Polo G Names Lil Wayne as His Biggest Rap Influence

To keep it real, Chicago never really left, but their latest wave of talent is pretty impressive, At just 20 years old, Polo G is one of the bigger names out of the city in 2019, thanks to his 2018 song, "Finer Things," pushing him into the spotlight.

The emotional track about the desire for more resonated with people pretty quickly; it's accompanying video has more than 37 million views to date. Making such a big splash like this early on in his career caught the attention of major labels like Columbia records, with whom he eventually inked a deal.

He's since followed up with "Pop Out" featuring Bronx rapper Lil Tjay, and "Battle Cry," with both taking off online quickly. This buzzing Chicago act knows things will only get better from here; he took some time out of his busy schedule to tell XXL all about himself in the latest episode of Who Am I?

When it comes to home, Polo G calls the North side of Chicago dangerous, but appreciates it's sense of community. "Overall, it's a good place to be, as far as like a family sense and togetherness," he explains. "Comin' up there, you will experience a lot of things at a young age that'll just mold you into being the person that you are today."

From early on, Polo G realized he had a gift for making music. "It was just something I used as a hobby," the rapper shares. "Since I was 9 years old, I knew how to make a song. But when I got older, I used it as a way to express myself. Then I became passionate about it." Eleven years later, it's clear he's got a knack for rhyming.

That passion was spurred on by his sister, who motivated Polo G by displaying her own dedication to songwriting. "She was real heavily into music," he says. "I'll come in her room and she got a whole notebook full of songs written, and then that made me like, Oh, I gotta get on my music stuff, too. It was just the competitiveness of it and my sister inspired me to go chase my dream with it, too." Good job, sis.

In addition to his sister putting the battery in his back, some of Polo G's favorite rappers inspired him to really give rap a try. "Lil Wayne, that was one of my main influences, music-wise, because of his wordplay and metaphors," Polo G reveals. He also gives props to a group of hometown guys: "I grew up listening to a lot of Herb [G Herbo], Lil Durk, Sosa [Chief Keef]. I was real heavily into the Chicago music scene when it was popping."

Watch the rest of Polo G's Who Am I interview at the top of the post and learn a few more things about him, such as his hidden talents, the message in his music, being surprised when people notice him in public and more.

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