Steve 'Flash' JuonWe have lost another rap legend before his time. Thomas E. Pough better known as DJ Polo passed away on July 27th of currently unknown causes. Shockingly little biographical information was collated before this news hit, but I found one source that wished him a happy 59th birthday on April 5th, 2020. If that’s accurate then Polo was only 63 years old at the time of his death.
Unfortunately part of the reason Polo’s history isn’t well recorded boils down to the fact he was the non-rapping half of Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo. Some deejays fare better than others when it comes to having their name and face get out there. Polo seldom did interviews and even when he did his partner G. Rap was always there, and if you were going to remember anything it was the charismatic and loquacious Nathaniel Thomas Wilson. Rap history is replete with duos that were called iconic in their time, but when that iconic duo breaks up, it’s almost always the emcee who goes on to bigger fame. Off the top of my head only Pete Rock fared better when he broke up with CL Smooth.
No matter how much Wilson ultimately overshadowed Pough, history should also remember that G. Rap’s rise to fame couldn’t have happened without him. The story has been told that G. Rap was in search of a DJ, and it was none other than Eric B. who introduced him to Polo, who was himself looking for an emcee to partner with. The team from Queens went straight to Mr. Magic and Marley Marl to record a demo and impressed them so much they were immediately put into the Juice Crew. There was some unintentional foreshadowing in them being put together given that Eric B. & Rakim would have an acrimonious split and Rakim rose to iconic status, while Eric is seldom discussed today.
You can see hints of the tension between G. Rap and Polo in this Medium interview, where Wilson complains that “two dudes can’t eat off the same plate” and bemoans the fact he’s doing all the rapping while Polo does none of the producing. “I think after three albums and seven years [..] I thanked him enough.” Ouch. As bitter as he may have been at the time, I hope he’s lamenting the loss of his former friend and colleague today. Hearing Polo’s cuts and scratches on landmark songs like “Road to the Riches” helped to make them the classics we still remember today.
I wish I could tell you Polo thrived musically after their split, but his discography tells a different story. A full length album called “Polo’s Playhouse” never even got a U.S. release, appearing in stores only in Germany. In the wake of his passing let us remember Thomas E. Pough and offer our condolences to his family, friends and fans.