from or even kind of
13:04
be under their wing in a mentorship
13:07
capacity I I never really got that
13:09
experience in in in my rap career like
13:12
being under the wing of a older artist
13:14
or like a more experienced artist but
13:18
definitely like an artist that I made a
13:20
song with was Wayne know that's that's
13:24
crazy congrats the one goes to me so
13:26
same that was a big deal that was a big
13:28
deal for for me and then we end up
13:30
shooting the video and seeing how he
13:32
just was he like owned he owned the
13:35
space that he in like he really a style
13:37
like seeing him perform his part of the
13:39
song I was just down there in amazement
13:41
you
13:42
know that's that ending right there
13:47
right just like I love this all right
13:51
this is what I want to do I'm open up
13:52
the phone lines 888 742 3345 Polo G is
13:56
here the hood poet when I look at the um
13:59
cover art you know it seemed like
14:02
there's uh at least what I've seen
14:04
symbolism in it but talk to me about the
14:06
symbolism or what was what's the story
14:09
behind the cover art I got a um I got a
14:12
Purple Heart on there that's that's like
14:15
a symbol for the soldiers you know
14:16
Purple Heart for the soldiers and I
14:19
think that I got a connection with that
14:21
just as far as my experience in life and
14:24
where I come from a city like Chicago
14:26
where it's a lot of violence and and a
14:28
lot of trauma there it's like I I try to
14:31
wrap all that into my cover art and also
14:34
show that like I'm like a street p a
14:37
hood P you know and I got the on the
14:40
cover I got the mic like it's like a
14:44
bust down mic like diamonds covered all
14:46
in like I'm speaking that into the mic
14:49
like my words shifted into that and Hood
14:51
poet is a acronym as well right yeah
14:54
what does it stand for it stands for he
14:56
overcame obstacles during pain or
14:58
emotional tra beautiful man that was
15:01
dope that's [ __ ] man I like how you
15:04
ended on that
15:07
answer hey uh hey man is it
15:11
true that one at one point in your
15:13
career or at one point in your life you
15:15
wanted to be a sports caster yeah I I
15:18
wanted to go
15:19
to go to college for that uh I think my
15:24
I wanted that to be my major in
15:26
broadcasting yeah something like that I
15:29
was F to I got accepted to
15:32
HBCU uh Lincoln
15:36
University then what happened oh I I I
15:40
just didn't go oh
15:43
okay you see see this the way you in so
15:47
did your music start to take off at the
15:48
same time or you know was it something
15:51
else distracted you the first day I was
15:53
supposed to end up going to college I
15:56
went to the studio instead cuz I figured
16:00
that I rather Chase my rap career and I
16:03
didn't I felt like I was going to be
16:04
like a struggling college student like I
16:06
ain't really had no money like that few
16:08
outfits in the crib I'm coming from
16:10
wearing a uniform every day I know I
16:12
ain't got enough clothes to stretch me
16:14
through a school year yeah I'm like
16:16
forget it I I just ain't going to go and
16:18
you chose this route wow hey man well we
16:22
thought man Kanani Kanani Kanani right
16:24
over there we were talking about it man
16:26
it's was like yo Polo G could do more
16:28
than one thing if if you wanted to Right
16:29
facts yeah like if that was really one
16:32
of the things you wanted to do we kind
16:34
of wanted to put that to the test here
16:35
you being a broadcaster so we got a few
16:38
headlines some sports headlines for you
16:41
rock that [ __ ] out man make your dreams
16:43
come true bring them to headlines man
16:45
this might be fire yeah bro and then you
16:47
could do sports for us here every now
16:48
and then when you come to town he got
16:51
you a couple headlines here here you go
16:53
brother go look that over you want to do
16:54
a dry the same okay what we're going to
16:58
do Polo G the sports caster all right Mr
17:02
G Mr G G call Mr G Mr G Mr Polo PG
17:09
esgn G all right just do like
17:13
you know this is uh you know this is
17:16
Polo G with your headlines with your
17:17
sports and then just read from there
17:19
watch this watch this but do it like a
17:21
sports caster man you know goad put that
17:24
thing on it
17:25
[Music]
17:29
