COVER STORY: Polo Boy Nunu
What makes you so different from your peers?
What makes me different is how authentic I am. Not just for my age group, but my city period. I have so much confidence in myself I feel like that goes for the industry too. I still haven’t seen someone with a story like mine that’s been able to turn everything around on the strength of wanting to better myself and my family. I’m the same person with or without money. A lot of people nowadays are living off an image they’ve never really experienced and I can’t respect that. I kind of get offended when I get compared, because I feel like I’m a rare breed. It’s going to be a long time before somebody like me comes back around.
How has your style been influenced by other artists?
I wasn’t influenced by a lot of hip hop rappers. Michael Jackson played a big role. I was fascinated by how videos were put together from then to now. I was inspired to be able to do it in my own way. I like to create visuals to my music to introduce the songs to my supporters. I drop teasers on social media that make them want to click the link in my bio to watch the whole video. It’s all about streams and views to bring in the dollars so one of my biggest methods being independent is to make everyone want to go check out the visuals. I’ve built a good name off having good, different visuals.
What are some of your goals aside from music?
My major goal is to jump right into the real estate business and start building things from the ground up. Houses, community centers, and things that haven’t been done. Most of my goals have been coming to light and it’s showing me that I can achieve more as long as I keep doing what I’m doing. I’ve been making new goals as I complete them.
What is your definition of success?
The definition of success is when you’re able to look back and see that after everything you’ve worked for you’re able to not only have your own accomplishments, but see others now have the opportunity to benefit from the work you put in too. To know you’re able to be the influencer of someone else having success besides yourself. You have to have an impact on others and motivate and drive them as well. Success is having multiple great accomplishments.
How were you able to change your direction and shift your focus off things that weren’t contributing to your success?
Death and jail. Once I experienced those two things. Even death didn’t shake me how it was supposed to. It made me move different in the streets, but I still felt like I had to do what I was doing in order to make my loved ones live through me. I was still able to deal with my problems with everyone around me. I was never able to sit down by myself and focus on what was right. When I went to jail for eleven months in Louisianna 16 hours away it snapped me out of it. I’ve always been mature for my age and had a head on my shoulders and thought for myself, but I still made knuckle headed mistakes. When I went through that and all that went on in the city while I was in there so far away, I looked at it like I didn’t want to take God for granted. He took me out the way so I could focus on bettering myself not so I could get out and do the same thing.
What do you hope for other people to gain from your story?
Don’t let anyone’s opinion or words dictate what you want to do in your life. Don’t let anyone manipulate you to feel like you have to be someone else to get recognition or get further in life. Everyone that listens to me, I want them to understand that it all starts with you. The good and the bad. At least you’re able to say every decision you made and every goal you made was from you. Don’t ever let anyone else dictate your future. Stay authentic. However you were brought up whether it was in school or in the streets take pride in that. Wherever you came from God put you there for a reason and he already had your story planned out. Live it up and enjoy life. Nothing is impossible unless it’s being in a higher position than God. You can conquer anything.
What helped you develop your faith to be confident that certain things are a sign from God for you?
I feel like everything is a sign. The good and the bad. It wouldn’t happen if it didn’t come from him. A sign from God to me is when it’s hitting close to home and happening close around me. Everybody he takes from me is a sign for me because it could have been me so easily.
What role does your family play in everything for you?
I have one of the most supportive families ever. They play such a role in all of this. The way they care for me and stick with me through everything has a major influence! Even though I had to better myself and make decisions for myself, at the same time I wouldn’t be able to have this kind of mind state without my family. I wouldn’t have the confidence to be brave and take on problems without them. Without the love and support of my family, there wouldn’t be a Polo Boy. I would be another statistic.