page_title: Johnny Polygon
section_title: 1984–2008: Early life and career beginnings
hierarchical_section_title: Johnny Polygon / Biography / 1984–2008: Early life and career beginnings
caption_attribution_description: English: The skyline of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma, in May 2008.
context_page_description: John W. Armour, better known by his stage name Johnny Polygon, is an American hip hop recording artist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 2008, Polygon met DJ Green Lantern, who eventually offered him a record deal with his label imprint, Invasion Music Group. In 2009, Polygon released his first project under Invasion Music Group, an extended play titled Group Hug, which URB Magazine called "risky yet authentic." In 2010, Polygon followed his EP with Rebel Without Applause, his first official mixtape, which included the promotional single, "The Riot Song". The single went on to be featured on MTV, VH1 and Centric, as well as the HBO television series, How to Make it in America.
  Johnny Polygon has worked with high-profile artists such as Nas and Kid Cudi. He frequently collaborates with his longtime friend and fellow Oklahoman Gabriel Royal, and has also worked with Amanda Diva, Dead Prez and Yelawolf. In 2012, MSN.com named Polygon one of their "Top 5 Up-And-Comers You Should Know." Since 2001, Polygon has released 9 studio albums, with his latest being Teddy Bear Massacre, Vol. 1.
context_section_description: Johnny Polygon was born John Armour on May 15, 1984, in Cleveland, Ohio. His family soon relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Polygon was raised and proudly claims as his hometown. As an adolescent, Johnny Polygon first encountered hip hop through breakdancing. He later began rapping at the age of 14. He would sneak into Retro Night at Cain's Ballroom with some of his underage friends. One night they snuck in and witnessed a rap battle; Polygon then swore the next time Cain's hosted one he'd enter. Polygon did, and won. One of the disc jockeys there, DJ Shabazz, invited him to record an album. Word spread among his friends and the small but dedicated hip hop crowd in Tulsa. Polygon continued participating in local theater groups and rap battles, helping him develop a sense of stage presence and projection.
  
  As a teenager, Polygon attended Booker T. Washington High School, Central High School and Project 12 High School, all of which he was kicked out of. Later, with much determination, he dropped out of high school and told his parents he wanted to be a rapper. 
  "I told my parents I want to do music, and they were like you can’t really do that here. So my dad was like ‘I’ll give you a ride—where you want to go, L.A. or New York City?’ And the weather was nicer in L.A., so I was like ‘let’s go there.’"
   
  Ultimately surviving on the underground Midwest scene for several years, amassing several self-released albums, Polygon headed out to Hollywood, to further his music career. He went to Los Angeles with only $297 and a thousand copies of his fourth CD, Leggo My Ego (2004), which he sold to strangers on Hollywood Boulevard, chatting up a couple hundred people a day.
  It was in Los Angeles, where Polygon met Nathan Morse, who approached him on making a music video for a song of his titled "Bag". The video was eventually entered into an online contest, which caught the attention of one of the judges, DJ Green Lantern. Liking what he saw and heard, DJ Green Lantern then offered Polygon a chance to record music together in his New York City studio. Polygon, who was homeless at the time, jumped at the opportunity and went to NYC with DJ Green Lantern. In 2008, Polygon signed a recording contract with DJ Green Lantern's record label imprint, Invasion Music Group. Once Polygon signed with DJ Green Lantern, he moved to Brooklyn, where they then recorded several songs, including "Price on Your Head", an original song written for 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV video game. Polygon was also featured on fellow American rapper Nas' 2008 untitled album, singing the chorus for the song "Black President".
caption: Tulsa, Oklahoma where Polygon grew up and proudly calls his hometown.
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