DatBoiiPolo has the Juice, and he’s ready to spread that energy to the masses all around the world. Hailing out of Orange County, California, aka The Juice, the rising rapper puts on for his city in the most positive light, any chance he can.
“Being from the Juice means something because there’s a lot of guys out there that be grinding. A lot of talent comes out of the Juice that’s slept on,” says DatBoiiPolo on his hometown.
Polo has come a long way from sleeping on floors, with a hustler mentality ingrained in him to always go out there and get it. On top of his music, which his last single “What’s Really Hannin” being released last year, DatBoiiPolo has his own merch line titled Polo N Gxng.
And with summer on the horizon, you can expect his new records to be all straight bangers.
AllHipHop: Well, what part of Orange County are you from?
DatBoiiPolo: I’m up in Anaheim area, just about. I be roughly around the Disneyland area. It’s called the Juice ’cause this is Orange County. It’s a nickname that everybody done picked up over time. We got a couple of platforms out there called Juice Unlocked. It’s a pretty big name, it’s pretty around. Orange County, it’s the place to be. It’s a vibe, honestly.
AllHipHop: What was the household like growing up?
DatBoiiPolo: I grew up in a struggle. Moms and pops was trying to put food on the table, going in and out. I ain’t never really been in music growing up, I’ve always been in basketball. Student athlete, always [uncl.] did there. That’s all I’d really been into. I stayed away from everything else outside the mix. Just been church and basketball really, and my family.
AllHipHop: Who are your biggest influences?
DatBoiiPolo: Everything they went through is everything I went through. Instead of getting on me about things I mess up on, they taught me things that a lot of people around me wouldn’t teach me. Those are the only people really close to me in my life. I got into my moms and everybody else my whole life, but I love them to death. But my cousin and my dad, those were the only dudes that really trained me to be me. See life for reality ‘cause it’s a pretty Google world nowadays.
AllHipHop: Music-wise, who are you bumping?
DatBoiiPolo: My uncle Joe Moses. Then my step-pop, Crooked I. He’s been in the industry for a cool minute. That’s what I really been around growing up honestly. My biological father does music himself, all through with my uncle Joe Moses and all them to N.W.B.
AllHipHop: Did you feel pressure?
DatBoiiPolo: It was very random to be honest because I moved back from school in 2019. I was originally throwing parties, but my party group ended up getting into the music scene. I made one song and from there, it went a far way that whole month. I stuck with it ever since then. Then Covid hit so “alright, we’ll stick to the music. I can’t play.” So I stuck with it right there.
AllHipHop: But you did have hoop dreams?
DatBoiiPolo: Oh yeah, high hoop dreams. I was getting ready to do my NBA Drew League week stuff, start advancing overseas. I had a lot of coaches and agents looking at me, but that’s been on hold for a little bit.
AllHipHop: You used to sleep on the floor, talk about your hustle to make it out.
DatBoiiPolo: My moms had it rough her whole life and my dad’s had it rough his whole life. It’s been a lot of bouncing around and really trying to get consistent, but can’t get consistent at the moment. Many years of sacrificing eating, having to help my mom and my parents out with my little brothers. Growing up, I ended up having two little brothers at the time and two little sisters. Managing all that but I’m growing and going to an all-boys catholic high school, doing that was all a huge change. I really had to humble myself and say, “yo life started. Being 21 now, technically you better start getting after it.” If you gon’ apply pressure to music, don’t half-ass it. Do it.”
AllHipHop: How would you describe your music?
It’s a vibe honestly. That’s the only way you could put it. I’m a character around my people. Everybody in my city knows me for me, without the music. They know me as a regular person. It’s a vibe and an energy. I got energy to give off so I can only explain it as a vibe.
AllHipHop: What’s the latest with your merch/clothing line?
DatBoiiPolo: I’m working on a couple of things with the merch. I’m finna lay out a couple of crazy designs today. I’m working on a couple of things down the Champion route, networking with a few other companies and plotting on merchandise. I plan on making a full launch in a month from now, so working on plotting that whole process together. It’s one thing when you do merch, but it’s one thing when you do merch and you’re really different and organic to the foundation that you fully set. I’m really focusing on making sure I got all the right pieces in order. When I drop, it’s all hell from there. [laughs]
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGN3d5LHTlk/
AllHipHop: What is your merch called?
