RAPSTAR

MusicDigital Marketing
Written By Touré Shiver

POLO G IS CHICAGO'S NEW "RAPSTAR"

Polo G's rise to become one of the biggest streaming hip-hop artists has been incredible. His first two albums were very successful, with the second one generating some of his biggest streaming hits. But on the third go-round, all of us wanted to go bigger. Enter "RAPSTAR," the lead single off Polo's third album Hall of Fame. Released in April 2021, "RAPSTAR" quickly rose to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Polo G's first number-one song.

The road to "RAPSTAR's" success began with a teaser over a year before the song was released. Einer Bankz posted a video of himself and Polo G performing the song on his YouTube in May 2020. A year later, the song was out, and Polo was sitting on a viral hit.

"Rapstar" was announced as the first single from Polo G's third album, Hall of Fame. Our strategy was simple: position Polo as one of the biggest rap stars by amplifying the song, its lyrics, and lifestyle content around Polo.

As a result, we pushed the song to a song number-one debut on the Billboard Hot 100, Polo's first time topping the charts. The official music video, released simultaneously with the song, now has over 205 million views on YouTube, making it one of Polo's most popular videos. 

The success of "RAPSTAR" demonstrates a perfect combination of teasing, social media virality, great creative, and strategic narrative seeding. Through these efforts, we not only reached a new career high with Polo, but we also laid the perfect foundation for his third album, Hall of Fame.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD "RAPSTAR” OUT NOW
Touré Shiver

TOURÉ SHIVER is a music executive, marketer, and creative strategist whose work spans some of the most influential names in music and entertainment.

He currently serves as Vice President of Marketing Strategy at Republic Records, following six years leading digital marketing campaigns at Columbia Records. Throughout his career, Touré has helped shape the digital footprint of some of music’s most exciting artists, including Tyler, The Creator, Central Cee, Chloe x Halle, Leon Bridges, Polo G, and Pharrell Williams. His contributions have earned recognition across the music business, including a spot on Billboard’s Hip-Hop/R&B Power Players list.

With roots in business and the arts, Touré earned a marketing degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master’s in media management from The New School. He also studied photography in Florence, Italy. An early chapter that continues to shape his eye for detail and creative instinct. Known for blending strategy with creativity, he’s built a reputation as a thoughtful, trusted voice for artists navigating today’s ever-changing creative landscape.

http://www.tourexali.com
Previous

HALL OF FAME
Next

DESTINED 2 WIN