ah s it's not going to happen he's sleep
17:31
he got it he got it this is it man this
17:33
is dude dream man go
17:35
ahead I'm trying to get my get into
17:38
character so you want to give him an an
17:40
introduction first like you do me well
17:43
so play my sports report introduction
17:45
and you say filling in for Heather be
17:46
today cuz I normally do sports but you
17:48
gonna fill in for me today good
17:51
idea this is ESPN going give cover the
17:54
NFL the NBA MLB and more it's the Sway
17:59
in the Morning sports report with
18:01
Heather B on Shade 45 all right citizens
18:04
as you know we take care of your sports
18:06
every single day filling in for Heather
18:07
be right now we got Platinum recording
18:09
artist Polo G I'm here but I'm passing
18:13
the mic you passing the mik absolutely I
18:16
would love for polo G to take over my
18:18
sports report today Polo G what's in the
18:19
news right now what's in sports well we
18:22
got Shakari Richardson 24 years old
18:24
Sprint star her first race as an Olympic
18:27
on Olympian on Friday this morning Dash
18:30
to a 1094 second time in the opening
18:34
heat of the first round of the women's
18:35
hunting meter he killed that that was
18:38
amazing wow and you know what too what's
18:41
really cool about this Polo we're all
18:43
looking forward to seeing Shakari bring
18:45
home the gold medal and Paris France we
18:47
want to see her win let's go Shakari
18:49
what else you got hey y'all freezing
18:53
me I just barely rolled
18:56
that that's how fast way go sw's worse
18:59
than me it goes moves a little faster
19:02
but we going to make that a clip and
19:04
send that [ __ ] to ESPN you talk about
19:06
Wayne look at Wayne got his own sports
19:08
show look at snoop snoop is at the
19:10
Olympics
19:12
Bron cam I know it seem like we joking
19:16
but it can happen and your you right um
19:20
the hood poet sports report that's what
19:22
we could call it the hood is for I like
19:24
that and you can report on [ __ ] from the
19:26
hood too like you know Hood three on
19:28
three
19:29
games all right anyway
19:32
po yes like I'm ready to go back to the
19:35
studio what who do you what do you hope
19:39
especially when people from Chicago um
19:42
who grew up how you grew up communities
19:44
where you grew up in when they hear when
19:47
they hear your project what what you
19:49
can't dictate what people are going to
19:50
feel what they're going to walk away
19:51
with but what do you hope they walk away
19:56
with I definitely like my my my main
19:59
thing is always connecting with people
20:01
through the issues and life that they
20:03
might be going through so I definitely
20:05
want to touch back on the topic of like
20:08
you not going through this alone whether
20:10
it be depression
20:11
anxiety or just going just being going
20:15
through hard times in general you know
20:17
but I I'm really trying to connect with
20:20
everybody like I feel like people even
20:23
outside of the hood definitely can end
20:25
up connecting with my music m I love it
20:29
man from DIA Legend to the goat to Hall
20:31
of Fame and now the hood poet let's get
20:34
it Polo G is here ladies and
20:37
gentlemen Polo G is here ladies and
20:39
gentlemen sports cter sports caster all
20:43
right August 9th is when the album is
20:45
coming out uh Little Dirk is on there
20:47
you know G herbo Durk all all of Chicago
20:50
don't been on this show early right you
20:52
know we've always supported uh Chicago
20:55
I'm from Oakland and so there's a
20:57
affinity for me for Chicago
20:59
honestly when I see you I I joke around
21:01
a lot but I you I had locks when I was
21:04
25 you know what I mean I and I was
21:06
pursuing a rap career at at 25 and you
21:10
know I was in the music business came
21:12
from Oakland similar to Chicago similar
21:14
adversities we all face so when I see
21:17
you I see myself right and so I'm
21:19
wishing you the best brother amen stay
21:21
the path man you're a talent and dude
21:23
and you write great songs like you're a
21:25
great songwriter you got Bridges and
21:28
yeah
21:29
Melodies harmonies you know um but
21:32
congratulations man give it up aplo G
21:34
anything you want to say in closing H
21:36
point on the way okay cool
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