DatBoiiPolo: It’s POLO and GXNG. On my shirts, it says “DatBoiiGang.” It was going to say “DatBoiiPolo,” but I didn’t necessarily want to make a shirt just about me. I want to have it for everybody around me, that supports me and doing music with me at the time. We slowly branching out and collabing with other brands as well, but we’ve only been up for about a year or so now.
AllHipHop: Talk about working on your own weed as well.
DatBoiiPolo: The strands are being breeded right now. I got my own strand coming out. I plan on collabing with a couple of companies as well, that’s pushing through Weedmaps. I’ve been working on that for about 3 months now, there’s about another two months in process before I fully kick it off.
AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio?
DatBoiiPolo: S### gotta have the gas. I need to have a Powerade. I need to have the blue Powerade. I don’t know what it is but something about the blue Powerade. I don’t know if it’s a lucky drink or what, but it makes me feel good. Third thing, probably a PuffCo bar because it sobers you up. Hotbox a room like that sobers me up quick. I need to have at least one family member with me, that can tell me “yo that s### sucks” or “you got a banger.” You feel me? I don’t like “oh you can do this and change up.” I like people to be straightforward with me like “that s###’s not it.” Tell me, I’m not going to get hurt. It’s only gonna make me better so I know where I need to go, what I need to elevate to and what else I need to do.
AllHipHop: Bring us back to when you created “What’s Really Hannin.”
DatBoiiPolo: That’s the one that really blew me up, I ain’t gon’ lie. I dropped my first song in August 28th, 2019. What’s really happening came around early March 2020, maybe a little before that. When I did that song, that’s when I really knew I found my groove, and I really wanted to take music seriously. It was a song that I put out and I had a bunch of verified people hitting me before I even dropped the video, started doing other network before it was even presented. It’s cool. I thought this is where I’m at” so I need to master this sound, see how I could create other sounds out of this sound. Be consistent from there ’cause it’s so easy to fall off. “What’s Really Hannin” really gave me my motivation to keep going.
AllHipHop: What’s special about The Juice?
DatBoiiPolo: It’s a lot of talent out there. I’ll recommend anybody in the industry, labels, A&Rs, anybody, go look at some talent in the Juice. There’s some guys that can really do some things out there. Don’t sleep on Orange County.
AllHipHop: I love Orange County, I’m always down there.
DatBoiiPolo: It’s cool out there, but it could get pretty active out there too. Don’t take nobody light because it’s Disneyland. You’d be shocked on the people you meet out there honestly. You wouldn’t expect it to be honest, but I love the Juice. I recommend anybody if they’re coming from out of state, Orange County is the place to go to.
AllHipHop: What can we expect next music-wise?
DatBoiiPolo: This whole month I’m about to be dropping. I got two videos coming out this month. I have about four songs dropping on top of that this month, then I’ll have an EP in the middle of summer. Probably the end of June.
AllHipHop: What is your favorite song you created?
DatBoiiPolo: Oof, I got a song coming out called “Bet She Like It.” That and “What’s Really Hannin” were my favorite songs to record because both of those songs gave me the same energy. It’s motivation to keep on going.
AllHipHop: What’s that one song with that dude who’s dancing? You had a fire gun.
DatBoiiPolo: Oh, “Gang” with Frenchie Babyy from America’s Got Talent. I brought out a flamethrower and had Frenchie Babyy from America’s Got Talent. That video went viral in LA, that’s what got me noticed out here. I networked my way in and people was hitting me up randomly. I found out there was a couple of people in the industry doing things today that was my actual blood relatives, my actual family. It’s different. There’s hella songs, I can’t even really tell you which ones my favorite. I be high as f### as it is. [laughs]
AllHipHop: Do you have any goals for yourself?
DatBoiiPolo: My goal is to honestly by the end of summer finish building the whole in-house team, hope to start seeking some more interests from labels and whatnot. The biggest goal is really getting my little brother started up, Polo Mo. He’s an artist as well, but he’s a different 14-year-old. Never heard a 14-year-old… How do you explain Polo Mo?
[When you hear you Polo Mo, when the beat drops and everything, his rapping and his flow goes crazy. Especially for a 14-year-old, he’ll be the next coming up. In the summer, all the plugs and everything’s finna come in.]
He’s 14, but he’s real-life 21. It’s crazy. That’s my main focus though because I really want to get behind the scenes of music. Get into the directing, managing and all that because that’s what I do for my guys in the Juice. Mainly with this music, I really want to push my little brother because he could make millions in this world with ease.
AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let us know?
DatBoiiPolo: Shoot, pack your dreams. Gas up whenever you can. [laughs]