
In February, he linked up with Nigerian-American Afrobeat overlord Davido to drop a remix of “Ke Star,” which clocked millions of streams and got co-signs from Diddy and Alicia Keys. That’s why the people who listen to my music and love it can relate to it-it represents them.” Right now, Focalistic has hit a stride that’s quickly becoming a victory lap. “It showcases the growth in our culture and how dope African music continues to be. “My music is about what’s happening in South Africa and Africa right now,” he says. But he struck a nerve on the continent by holding up a mirror to the youth. “That happened.” Post-manifesting, Focalistic broke out on the South African Amapiano scene with a string of tracks that blend deep house, rap, and jazz.

1 hit in 2020,” says Lethabo Sebetso, a.k.a. “In 2016, before my career took off, I wrote on Twitter that I would have a No. “I’m treating it as an off-season, just trying to get better.” Championships await. But first, he’s taking a rest-at least for a minute. It’s about “knowing what type of legacy I want to leave five years from now,” he explains. On Fame, Polo has transformed himself from melodic street rapper to megastar, proving he can hang with his idols (Lil Wayne), make big pop songs (“For the Love of New York”), and notch a chart-topping hit while retaining his core sound (“Rapstar”).

But I only recently found a deeper passion for it.” He’s sitting in the lobby of the Dream Downtown, in Manhattan, reflecting on his new project, Hall of Fame, which topped the Billboard 200 and is starting to feel like one of those pivotal third albums that announce a generational talent (think Kanye’s Graduation or J. “I’ve had a passion for rapping since I was 19,” he says, “and it’s been fun. A shy 22-year-old named Taurus Tremani Bartlett, he calls himself Polo G, after his favorite fashion label and a friend named Gucci, who died at 16. Cole and Migos returned from hiatus, they found a new name dominating the charts. This summer, as heavyweight rappers like J. With his latest project, Hall of Fame, the 22-year-old Chicago-born rapper Polo G announced himself as a generational talent.
