On Friday, Polo G dropped the new single “Bad Man (Smooth Criminal),” which was first previewed at Rolling Loud NYC in October. Polo G later announced on Instagram that the song would arrive in November and appear on the deluxe edition of his 2021 third album, Hall Of Fame 2.0. Expected to drop on December 3, the LP will feature 14 new songs in total.
Produced by Travis Sayles and Khaled Rohaim, “Bad Man” flips Michael Jackson’s 1989 Top 10 smash “Smooth Criminal,” sampling the song’s beat and interpolating one of its most famous lines on the hook. At the end of the song’s music video, Polo G thanks the Michael Jackson estate for allowing him to pay tribute to the King of Pop: “To the family, friends and fans of Michael Jackson and his estate, we are truly grateful for all your support in the release of this song and music video. MJ is loved all around the world. We used this opportunity to represent this song for the future.”
Although he’s traded his criminal past for a rap career, Polo G asserts throughout “Bad Man” that he’s no one to be messed with. In the opening verse, the rapper uses a reference to NBA legend Michael Jordan to claim he still keeps a .45 handgun on him. Jordan wore the number 45 as a junior varsity high school basketball player, during his stint as a minor league baseball player with the Chicago White Sox, and as a Chicago Bull following his first retirement from the NBA.
Smooth criminal, Mike Jack
And I still like to tote a .45 like Mike back
In the chorus, Polo G interpolates a line from the hook of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” On the original, Jackson sings, “Annie, are you okay?/ So, Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?” On “Bad Man,” Polo G changes the line to:
Tell me, Annie, are you okay? Screamin’ out, “No way”
Tell me, Annie, are you okay?
Polo G shouts out a couple of other iconic athletes in his second verse. The first shoutout goes to legendary Indian wrestler Dalip Singh Rana, or The Great Khali, and the second goes to the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali.
Totin’ on something bigger than The Great Khali
Thirty shots’ll knock him down like Muhammad Ali
You can check out all of the lyrics to “Bad Man (Smooth Criminal)” on Genius now.
