Album Review: "Hall of Fame" by Polo G

Chicago rapper Polo G just dropped off his third studio release today, a whole year after his last album. The project is preceded by four singles and includes new features from Nicki Minaj, Young Thug, and more. However, I have yet to listen to it. Will this album live up to the hype, or does Hall of Fame better fit in a hall of shame? Let's find out.

1. Painting Pictures

I fairly enjoyed Polo G's two verses on here, and the beat was nice to listen to. What I did NOT enjoy was the corny interlude in between the two verses. Seriously, this dude needs to think less of himself sometimes. Other than that, I give this track a 7/10.

2. RAPSTAR

This was the biggest single from the album, and I really do not understand why, as it is pretty weak compared to the other singles. However, I still like this track. It's just not anything special, and definitely not special enough to go number one on the Billboard Hot 100. I guess the snippet built up a lot of hype. I'll give this track a 6.5/10, still. It's really not anything different.

3. No Return (ft. The Kid LAROI and Lil Durk)

I enjoyed Polo and Durk's verses on this track, but LAROI's hook seemed kind of fabricated, you know? After he was exposed for actually having rich parents and ditching the people that brought him up, the hook doesn't sit right with me, and it ruins the whole vibe of the track. Maybe if I didn't know about what he and his family did, I would enjoy this track, but it gets a 6/10.

4. Toxic

I liked the beat on this one, and Polo had a decent but unoriginal verse. That "white boy from the suburbs" line was pretty corny to include, as it doesn't fit in with the theme of the track. I give this track a 6/10, because I won't be returning to it.

5. Epidemic

This was the first single released for the album, and I remember not even taking the time to listen to it, as I had other things to do. I actually like this song, although the beat is pretty repetitive. The chorus is kind of catchy, and Polo really puts emotion into his verses. I'm giving this track a 7/10.

6. GANG GANG (with Lil Wayne)

I really like this song. Like, a LOT. The beat is smooth and wavey and Polo delivers a neat little verse and chorus, but then Wayne comes in and absolutely WASHES Polo. I've never been a diehard fan of Lil Wayne, but I'm starting to see the appeal more and more. This track is definitely on repeat for me, so I'm giving it an 8/10.

7. Boom

I enjoy the chorus on this track, and Polo raps nicely over the beat. I can definitely see myself throwing this track into rotation on one of my playlists over the next few weeks, which is enough this track to warrant a 7/10.

8. Black Hearted

This track was just standard Polo, with a generic guitar beat and a catchy hook. I hope he switches it up, although it is not a big problem for me at the moment. Maybe the guest appearances can help out. I give this track a 5.5/10.

9. Broken Guitars (ft. Scorey)

I've never heard anything from Scorey before, and I guess he did okay on this track. He sounds too much like the other mellow rappers out there, though. Polo just delivered a typical verse, and I'd really like to break the guitar that was used to make this beat. Anyways, this track gets a 6/10, because it had a catchy hook.

10. GNF (OKOKOK)

I heard this track when it came out, and I'll admit that although it was a bit disappointing when I first heard it, it has grown on me a bit. Polo delivers fire verses over a heavy-hitting beat. I'll give this track a 7.5/10.

11. Go Part 1 (ft. G Herbo)

I enjoyed Polo on this track, but I don't like G Herbo's verse. It seems like in some of the tracks he's on, he can't rap to save his life. He's offbeat and has no charisma at all. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy his music, but he disappointed me with this feature. I'll give this track a 6.5/10.

12. Heart of a Giant (ft. Rod Wave)

This track felt really repetitive, aside from Rod Wave's part, which was a breath of fresh air. I appreciate the depth from Polo, but he sounds just like he would on any other track. I'm giving this track a 5/10, and this album better switch it up soon, or this may be a miss from Polo.

13. Zooted Freestyle

First off, this track has pretty bad mixing. I can barely hear what Polo is saying half of the time, and the other half I wish I didn't. I know this is just a freestyle, but aside from a few clever lines, this whole track was boring. Even the beat felt uninspired (what a shocker). This track gets a 4.5/10.

14. Party Lyfe (ft. DaBaby)

I think Polo was still boring on this track, and DaBaby didn't really deliver anything out of the ordinary. He also ended off his verse in a weird way. This beat is also SUPER boring, which is underwhelming. Unless this album switches pace soon, it's gonna go in a bad direction. I'm giving this track a 4.5/10.

15. Losses (ft. Young Thug)

Wheezy delivered with yet another good instrumental, but Polo did his standard thing on here. Thugger also did not have anything special to add to the track, which was severely underwhelming, because I was hoping maybe he would bring something new. Anyways, this track gets a 5/10.

16. So Real

This track could not possibly be any more sleep-inducing. I really almost hit the hay while listening to this, and I'm really ready for this album to be over right about now. Hopefully, the slew of featured artists coming up can save this project. This track gets a 3.5/10.

17. Fame & Riches (ft. Roddy Ricch)

This track was yet another generic outing from Polo, and Roddy really underperformed, although he still outperformed Polo. I was hoping maybe this track would be something different, but I guess not. I'm giving this a 5/10.

18. For the Love of New York (with Nicki Minaj)

I really like this track. I don't know if it's my desire for something besides a piano/guitar beat, or if this song is actually good, but Polo and Nicki delivered. And the beat gives me tropical vibes, which is a nice switch-up from the rest of the album. I can definitely have this on repeat, so I'm giving this track a 7.5/10.

19. Clueless (ft. Pop Smoke and Fivio Foreign)

This was another strong track. Both Pop Smoke and Fivi delivered a neat chorus and dope verses, and Polo had a very strong showing on this track. Too bad we didn't get this magic, throughout the entire album, however. I'm giving this track a 7.5/10, because I'll be revisiting it a bit.

20. Bloody Canvas

I appreciate Polo's depth and emotion on this track, and he spits some heat, but the beat is too repetitive and the track is WAY too long. There's no way I'm gonna be vibing to a song for four minutes and 25 seconds, especially if it has a beat like this. I'm giving this track a 6/10, which means that the album ended in a disappointing way.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

BEST TRACK: GANG GANG (with Lil Wayne)

WORST TRACK: So Real

SUMMARY:

Although it has its high moments, Hall of Fame by Polo G is a largely forgettable album, built up with strong features and decent verses but broken down by repetitive piano and guitar beats. The album also feels very overstuffed, and I hear they're working on a deluxe. We do not need a deluxe edition of a 20-track album, trust me. Unlike the title suggests, Polo G may need a little bit of time to re-evaluate before he can come back with another album, which will hopefully be better. He clearly needs more time before he can see himself have his place in the hip-hop hall of fame laid out for him.