It certainly doesn’t sound like he’s kidding.
Polo G’s “Rapstar” just propelled the rapper to new heights, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Monday and dethroning Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s “Leave The Door Open.”
“Rapstar” marks Polo’s most successful song on the chart, with his highest-charting singles previously being Juice WRLD’s “Hate the Other Side,” which peaked at No. 10 last July, and “Pop Out” with Lil Tjay, which previously peaked at No. 11 in June of 2019. Polo’s last entry on the charts was in November with King Von’s “The Code,” which peaked at No. 66.
Aside from Polo, it’s already been an impressive year for No. 1 debuts on the Hot 100, with his first-week chart-topper following others like Justin Bieber’s “Peaches,” Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License.” “Rapstar” and its No. 1 ascent also come the same week that Lil Nas X asked fans to stream “Montero,” after he said the track was temporarily removed from streaming services. Columbia Records then claimed the issue was out of its control.
“Rapstar” is Polo G’s first solo single since February’s “GNF (OKOKOK),” which peaked at No. 55 on the chart during the week on Feb. 20. Last May, upon the release of Polo’s The Goat, the rapper saw 10 tracks simultaneously hit the chart. Currently, he’s working on his upcoming 2021 release, Hall of Fame.
While some may not consider him “’Pac rebirthed” as he says in the track, Polo now has another thing in common with his idol 2Pac: A No. 1 single to his name. ‘Pac’s first and only No. 1 happened in 1996, when “How Do U Want It/California Love” topped the chart. Both ‘Pac and Polo G now have two top 10 hits.
In a new feature on the song’s success, Polo told Complex that topping the Hot 100 was a long-term goal for him coming up.
“I put a No. 1 song down on the list of goals of mine,” he said. “I’m big on manifesting everything. I’ve damn near manifested my whole life.”
The MC also goes on to discuss what he originally planned for the song’s title, how the track in particular came together and making the right moves career-wise. You can check out that conversation here.
