The Goat is the second studio album by American rapper Polo G. It was released on May 15, 2020, by Columbia Records. The album features guest appearances from Mustard, Juice Wrld, Stunna 4 Vegas, NLE Choppa, Mike Will Made It, Lil Baby, and BJ the Chicago Kid. It contains the singles "Heartless" (featuring Mustard), "DND", and "Go Stupid" (with Stunna 4 Vegas and NLE Choppa featuring Mike Will Made It). All three singles were released prior to the album.[1]

The Goat
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Genre
Length47:11
LabelColumbia
Producer
Polo G chronology
Die a Legend
(2019)
The Goat
(2020)
Hall of Fame
(2021)
Singles from The Goat
  1. "Heartless"
    Released: September 23, 2019
  2. "Go Stupid"
    Released: February 14, 2020
  3. "DND"
    Released: April 10, 2020
  4. "Wishing for a Hero"
    Released: June 3, 2020
  5. "Martin & Gina"
    Released: August 13, 2020

The album debuted number two on the Billboard 200 chart, with 104,000 album-equivalent units, (of which 14,000 were pure album sales) in its first week.[2] On December 10, 2020, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 1,000,000 units.[3] It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Background and promotion

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The album, along with its cover, was announced on May 5, 2020, through Polo G's Instagram.[4]

Singles

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On September 20, 2019, the album's first single, "Heartless" featuring American record producer Mustard, was released along with its music video.[5][6][7]

On February 14, 2020, "Go Stupid" with Stunna 4 Vegas and NLE Choppa, featuring Mike Will Made It, was released as the album's second single.[8]

On April 10, 2020, the third single off the album, "DND", was released.[9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Consequence of SoundB+[12]
Earmilk8/10[13]
HipHopDX4.1/5[14]
Pitchfork7.7/10[15]
RapReviews7.5/10[16]

The Goat was met with widespread critical acclaim upon release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the release received an average score of 83, based on five reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]

Paul A. Thompson of Pitchfork stated that "The Chicago rapper's follow-up to his riveting debut LP argues for him as an adaptable and unmissable talent, an unlikely star in a new major-label system".[15]

Commercial performance

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The Goat debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 99,000 album-equivalent units, (of which 14,000 were pure album sales) in its first week.[2] It became Polo G's highest-charting album, and his second US top ten debut.[2] The album also accumulated a total of 129.4 million in on-demand streams of the set's songs.[2] In its second week, the album dropped to number five on the chart, earning an additional 52,000 units.[17] In its third week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, earning 40,000 more units.[18] In its fourth week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, earning 37,000 units, bringing its four-week total to 228,000 album-equivalent units.[19] On July 28, 2020, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[3]

Track listing

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Track listing and credits adapted from Tidal.[20]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Don't Believe the Hype"
  • 1040 Beats
  • Callari
  • D Major
2:54
2."Heartless" (featuring Mustard)
3:24
3."Martin & Gina"
  • Bartlett
  • Hagan Lange
  • Kyre Trask
  • Tahj Vaughn
  • Hagan
  • Kdubb
  • Tahj Money
2:12
4."Flex" (featuring Juice Wrld)
2:43
5."Go Stupid" (with Stunna 4 Vegas and NLE Choppa featuring Mike Will Made It)2:45
6."21"
  • Bartlett
  • Keanu Dean Torres
  • Khaled Rohaim
  • Keanu Beats
  • Rohaim
2:43
7."33"
  • Bartlett
  • Jahmere Tylon
  • DJ Ayo
  • Minor2Go[c]
2:50
8."I Know"
  • Bartlett
  • D Mac
  • Thomas Horton
  • Vaughn
  • D Mac
  • TnTXD
  • Tahj Money
2:56
9."Beautiful Pain (Losin My Mind)"
2:51
10."No Matter What"
Nick Mira3:19
11."Be Something" (featuring Lil Baby)
Resource3:14
12."Relentless"
3:19
13."DND"
  • Bartlett
  • Dewayne Kennemer
WayneOnABeat3:00
14."Chinatown"
  • Bartlett
  • Tylon
  • Anthony Catchings-Currie
  • DJ Ayo
  • NntySxS
2:52
15."Trials & Tribulations"
  • Bartlett
  • D Mac
  • Ryan O'Neil
  • Vaughn
  • D Mac
  • MoneyEvery
  • Tahj Money
2:56
16."Wishing for a Hero" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)
3:04
Total length:47:11

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies an uncredited co-producer

Sample credits

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for The Goat
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[59] Gold 35,000
Canada (Music Canada)[60] Platinum 80,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[61] Platinum 20,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[62] Gold 7,500
Sweden (GLF)[63] Gold 15,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[64] Gold 100,000
United States (RIAA)[65] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Listen to Polo G's Album 'The Goat'". Complex. May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Caulfield, Keith (May 24, 2020). "Future Flies 'High' With Seventh No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "RIAA Certifications - Polo G". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "5/15...Click the link in my bio For presale". May 5, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved May 28, 2020 – via Instagram.
  5. ^ "Polo G – "Heartless" (Feat. Mustard) Video".
  6. ^ "Chicago rapper Polo G teams up with Mustard for "Heartless": Stream".
  7. ^ "Polo G Taps Mustard for New Single, "Heartless"".
  8. ^ "Polo G Recruits Stunna 4 Vegas & NLE Choppa for "Go Stupid" [LISTEN]". KPWR. February 14, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  9. ^ "Polo G Drops New Song "DND". Complex. April 10, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Polo G - The GOAT". Metacritic. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  11. ^ Thomas, Fred. "The Goat - Polo G | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  12. ^ "Polo G's The Goat Laments Chicago's Violence with Poetic Precision: Review". Consequence of Sound. May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Murphy, Kalen (May 19, 2020). "Album Review: Polo G - The GOAT". Earmilk. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  14. ^ Diep, Eric (May 27, 2020). "Review: Polo G Inches Towards His Claims With 'THE GOAT' Album". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Polo G: The Goat Album Review". Pitchfork. May 21, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  16. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (August 18, 2020). "Polo G :: The Goat – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
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