Polo G, born Taurus Tremani Bartlett on January 6, 1999, is an American rapper who rose to prominence with the tracks Finer Things and Pop Out (featuring Lil Tjay) in 2018. His debut album, Die a Legend (2019), received critical praise and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200, earning platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
His second studio album, The Goat (2020), solidified his presence in mainstream hip-hop, charting eleven songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200.
In 2021, Polo G achieved his first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with the single Rapstar. The track served as the lead single for his third album, Hall of Fame, which later became his first album to top the Billboard 200 chart.
Born in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, Bartlett is the second of four children. He grew up in the Marshall Field Garden Apartments alongside his older sister, younger brother, and younger sister. Raised by his mother, Stacia Mac—who later became his manager—and his father, Taurus Bartlett, he was heavily influenced by hip-hop artists like Lil Wayne during his formative years.
Growing up in an environment marked by crime and economic hardship, Polo G faced several legal issues as a teenager. According to public records from the Chicago Police Department, he was arrested more than once in 2017 for offenses including possession of cannabis (10–30 grams) and criminal trespass. He was detained again in December 2017 and released the following day after posting a $1,500 bail. During these incidents, he spent time in the Cook County Department of Corrections.
In a 2019 interview with VLAD TV, he reflected on being jailed in March 2018—just months before securing a deal with Columbia Records. Though not all details are documented, he has acknowledged that these experiences shaped his perspective and pushed him to turn to music as an emotional outlet and path toward a better future.
Polo G first recorded the track ODA, describing the experience as exhilarating in an interview with Rolling Out. In 2017, he started uploading songs to YouTube, where his popularity quickly grew. His early tracks like Never Cared and The Come Up helped him build a strong online presence.
On May 23, 2018, he officially launched his YouTube channel, and on the same day, he uploaded ten songs to SoundCloud under the mixtape title OFFICIAL POLO.G SOUND CLOUD.
His first significant hit, Gang With Me (2018), went on to amass over 3.2 million plays on SoundCloud. The follow-up single, Finer Things, written during his incarceration, gained widespread attention for its melodic tone and introspective lyrics. Uploaded to YouTube on August 25, 2018, the music video has accumulated over 54 million views, establishing him as one of hip-hop's emerging voices.
Following the success of Finer Things, Polo G attracted interest from major record labels, ultimately signing a distribution deal with Columbia Records. On February 1, 2019, he released Pop Out featuring Lil Tjay, which was described by Billboard as a "hard-nosed anthem." The track debuted at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later peaked at number 11. Its official video, released earlier in January 2019, has garnered over 78 million views.
