Polo G is back in the Top 10 of the Genius Top Songs chart with “Distraction,” his first solo single of 2022. The song dropped last Friday, June 3—exactly six months after the release of Hall of Fame 2.0, a deluxe version of the Chicago rapper’s 2021 third album, Hall of Fame.
Produced by Southside—with whom Polo G is reportedly prepping a joint album—“Distraction” pairs bluesy electric guitars with intermittent siren-like wails. The song paints what charitably might be called a bittersweet portrait of Polo G’s life. “Like for every win, another L come punch me in my stomach,” he sing-raps in the first verse, putting it mildly.
The song opens with the chorus, wherein Polo G expresses the frustration that comes with being underestimated.
How I go so hard, they still discredit my talent
Took shit too far, now they regrettin’ what happened
Later in the hook, Polo dubs himself a “savage” and casually alludes to Chicago street violence with the phrase “too much blood for a napkin.” On top of all that, he’s wrestling with addiction—something he’s spoken candidly about in the past.
Fiend for that ecstasy, couldn’t keep from relapsin’
Bring out the best in me or be a distraction, uh
Polo G begins the first verse with a solemn realization: One of the most dependable people in his life is also among the most violent.
If I tell my stepper, “Come and slide,” then he comin’
And I know it’s fucked up how he daily out there huntin’
Heartless livin’, savage life, that’s just how he bomin’
But shit, at least it’s a nigga I can count on for something, uh
Later in the verse, Polo shows defiant pride for the city that’s left him emotionally scarred.
Baby, Chiraq is my birthplace, if we got a problem, we slump it
Hard times spent, it’s the worst pain and you never get refunded, uh
At the top of the second verse, Polo gives his handguns pet names inspired by ’90s sitcom stars.
Twin Glocks, Tia and Tamera, yeah, these my new bitches
Hit they block with two switches, it make my shottas shoot different
We can empty out two hundred shots in less than two minutes
Just as quickly as he brags about his shooting skills, Polo G considers the very real human costs of gun violence. In August 2021, his close friend B-Money was gunned down in the streets.
And B was one of ours, so that shouldn’t be a name that you mention
Hope when I’m talkin’, you listen ’cause I’m just hoping you get it
Polo wraps up the second verse with the suggestion that rapping won’t ease his pain. He’s too surrounded by enemies to ever really catch his breath.
Left my heart on that notepad and that still wasn’t enough
Lotta snake bites, got low grass, can’t feel or trust
In the visually arresting “Distraction” music video, directed by Christian Breslauer, Polo G finds himself in a series of fraught scenes that bleed into one another via clever edits. At various points in the clip, Polo is punched out atop a birthday cake and forced to extract a bullet from a friend’s chest. The video ends with the rapper in handcuffs—an image likely inspired by Polo’s arrest in Los Angles last September for carrying a concealed weapon. He still faces felony charges.
You can read all the lyrics to “Distraction” on Genius now.
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