- I got the name polo G
because I've been wearing that since I was a little kid.
Like that was always my favorite man.
I, take my mama go buy that for me, for
to back to school clothes and everything.
I feel like in this day and age
like real is rare a lot of people going to switch
up when they get something that they ain't accustomed to.
It's like, it's really, depending
on like how you was raised and how you came up.
What I don't want to change about myself,
it's just my selflessness and the person that I was
before I ever acquired any success.
Because if you aren't
you ain't staying true to yourself and you wasting away.
I start feeling chosen.
Like when I really took the path
to wanting to be a rapper, I had involvement
in the streets too, but it's like, I don't know.
For some reason it felt like I had angels looking
over me or watching out for me or looking out for me.
Cause it was a lot of situations then I'm like, damn, like
why didn't it go this way?
Or why didn't it go that way?
I came up with the "Finer Things" record while I in
was incarcerated.
I was in a cook county.
I was just reflecting on what I go through and you know
really relating to everybody else who going
through the same thing as me being from Chicago, you feel me
and the streets, they, everybody was singing a song
and everything.
It was just made me smile.
I'm just thinking like, oh yeah.
When I get back out and just touch the streets
this going to be a hit.
When I was just sitting in a studio and my writing process
is just like, I just reflect on situations that I've been
through and just think about it as deeply as I can.
And then just translate it into lyric.
When I was like locked up every night before I go to sleep
like I just sit there and just stare at the light
and close my eyes and picture me living the lifestyle
that I'm living now, it helped me believe
like I was closer to getting what I needed to be.
When I was making DND I was finishing on my album, this
like the last song that I made for my album,
and I know I needed something hard from 'Die A Legend'
I made a name for making like heartfelt music and real
like sentimental music.
So I just wanted to get them something
that was real hard, but a mixture of both
- I originally made the song when I was out
in like Canada and I did the acoustic version
for like a year straight.
Everybody was asking me for that song.
My little brother keep telling me like, man
when are you going to drop this song?
Cause my sister keep asking me about like
when are you going to drop this song.
It had like 2 million views on the lyric video
6 million on the acoustic on YouTube, 40,000 Tik TOK videos.
I'm like, no, I gotta shoot this.
I gotta do this.
Coming up in Chicago.
It's a lot of could haves or would have been's.
A lot of people got potential,
and you overlook your own potential being
overly into the streets.
When I was in the county, that was like my fifth
sixth time being locked up, back to back,
and even though it was petty stuff
it was like some sit downs made me really think,
and I had to learn like, yeah
like this ain't what I want to do.
Cause it could get worse.
Hardheaded I grew up resilient.
It wasn't no heroes.
So we looked up to the villains.
And every hood of Chicago.
You going to be either respected,
for me a street nigga, like the dope dealer or the killer
or you're going to be respected for having a talent.
It's rare you find somebody with a whole lot of talent.
You feel me, that's respected in that way.
So we just look it up to the people with all the money
or the people who glorify for shooting and stuff.
That street shit Like I learned it, it,
does get you two things dead
or in jail, people glorifying this.
They just thinking in and out they ain't thinking long term.
So that's why I had to change my mindset.
1300 block is like, it's always bussin,
its always loud, when you come and ride
through our block, you're going to see a million people out.
Like no matter what the weather is
it was just like a real nice
like family sense, like era, like coming up.
It's important that I stay rooted
and grounded on where I came from.
Cause it's like, I feel
like if I forget about that, then I'm gonna lose myself.
I'm going to turn into a whole new person.
And I'm trying to set an example for the other people,
that's coming behind me.
If you were in the streets at all period
you were part of that war.
I don't really go up
in the hood no more like ever since I've moved
to Cali that made my outlook on life, different.
Like I don't want to be in the hood, like wasting my time.
Now it's just like, you will end
up getting yourself wrapped up
in them situations where it's like
you digress and wrought the progress.
And so it was like, but I'll come to
show my face from time to time just
cause I know I got love there.
They gonna speculate that it's us on our side of town.
If something happened or not just us specifically, but the
the people who look like me. Stereotypes impacted me
that's damn near like all what's programmed
into our head as kids like
you're going to be this or are you going to be that?
Or you are this and you are
that not you're going to be something great
or you're going to make something of yourself.
It was just all the stereotypes being placed in our ear.
Me giving a broad outline of what go on in our hood.
On the day-to-day basis.
You can get caught up by the police at any point in time
we just got a lot going on in that neighborhood.
Street life ain't what it's cracked up to be when you're
in that and you ain't got no other choice.
It's like, nobody can really save you for real.
Like you gotta pull yourself out of that situation.
Ain't no way out of that for real.
