How Post Malone is a star like no other
From moving to Los Angeles at the age of 18 to pursue music while sleeping in a closet, Post Malone has come a long way.
The fame began upon the release of “White Iverson,” which gained over one million plays on SoundCloud within the first month of its release in 2016.
At surface level, his success seems to be based on his hip-hop inspired music, with great featured artists and catchy beats. But there is way more to Post Malone than that. His mix of genres is something seldom seen in music today.
Austin Post, better known by his stage name Post Malone has become one of the biggest names in the music industry. Releasing No. 1 one albums and embarking on world tours for millions of fans. The chart-tracking website Pollster said Post sold over 500,000 tickets in 30 arenas in the North American stretch of the second part of his “Runaway Tour.”
People may know him from his most popular song to date, “Congratulations” featuring Migos star, Quavo. “Congratulations” has sold over 10 million copies earning the Recording Industry Association of Americas Diamond Certification, becoming one of the only 34 songs in history to have done so.
Post’s music is hard to categorize into one genre or let alone one style. From acoustic ballads to hyper trap beats, Post Malone is like few artists at the top of the chart today.
On his debut studio album “Stoney,” currently at the 48 spot on the Billboard 200 and on the chart for 178 consecutive weeks, peaking at number 4, with songs “Feeling Whitney,” “Leave” and “Up There” taking the listener to a completely different dimension of Hip-hop, weaving acoustic and cloud-rap beats that pair ‘hard’ together.
“Feeling Whitney,” an acoustic number tells the story of his struggle with addiction and depression. Post’s ability to draw fans on an album that ranges from moods of celebration to hardship is rarely seen in today’s Hip-Hop Culture.
Post’s sophomore album “beerbongs & bentleys,” at the 25 spot on the Billboard 200 and spent 106 weeks on the chart, features another acoustic hit “Stay.” Post dives into relationship struggles and his desire to stay in a relationship with his ex-girlfriend Ashlen Diaz.
Music alone isn’t what sets Post Malone apart from other artists. His desire to make the music he wants, not what his fans want goes against the tide in today’s music climate.
Perhaps one of the greatest examples of his exploration into other genres is the collaboration of Post Malone, Travis Scott and Ozzy Osbourne on the track “Take What You Want” off of his latest album “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” currently in the 8 spot on the Billboard 200 and has been there for 35 weeks.
Despite his wide range of talent and ability, Post Malone continues to appeal to fans.
However, one record ‘takes the cake.’ In August 2018, Rolling Stone said “Stoney” broke 34-year-old Michael Jackson’s record after spending 77 consecutive weeks at the top 10 of the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Jackson’s “Thriller” previously held the record 76 weeks back in the ‘80s.
Post Malone is the greatest artist of our generation. His mix of genres and styles is like no other. Combined with catchy lyrics and hard-hitting beats, Post’s music is a great mix of everything I love about music.
Some may not see it as I do, but as Post famously said in his song, “Stay,” ‘…everybody’s blind when the view’s amazin’”.
