Napoleon

Polo: A Man Stepping Into The Spotlight (PHOTOS)

If you’re one of our regular readers, then you’ve probably never heard of Polo Cummings. At least not in his own capacity. But that might all change soon.

Polo has been performing as part of the US-based a cappella group Naturally 7 for a number of years now, and was recently in South Africa with the group as part of Michael Bublé’s tour of Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Polo is now set to step into the spotlight as he begins to launch his own solo career.

As these things usually go, a friend-of-a-friend got in touch with us and told us about Polo. He asked if we’d be keen to do some work with him and we jumped at the opportunity. We have not regretted it in the slightest.

In the next few weeks we’ll be releasing a pretty in-depth interview with the man about his Staten Island upbringing as one of nine children, and how he found himself chasing his musical dreams. We’ll also be posting a live performance of his first single as a solo artist, accompanied by some of Cape Town’s finest musos.

But for now, here is a photo series that our man behind the lens, Imraan Christian, shot with Polo during his time in Cape Town.

Enjoy! - Popsicle TV

Black music is the soundtrack of not just
Black American history, but of America
as a whole. It details both our struggles
and our victories as sewed into the American
tapestry.
From the coded language of “Negro”
spirituals, encouraging us in our darkest hours
to strive and survive, to the celebratory and
lush big band jams of Duke Ellington and Lionel
Hampton. Continuing on to the massive pop
sounds of Motown and James Brown’s anthemic
Black Power Chant, “Say It Loud – I’m Black and
I’m Proud.”
Marvin Gaye added to this, celebrating
love while championing social justice on his
best album
What’s Going On,
while the next
generation birthed hip-hop and continued the
tradition of voicing Black struggle with songs
like “The Message,” NWA’s “Fuck tha Police”
and the entirety of the Public Enemy’s
catalog.
Black artists invented most of what
is considered America’s original musical
art forms, blues, rock n roll, jazz, funk, and
hip-hop. We birthed the first guitar heroes,
Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley, while Miles
Davis and John Coltrane mastered brass,
inventing a new definition of cool.
This is a rich tradition that singer/
songwriter Napoleon Cummings does
not take for granted. Cummings, formerly
of the a cappella group Naturally 7, is
currently embarking on a mini tour of
Australia and wrapping up work on a self
produced, as of yet titled, EP.
When discussing what its like to be
a black artists navigating his way through

he music industry Napoleon states, “The only thing
that stands out to me being a black man working in
the industry is me not taking for granted the culture I
come from. Observing the history, yet still pioneering
a new wave into the scene. Knowing that what I was
born into as a Black musician is a privilege. So many
cultures look to us for music that gets right to their
soul. I’ve realized I have to protect that power and that
history. Add to it. Take it to more places, own it and stay
true to it, dimming out the counterfeits,” he continues.
Cummings speaks to the eroding boundaries
that were previously set before Black artists: “A
lot more artist [are] stretching and tearing down
stereotypes with their image and sound. So I’m
grateful to be in the business now, where the
limitations on artists are disappearing and the
artist has freedom to be.”
He also addresses the importance of that
tradition of socially conscious music and its
impact on Black people and culture: “Socially
conscious music has been the underlining game
changer for the perception of the youth. And
one of the dopest contributors to me is Kendrick
Lamar. His music in such a short time has
transcended the preconceived attitudes about
who we are. And in transcending, it also has
brought a consciousness to us and has opened up
more possibilities to break the perceptions of us
that aren’t accurate.”
He adds, “I thank all the great artists and
songwriters who’ve sacrificed and paved the way
for me and others like me to play in any ethnic
setting I please, and to see places that weren’t
possible before.” - Performer Magazine