“Bloody Canvas” by Polo G

If you follow the news, then you don’t need us to tell you that Chicago is one of the most-dangerous cities in the United States. Deadly shootings occur regularly, in many cases with the with no motive or assailant being ascertainable. Chi-town also boasts of a formidable, pervasive and extremely-violent African-American gang culture that dates back to the 1960s. 

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Polo G's Bloody Canvas at Lyrics.org.

And accordingly, Polo G, who is from the heart of the city, is known to be gang affiliated and even reportedly admitted to such on one occasion. Or, the point we’re trying to make here is that this rapper is the type of individual who would have grown up witnessing street violence firsthand. And it is upon such a background that his song “Bloody Canvas” is based.

“Bloody Canvas”

But with that said we have to presume, all available information considered, that the storyline of this song is both factual and fictitious. For example, the narrative may represent a collection of different stories rolled into one. Moreover, we are presuming that specific facts pertaining to the individuals involved as mentioned have been modified. 

Additionally pronouns are freely utilized in a way that may cause confusion in terms of identifying specific characters, especially in the first verse. But at the same time there is a distinct storyline, a tale of the ‘hood if you will, reminiscent of the story raps of old. However, “Bloody Canvas” differs from the adventures of Slick Rick for instance in that Polo G’s chronicle has a violently-palpable realism to it.

And let’s say that by and large it is based on a revenge fantasy. Initially we have two friends, Sed and Jacob. They’re both young, i.e. teenagers attending school. And whereas they don’t seem to be troublemakers in any type of major capacity, the pair do know how to defend themselves and get into scuffles accordingly.

Jacob is Murdered!

But then one day their peer rivals graduate up to the usage guns and murder Jacob, in broad daylight, just like that. So then Sed proceeds to track down Rodney, the dude who killed Jacob. Sed’s sole aim is to avenge his friend’s murder. And that’s pretty much where the revenge fantasy ends, because shortly thereafter Sed is arrested, apparently for murder himself. He is subsequently slapped with a 30 year prison bid.

Some Autobiographical Lyrics

Now one of the reasons we say this tune has an added degree of realism is because throughout the first verse, Polo himself is a character in the song – Sed if you will. This is partially what we were alluding to by referencing the abundant use of pronouns, how the narrator himself slips in and out of the story and how certain characters seem to be interchanged in the first verse. 

So putting all of the above together, analysts who are familiar with Chi-town lore have concluded that “Jacob” is most likely a reference to one Edward Bryant. Edward was a boy who was murdered (along with his twin brother) in 2016 at the age of 17 in Old Town. And Old Town also happens to be the part of Chicago where Polo G grew up.

So would that make Polo himself “Sed”? No, not based on the description of Sed as given in the song. But even though Sed’s own story ends in tragedy, one can’t help but to think he’s the hero of the story. 

Or let’s look at it like this.  Most songs of this variety features rappers who go about killing people and then move forward with their lives as if nothing ever happened. But this particular piece, once again being based in reality, shows that in real life gunning somebody down often ends in some type of punitive measure, whether it be imprisonment or murder itself, against the perpetrator, even if the perpetrator himself felt justified in doing so.

In Conclusion

So conclusively, if this story is in fact based a friend of Polo G’s being murdered and then another homey avenging his murder, that homey likely wouldn’t be Polo G himself. Rather it would be another associated of his who is currently incarcerated or faced the music for this selfsame crime. 

Indeed “Sed” appears as if it is short for Sedville, which is one of the street gangs which Polo G is known to be associated with. So in truth the story may not be so much about a particular individual avenging the death of “Jacob” as it is his gang collectively going about this task or at least supporting said revenge murder. 

But again whereas the song itself may be factual, the facts contained therein would logically be fictitious, i.e. modified to protect the parties involved.

"Bloody Canvas" Lyrics

“Bloody Canvas” Credits

Three of the producers of this track, Safe, S.Dot and 254Bodi, also helped Polo G writer. And its fourth producer is a musician known as WizardMCE.

“Hall of Fame”

This is the final song on the playlist of the standard edition of Polo G’s third album, “Hall of Fame”, which was put out by Columbia Records on 11 June 2021. Said project is follow up to the rapper’s 2020 album, “The Goat”. The project reached number 2 on the Billboard 200. It also earned platinum certification in Polo’s homeland of the United States.

Bloody Canvas

NOTE:

As of the writing of this post Polo G is in the news after being arrested in Miami circa 14 June 2021. Shortly thereafter he was bonded out by his mom. And amongst the charges levied against him were resisting arrest and criminal mischief.

9 Responses

  1. Oxyyy says:

    This song is actually based on a true story, although polo changed a few names most likely for anonymity.

    Chicago Tribune-
    https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/chi-charges-filed-in-slaying-of-boy-16-in-old-town-20140924-story.html

  2. Anonymous says:

    Sed is the reference to his gang “servile”

  3. wilson says:

    this song really hits harddd.

  4. Waver_1300 says:

    This song could have many implications so it was best he had changed somethings

  5. Nun Ya says:

    If the person da revenge for the person who died and got locked up why couldn’t he say names?

  6. Ni--a says:

    All of u f—ing crackers need to learn more about black people. And need to stop acting like black people

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