The Ones: Polo G and Lil Tjay’s “First Place”

With artists releasing songs at a fast and furious pace it’s difficult for the average hip-hop head to keep track of it all—no matter how tapped in they are. That’s why we created The Ones, a daily post to highlight the song you need to hear curated by the Levels team. We sort through all the new songs—across all the platforms and subgenres—so you don’t have to. Thank us later.

Polo G and Lil Tjay - “First Place”

Polo G and Lil Tjay became a duo out of convenience—both were signed to Columbia Records after becoming hot in Chicago and New York, their respective cities. Last January they released “Pop Out,” a surprise top 15 Billboard Hot 100 hit that blended Polo G’s deep, bluesy voice and Lil Tjay’s bubbly spirit. A year later they recapture that magic with “First Place.” Compared to the upbeat “Pop Out,” “First Place” is more in their comfort zone, with an acoustic guitar rhythm that sounds like it should be played on the quad of a liberal arts college. Polo G is the highlight, flipping his paranoia into a radio ready hook: “You got no friends in this race/Bro you gotta understand niggas fake.” While Tjay counters Polo G’s perpetual gloom with his bright and welcoming melody. Really, it should be no surprise that Polo G and Tjay have this much chemistry, they’re two rising stars, singing about pain in their own ways.

Check out previous Ones, and listen to new rap from Polo G and Lil Tjay and more on our Spotify playlist, Apple Music playlist, and SoundCloud playlist.

Originally Appeared on Pitchfork