This January saw the long overdue return of Orlando’s prodigal son Finesse Gang Polo, and the highly-anticipated release of new material from the Floridian rap phenomenon.
‘No Strings’ marks a new era for FGP, whose career has been defined in large by tracks that reflect and celebrate his homies, his community, his undeniable passion for hip-hop, and the city he calls home. But now he’s cutting the strings from his former body of work as he turns the spotlight onto his relationships, why people fall into them, and why he can’t play that way.
Finesse puts his craft and his art before anything and everything – he doesn’t bend or bow to the pressure of expectation from his peers and what the music industry expects of him, so there’s not a chance in hell he’s bowing to the pressures of a relationship. It’s his way or the highway, and that’s the only way it can be. FGP is not unattainable; FGP is not unavailable; FGP just needs no strings attached. The track’s title is pretty straightforward – his tongue cuts like a knife, but you need to feel the point.
This new chapter of Finesse Gang Polo sees the rapper double-down on his rejection of relationships, both in his lyrical flow and the absorption of new genres and styles in his sound. ‘No Strings’ indicates FGP is switching up his energy, as it incorporates wider influence from darker corners of R&B and ominous drill-driven beats. This is a smart move, both stylistically and strategically. Demonised on both sides of the Atlantic, drill has developed a reputation because of the genre’s perceived proximity to criminal gangs, but it’s popularity has never waned. If anything, that just makes it more of an attractive prospect. Drill music is dangerous, and that’s precisely what Finesse Gang Polo is tapping into. If the glove fits as they say.
It’s a savvy shift away from the sound that he’s made his name from so far, given that drill is arguably the freshest and most ingenious rap genre both in the US and UK. That’s probably why ‘No Strings’ has gone viral on both the East and West Coast of North America, in Chicago – the spiritual home and creative birthplace of US drill – and even with his British rap counterparts back across on the side of the Atlantic Ocean. Even the likes of Pop Smoke (RIP) and UK drill icon Digga D would snatch at the chance to call this track one of their own.
Despite Finesse Gang Polo wanting no strings with those that want to love him, you’ll no doubt get strung in by his brand new sound and these brand new beats.
‘No Strings’ is the start of a major new chapter for Finesse Gang Polo, and everyone is listening.