And ain't no looking back when you really to
deep into that stuff.
That I've come with being in the streets.
And a lot of times people just glorify what
what going the good that go on in the streets.
But it's a lot of the cons outweigh the pros when it comes
to the street life.
So I was just really giving some people
with like a vivid image, like what could go down.
The hurt that I was experiencing
from my homie's and from my personal life.
Everything that was going on was making me go crazy.
I got homies and we all went through the same thing
Me knowing that I done went
through the pain of us, losing his homie
And I could see it's messing with you.
And they got you messed up in the head too.
Like, I know that pain when I see it
cause I can look
in the mirror and see it in myself.
The trenches changed us as far as like our mindset.
It made us old souls at a young age, like being
in the streets, no matter how long you was in there
it can make you feel like you've been there your whole life
because everything is so fast paced.
And it just change your mindset to be on top of everything.
I'll definitely give up all of this and start all over.
If I could get my peoples back, they life got a way,
Bigger value then all of the things I have acquired
In Chicago, We all suffering from the same things.
We all got a lot homies that's passed away.
We all coming through from poverty, most kids
and single parent households.
So we all facing the same norms.
That's all have us moody or acting out a certain way.
That was just me being realistic.
And the way that I feel in a lot of people,
other people may feel
I definitely use songs like this as like a therapy session
for me, I could be going through something in that moment.
And when I talk it out
on the beat or write it down,
it feel like a stress reliever.
I feel like just reflecting
on all the shit I've been through up until this point.
I overcame a lot of it
but it's still fuck with me to this day.
Whenever I feel that feel that way
or whenever I'm feeling down, I'm gonna speak on it
in my music just to help the next person get
through what they going through.
One person I respect a lot is Rollo.
He owned his hood where he from it's like, I'll get
I got plans that do the same thing.
He like, he gave me hope that I could really do it.
I actually ended up like really looking
into the whole thing.
Like I Google how much my hood worth.
Like the little project buildings, Marshfield Gardens.
It's said it was estimated at 3 million.
I'm like, yeah I'll save up for that try to buy that.
When you like broke or coming up.
It's just like you be feeling like
since you ain't got nothing like physically or no money
like you feel like you ain't got nothing at all.
You ain't thinking about like the family sense
and how you got all of this
to you just thinking I'm broke or I ain't got it.
So it's like, you ain't got nothing to lose.
And then it's like, when you come up
you see everything for what it is really worth.
And you got a different perspective.
So you just look like, man, I ain't got to do none of that.
No more.
I done did all that.
Now I'm trying to be better.
I always wanted to live out in California.
That was always been my dream.
And then I just know in Chicago
I don't want to be too close
to the same situations that I had to come from up under.
I don't want to be
in reach like all of them, negative vibes.
Cause it's a lot of things that you could easily get wrapped
up into and to the city.
In LA it's a better way of networking.
Like your Uber driver could be a producer.
I feel like I'm a much more mature, a much more happy person
because my circumstances changed.
Back then I had so much to be stressed about
or so much to worry about. Where, now I could live carefree.
When I jumped on the rap wave is when I seen that.
Like I really need to step it up
and stay on my grind so I could get rich.
That was just my number one goal and mindset.
Like I gotta make it outta here
Going through the motions of being who I am. Seeing the real
from the fake and, how many people just latching onto me
because it's beneficial.
And sometimes I wish for a simpler time
where I can go outside.
And only the people that know me going to walk up to me
like know me personally, when now it's just
a strange, a complete stranger can walk in, walk up to me
and invade, my personal space.
Coming from where we, from everybody want be like
a hood legend or everybody, want hood fame.
Some people just naturally gain it and some people go out
of their way for it.
But when you really be there mans on the forefront
we'll all let you know it.
Ain't all what it's made up to be.
I wake up every single day trying to figure out
like what's the perfect mindset to have
or what's the perfect way to be.
I know nobody is perfect, but it's just like trying to
really weave out my flaws mentally, like things that get
in my way of growth every day that I wake up
I got a agenda to make myself a better person
I was really just thinking
about what I'm experiencing in life right now.
At that time I was leveling up as a rapper.
So that's what life was for me,
planes flying chains, clinking.
And I was in the studio moving around a lot.
And that's what was going on.
These days, I really just pray for
balance of peace and mind.
Just pray to keep a level head for real, because
I know I'ma keep striving to get the shit I want.
It's just the shit you really don't see.
Cause everybody like acting like everything's perfect
but shit ain't perfect for nobody
no matter how good you're doing.
So I just really be praying for a peace of mind.
I never had a single debut number one
this like the normal music I always make.
It ain't like I step outside the box or shit.
So I feel like that's just a sign of what's to come from me.