Johnny Polygon
Group Hug
Johnny Polygon is fresh, not merely in the ‘dope’ essence of the word but in the ‘breath of fresh air’ of it all. He’s a cross between Eminem, for his witty flow, and Kid Cudi, for his ingenious melodies and acceptance of being different in hip-hop. Group Hug is his debut six track EP and it not only introduces Johnny, but gets us excited about the full Johnny Polygon we have yet to see. The EP captures his personality and lyrics which are full of witty lines of beating dudes up to loving the ladies. They will either make you love him or hate him.
The mixed tape type intro track presents a thesis: Johnny is dope. Its the traditional brag and curse record where he seeks to show his rap dominance. However, the five other tracks gives you another side of him: full of r&b sounds and that Gnarls Barkly-esque alternative rock vibe that still makes you feel like you are driving down hip-hop lane. Group Hug is risky yet authentic.
The sounds on each record are different, from the single ‘The Riot Song’, a 90’s sounding R&B tune that is catchy and interesting to ‘Do You Love Me’, an early 60’s teen pop song under some 80’s synths. The lyrics also stand out. In ‘Turbo Light Beams’, the beat and his voicing has some swagger as he self-reflectively proclaims: ‘if i get any less/its my fault/I’m an adult/I’m responsible for my downfall.’ It’s serious but gets fun on the bridge. ‘If I Rule the World’ sounds like a Beyonce ‘Single Ladies’ bite with its beat and clap but it soon turns into a 50’s twist rhythm, where he croons about his bad luck with love. ‘I’ve Been Running’ has a cool flow. As DJ Green Lantern sampled voice repeats in the hook, Johnny raps about his lack of job consistency, elementary school fights, and his imperfections. You have to admire the honesty and the storytelling, although it May not be anything you want your child to continually listen to.
However there is no doubt that you would want to keep on listening to the EP. It’s pretty fresh: did I mention both in the ‘dope’ and ‘breath of fresh air” kind of way?
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[...] “Johnny Polygon is fresh, not merely in the ‘dope’ essence of the word but in the ‘breath of fresh air’ of it all. He’s a cross between Eminem, for his witty flow, and Kid Cudi, for his ingenious melodies and acceptance of being different in hip-hop” – Urb [...]