Post Malone is a rapper, writer, record producer, and American guitarist. He is one of the hottest new talents in the hip hop industry.
Malone rose to fame after releasing his debut single White Iverson (2015). In August 2015, he signed his first record deal with Republic Records. And in December 2016, the artist released his first studio album, Stoney.
Austin Richard's early years
Austin Richard Post was born on July 4, 1995 in Syracuse, New York. Then he moved to Grapevine, Texas at the age of 10. Because of the move, he did not finish high school. He started playing the guitar at the age of 14 because of the popular video game Guitar Hero. He later auditioned for Crowd the Empire in 2010. But he was not taken due to the fact that the guitar string broke during the audition.
Malone was into sports. He enjoyed playing basketball and watching sports on TV. Perhaps his father influenced his tastes as he worked with the Dallas Cowboys. Malone's father was the team's assistant food and drink director. Therefore, the artist has always had access to free food and tickets to watch the games of the famous football team.
But sports weren't the rapper's only hobby. His initial interest in learning to play the guitar began at the age of 14. He started playing Guitar Hero. From that moment on, the artist began the stage of self-education in the field of music production. This is thanks to YouTube and the audio editing program FL Studio. The artist realized that thanks to his father he fell in love with music. He was always interested in listening to all kinds of genres, including country.
Austin's first steps in music
At 16, he began working on an independent mixtape while playing in a hardcore band with friends. After completing this musical work, the rapper showed the songs to his classmates. This caused him to gain popularity at school. The singer admitted that everyone liked it. He thought it was very good. But after a few years I realized that it was terrible. The rapper claimed that there was no artist identity at the time.
Malone graduated from high school in his city. He then went to Tarrant County College because his parents wanted him to study and graduate. However, he left the institute a few months later.
Post Malone's musical career
Post Malone's musical career began, like most artists, with a risk. The singer was sure that his future was in music. Therefore, he left the institute, decided to continue his dream. He left Texas with his friend, Jason Stokes, for a long time. They moved to Los Angeles (California). Being in the city of stars, it was only a matter of time before he became successful.
The first months in the city helped him adjust to his new life. And through a mutual friend, he met the famous producer of the duo FKi. Soon they began to work on music.
The singer gained his first success thanks to White Iverson. A topic that is partly related to professional basketball player Allen Iverson. As the artist later admitted, the song was written two days before it was recorded.
In February 2015, it was completely finished and was posted on Post's SoundCloud account. The song was successful on the platform. Therefore, in July of the same year, the artist released a video for White Iverson. This increased the number of reproductions on SoundCloud, reaching an average of 10 million per month. The video has been viewed by more than 205 million people.
Post Malone didn't stop there
Following his success with White Iverson, Post released other singles on SoundCloud. They also received good feedback from the listener. Among them: Too Young, Patience, What Happened and Tear. All these songs were almost on the same level of popularity.
After the resounding success he achieved with his first track, Malone quickly attracted the attention of record companies. Therefore, in August 2015, he signed his first recording contract with Republic Records.
Working with other artists
The success of White Iverson opened the doors of the world of music for the singer. Thanks to the hit, he not only received a recording contract with Republic Records, but also got a chance to communicate with the stars. The artist is familiar with famous singers: 50 Cent, Young Thug, Kanye West, etc.
Opportunity to work with Kanye West appeared when he took part in the celebration of the birthday of Kylie Jenner. It was there that he met the controversial rapper. The legend approached him to tell him that they should create something together.
Malone has admitted how nervous and shy he was when he first walked into the recording studio with Kanye and T Dolla. But luckily everything went great. The artists worked together and the result was a track called "Fade". The premiere of the work took place exclusively during the presentation of "Yeezy Season 2", the parade of the Kanye West collection.
Post Malone's work with Justin Bieber
Another star Malone had the opportunity to run into was Canadian Justin Bieber. The singers became friends. This connection allowed the rapper to become one of the original vocalists of Bieber's Purpose World Tour. In addition, Justin and Post recorded the first joint song for the Stoney album. It is called "Deja vu" and was released online in early September 2016.
