The Goat (album) explained

The Goat
Type:Studio album
Artist:Polo G
Cover:Polo G - The Goat.png
Length:47:11
Label:Columbia
Prev Title:Die a Legend
Prev Year:2019
Next Title:Hall of Fame
Next Year:2021

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 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. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Background and promotion

The album, along with its cover, was announced on May 5, 2020, through Polo G's Instagram.[3]

Singles

On September 20, 2019, the album's first single, "Heartless" featuring American record producer Mustard, was released along with its music video.[4] [5] [6]

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.[7]

On April 10, 2020, the third single off the album, "DND", was released.[8]

Critical reception

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".

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".

Commercial performance

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.[9] In its third week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, earning 40,000 more units.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12]

Track listing

Track listing and credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

Notes

Sample credits

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2020)! scope="col"
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[15] 99
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 127
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[17] 64
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 75
US Billboard 200[19] 43
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 25
Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 76
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] 136
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[23] 27
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[24] 41
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[25] 91
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] 46
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 65
US Billboard 200[28] 30
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] 15
Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[30] 87
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[31] 62
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[32] 150

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Listen to Polo G's Album 'The Goat'. Complex. May 15, 2020. May 28, 2020.
  2. Future Flies 'High' With Seventh No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart. Billboard. May 24, 2020. May 28, 2020. Keith. Caulfield.
  3. Web site: 5/15...Click the link in my bio For presale. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B_0aamwl6T2 . 2021-12-24 . registration. May 5, 2020. May 28, 2020. Instagram.
  4. Web site: Polo G – "Heartless" (Feat. Mustard) Video.
  5. Web site: Chicago rapper Polo G teams up with Mustard for "Heartless": Stream.
  6. Web site: Polo G Taps Mustard for New Single, "Heartless".
  7. Web site: Polo G Recruits Stunna 4 Vegas & NLE Choppa for "Go Stupid" [LISTEN]]. February 14, 2020. May 28, 2020. KPWR.
  8. Web site: Polo G Drops New Song "DND. Complex. April 10, 2020. May 28, 2020.
  9. 'Wunna' Wins: Gunna Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. May 31, 2020. June 2, 2020.
  10. Lady Gaga Scores Sixth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Chromatica'. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. June 6, 2020. June 9, 2020.
  11. Lil Baby's 'My Turn' Album Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart After Three Months. Billboard. Caulfield. Keith. June 14, 2020. June 19, 2020.
  12. Web site: RIAA Certifications - Polo G. . July 30, 2020.
  13. Web site: THE GOAT / Polo G — TIDAL. Tidal. May 28, 2020.
  14. Web site: ALBUMŲ TOP100. Lithuanian. AGATA. May 22, 2020. May 28, 2020.
  15. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2020. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 15, 2021.
  16. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2020. Ultratop. December 18, 2020.
  17. Web site: Album Top-100 2020. Hitlisten. January 13, 2021.
  18. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 2020. MegaCharts. nl. January 6, 2021.
  19. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2020. Billboard. December 4, 2020.
  20. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2020. Billboard. December 12, 2020.
  21. Web site: ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2021. Australian Recording Industry Association. January 13, 2022.
  22. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2021. Ultratop. January 5, 2022.
  23. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 3, 2021.
  24. Web site: Album Top-100 2021. Hitlisten. January 6, 2022.
  25. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 2021. dutchcharts.nl. nl. January 4, 2022.
  26. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 2021. Recorded Music NZ. January 24, 2022. January 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220124051930/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/albums?chart=5267. live.
  27. Web site: Årslista Album, 2021. Sverigetopplistan. January 14, 2022.
  28. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 3, 2021.
  29. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 3, 2021.
  30. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 3, 2022.
  31. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 3, 2022.
  32. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2023. Billboard. November 23, 2023.