Cole Bennett‘s Lyrical Lemonade delivers a haunting visual companion to Chicago rapper Polo G‘s “21,” a sober celebration of a making it to adulthood from the 21-year-old rising star’s new album, The GOAT. The video opens with a hooded assailant taking shots at Polo as he wakes up in his room and follows the young rapper as he walks through a labyrinth of video sets being pursued by his unseen enemy. As Polo passes through a trap house, a jail, and the backstage hallways of a movie lot, the attacker periodically pops up to make further attempts on him as paintings come alive and objects levitate around the rapper.
The video concludes with a closeup of Polo’s adversary, who removes his hood and mask to reveal that he’s been his greatest enemy all along. The “evil” Polo then grows devilish horns from beneath his locks, embodying the dark, self-destructive impulses that permeate the young rapper’s emotive discography. The lyrics throw hints to this self-destructive nature as well, as he ponders the recent death of one of his late peers: “Can’t relapse off these drugs, man R.I.P. to Juice / We was tweakin’ off them Percs, I popped my last one with you.” Between street life and drug use, Polo feels grateful to have reached this milestone, but as he’s hinted in the titles of his projects — including his debut, Die A Legend — he’s got a lot more plans to accomplish before he’s ready to accept his fate.
Watch the “21” video above.
The GOAT is out now on Columbia Records. Get it here.
