"3 Headed Goat" is a song by American rapper

Lil Durk Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...

, featuring fellow American rappers

Lil Baby Dominique Armani Jones (born December 3, 1994), known professionally as Lil Baby, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to mainstream fame in 2017 following the release of his mixtape ''Perfect Timing''. *Alt URL* * His deb ...

and

Polo G Taurus Tremani Bartlett (born January 6, 1999), known professionally as Polo G, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence with his singles "Finer Things (Polo G song), Finer Things" and "Pop Out" (featuring Lil Tjay). His debut album ''Die a ...

. It was released on May 7, 2020, as the third single from Lil Durk's fifth studio album ''

Just Cause Y'all Waited 2 ''Just Cause Y'all Waited 2'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Lil Durk. It was released on May 8, 2020, by Only the Family, Alamo Records and Geffen Records, serving as a sequel to his 2018 ''Just Cause Y'all Waited'' mixtape. It fe ...

'' (2020), one day before the album was released. On the song, the rappers combine to form a "3 headed G.O.A.T." (an acronym for "Greatest of All Time"). The track received positive reviews from critics and was Durk's highest-charting song until the release of Drake's "

Laugh Now Cry Later "Laugh Now Cry Later" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake featuring American rapper Lil Durk. It was released through Republic Records and OVO Sound as a single on August 14, 2020. The two artists wrote the song alongside producers Cardo, Rogét ...

". "3 Headed Goat" debuted and peaked at number 43 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and also reached numbers 13 and 15 on both the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100 and US ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

charts respectively. It was certified

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), denoting sales of over one million units in that country. The song also charted in Canada and New Zealand, reaching numbers 77 and 38 respectively. The accompanying music video for the single, directed by

Cole Bennett Cole Michael Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an American business executive, videographer, and music video director. His multimedia company, Lyrical Lemonade, started in 2013 as an internet blog while he was in high school. Early life Cole Be ...

, features all three artists handling large currency in a warehouse.

Background

Lil Durk explained to

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

how the song's conception came about and why he decided to include Polo G: "Me and Lil Baby was in the studio and we did not finish the song. So I had the song on my hard drive. And my hard drive crashed. I didn't have no sessions, only had hat I had recorded on myphone and a little bit of the beat left playing. And then I just decided Polo G going crazy right now. I got to put Polo on there". To celebrate the song and his second studio album, '' The Goat'', which was released on May 15, 2020, Polo G purchased a "3 Headed Goat" diamond piece.

Composition

Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...

's Aaron Williams noted how the song finds the three rappers "snapping off aggressive verses over a bass-heavy, high-speed beat". Lil Baby performs the chorus, while Durk and Polo fill their verses with "brass knuckled punchlines".

Critical reception

Sam Mizzah of ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' applauded the rappers' chemistry: "The intertwining of these three together on a track is a smooth and natural fit, complementing the beat well and proving to be well-received by fans". Both Joshua Espinoza of ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' and KarenCivil.com's Ariel Whitely called the track a "standout" from ''Just Cause Y'all Waited 2''.

's Aaron Williams praised the lyrics: "The three rappers pass a duffle bag full of lyrics as each takes their turn blazing through their rapid-fire verses ... Rosario Harper of

SOHH SOHH (Support Online Hip Hop) is a hip hop news website. Felicia Palmer and Steven Samuel founded the website in 1996. In 2000, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine writer Mark Binelli called it the "best overall hip-hop site". History Felicia Palmer a ...

called the track a "must-hear" banger. '' XXL''s Robby Seabrook III named it among the best new songs of the week. Reviewing the song's parent album, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''s Dean Van Nguyen said the song lives up to its audacious billing.

Chart performance

On the week of May 23, 2020, "3 Headed Goat" debuted and peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It stayed on the chart for sixteen weeks. The single also reached numbers 13 and 15 on both the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 100 and the US

charts respectively. On December 17, 2020, the single was certified

by the

(RIAA) for combined sales and streaming units of over one million units in the US. In Canada, the track debuted and peaked at number 77 on the Canadian Hot 100 the same week it first appeared on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Music video

The song's official video was released on June 25, 2020, coinciding with the release of the deluxe edition of ''

''. It was directed by

, premiering through his Lyrical Lemonade channel. The video sees the artists in and around a warehouse, handling large currency. Lil Durk is seen near a CGI three-headed goat, which, according to

Revolt Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

's Jon Powell, was a presumed reference to the rappers' "current status in the upper echelons of hip hop". The video garnered over 500,000 views in its first 90 minutes.

Response

Sam Mizzah of ''

'' called the video "excellently directed and edited", complimenting director Cole Bennett's "textbook flavor", stating he continues to cement Lyrical Lemonade as "true tastemakers of the now".

's Aaron Williams noted the high-speed energy, calling the visuals "trippy".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2020 songs 2020 singles Lil Durk songs Lil Baby songs Songs written by Lil Baby Polo G songs Music videos directed by Cole Bennett Geffen Records singles Songs written by Lil Durk Songs written by Polo G