In May, the artist released his first mixtape titled "August, 26th". The title was a reference to the release date for their debut album Stoney, which was delayed. In June 2016, Malone made his national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! With the song "Go Flex", which was released in April.
Stoney is his first studio album.
After a postponed release, Post Malone's first studio album was finally released on December 9, 2016. The album was titled "Stoney" and produced by Republic Records.
This album includes 14 tracks. Contains music from special guest stars such as Justin Bieber, 2 Chainz, Kehlani and Quavo. In addition, he looks forward to working with Metro Boomin, FKi, Vinylz, MeKanics, Frank Dukes, Illangelo and more.
The album is supported by four singles: "White Iverson", "Too Young", "Go Flex" and "Deja Vu" with Justin Bieber. The promotional single for the album is "Congratulations", a song by the rapper featuring Quavo, which was released on November 4th. The second promotional single "Patient" was released on November 18th. The third and final single "Leave" was released on December 2.
Upon release, the album received positive reviews from critics. Some said that compared to Malone's debut single "White Iverson", "Stoney" continued in this style, although it did not have the same level of ingenuity as his first track.
The album was also rated as "competent and listenable". However, they say that many have already gone the same way and it did not always end well. Critics agree that Malone certainly has a long way to go before standing out in a unique style. But there is a chance that he will achieve good results.
Post Malone as part of Culture Vulture
In a short time, Post Malone managed to be on everyone's lips, on a global scale. He was also announced as the new American rap sensation. But he himself claimed that he was not just a rapper, but a real artist. He is young and, like any boy of his age, shows that he has big ambitions. His illusion and energy manifest with every word he speaks. And the success he achieved in just a year makes it clear that he knows where he wants to go.
Malone commented that he doesn't want to categorize things. He is aware of the fact that his work is approaching the hip-hop public. But he still struggles to do away with the genre's stigmata. It does this by offering a much broader approach to hip-hop culture. The singer wants to find the perfect spot to create the perfect music. Music for simple pleasure, without thinking about whether it will be a commercial success.
Malone's musical and personal style sounds like a creation that has absolute freedom. After listening to his first single, many identified him as part of Culture Vulture.
What does Culture Vulture mean?
For those unfamiliar with the term, Culture Vulture is an expression often used to refer to a person who copies different styles. These may include elements such as language and fashion from different cultures. He takes them, adapts them and makes them his own. But most importantly, connects them so that they become perfect.
But this association was not made positively, but vice versa. Post Malone is a white boy who wears braided hair and villi. This is a bit of what we saw in the Eminem era. The singer clearly didn't fit in with what the public and the industry were used to seeing in a rapper. This combination of elements has been a source of criticism against Malone. But none of this prevented him from further advancing in this genre.
For many, this singer is just a reflection of a new generation. It's not about being producers who strive to write their own music and attract the attention of the audience to themselves. They are primarily creators, with their own individuality, who act without thinking what they think the rest. This is Post Malone's explicit and clear position.
In his style, this singer can be a perfect example of what it means to be an independent artist, someone who can reach a very high level without the help of anyone. However, for those who want to reach their goal as quickly as possible, doing it yourself is not always the best way.
Malone needed a record label to make his dream possible, and he achieved it with Republic Records. The future is no longer bleak for Post Malone. And although he is only at the beginning of his journey, he already feels very confident in the world of music.
Post Malone today
Post Malone revealed that he would most likely release a 4th studio album in 2020. This information was announced to the journalists of Rolling Stone.
It is worth noting that the third studio album Hollywood's Bleeding was released less than last September. And the release of the second album Beerbongs & Bentleys took place less than two years ago - in April 2018.
In addition, the singer took part in the recording of Ozzy Osbourne's album Ordinary Man.
In June 2022, one of the most anticipated albums of the year premiered. The American rapper expanded his discography with the LP Twelve Carat Toothache, which included 14 cool songs. On guest verses: Roddy Rich, Doja Cat, gunna, Fleet Foxes, The Kid Laroi and The Weeknd.
The album turned out to be very "holistic". Music critics flattered about the disc, and noted that they anticipate that the collection will receive music awards. The LP debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200.
