Post Malone had a blockbuster year. First, there was the irresistibly catchy Beyoncé collab “Levi’s jeans“Then, there was the moody and brooding Taylor Swift feature.”fortnightly” and more recently, there was upbeat country bop with Morgan Wallen “I had some help“
Although Malone was already known for his collaborations, his increasingly ubiquitous presence — including two of 2024’s biggest albums — begs the question: Why did Post Malone become Go artist for many prominent features?
Typically, such partnerships have creative as well as business considerations. Artists often work with people who share a music label as a way to jointly promote their albums. They may want to team up with unlikely singers to expand their audience and reach new audiences. And they may simply enjoy another performer’s music and consequently be interested in doing a duet with them. (Reps for Wallen declined to comment, and Swift, Beyoncé and Malone did not immediately respond.)
In Malone’s case, these collaborations happen to check a few of these boxes. Swift, for example, is signed to Republic Records, as is Malone. Swift and Malone have praised each other’s work in the past, with Swift saying she was “so jealous“‘s “hook” on the song “Better Now” and Malone saying he was overwhelmed by his “heart and . . . mind.” The two may also see other benefits in their partnership: As Malone lends Swift a bit of an edge, he unlocks a whole new fanbase for her that’s far larger than her current one.
Growing his audience base may also be behind his work with Beyoncé, as well as his recent hit with Wallen, who is also associated with Republic and has established himself as one of country music’s biggest stars. Malone has a country album of her own launching soon, and both of these partnerships have helped her build buzz and build the foundation for that debut.
“Albums that interact with country and pop have positioned Post Malone as a strategic artist,” said the University of Oregon music theorist. Drew Nobile. In fact, by working with these artists — including Blake Shelton and Noah Kahan — Malone is getting their “stamp of approval,” Nobile says.
Thus, a number of these Malone duets are reminiscent of how he first established himself in hip-hop, when he adopted many of the trappings associated with the genre and collaborated to gain credibility.
And artists like Beyoncé and Wallen have reason to partner with Malone, too. From both a musical and tactical standpoint, Malone makes for an interesting ensemble, experts say. His voice and sound are quite flexible, so he often complements — even mimics — the artist he’s working with. Viewed positively, it is framed as his power class crossing. Viewed more critically, He has been condemned for cultural appropriation, Especially borrowing from black culture when it suits him. Due to the rebellious persona he has established, and his track record of producing hits, his image and songwriting skills have also drawn him.
Who is Post Malone?
Malone, 28, first rose to fame as a hip-hop artist, making it big on the Billboard charts with songs like “White Iverson” and “Congratulations.” On his debut album, Malone used his own characteristics strategically, working with major hip-hop artists like Quavo and Kehlani, and in the process creating his own musical virtuosity.
“He’s pretty strongly associated with hip-hop, even though he’s not really a rapper. You know, he’s more of a singer,” said Jack Hamiltonis a cultural historian at the University of Virginia.
In addition to being known for his catchy choruses, Malone has created a more defiant brand. He cast himself in the image of rappers like Lil Wayne, Birdman and Gucci Mane, among others, through his prominent facial tattoos, grills and general party-boy aesthetic. Malone is known for ripping Bud Light, for example, so much so that it has its own custom cans.
“I think of him as a very vibe-oriented musician,” says Hamilton. “He was this super laid-back … stoner persona. He is a lifestyle brand for a certain type of young audience.
However, Malone has been scrutinized for not bringing much more than vibes to the table. Or as a New York Times music critic Put it once: “His songs sound like everything and nothing.” Some of Malone’s trademarks include his signature vibrato crooning and moody atmosphere, though some singles are total standouts. While some experts I spoke to for this piece praised Malone’s ability to work across musical genres, others said they didn’t find his work particularly noteworthy.
This same criticism has been extended to the persona he embodies, which has also been called for cultural appropriation. During his early debut, Malone played braids alongside Grill and spoke as such Reminiscent of African American regional EnglishHe has a habit now He seems to have distanced himself.
Malone’s critics argued that he was taken from black culture And without giving back or acknowledging hip-hop culture. He made statements in which he warned fans against listening Hip-hop They wanted to think about deep emotions, and How he didn’t identify as a rapperThis has added to the concern.
Now, as he moves into country space, his image has changed: although he still has facial tattoos, he now has short hair, a scraggly beard and a new outfit. Much like Ariana GrandeHe apparently His voice also changed. That led Criticism That Malone embraced both the looks and songs associated with black culture when it benefited him and discarded them when they helped him gain a platform.
“This is a common trend seen from artists historically,” Jeremy McCool, a West Chester University media professor who has an upcoming book about socially conscious hip-hop, told Vox. “White artists such as Kid Rock, Machine Gun Kelly, and Yellowwolf are prime examples of other artists who make hip-hop-focused music and then switch to a different sound and aesthetic, often leaning toward rockstar or country. country personas.”
In recent years, however, “social media has made it much easier to see these rebrands take place in real time,” he added. “You can see artists’ photos and posts change and see how they completely pivot away from their ‘hip-hop’ persona.”
Malone’s fans praised his adaptability and argued that he was only being true to himself by avoiding boxing. This fluidity is described by some experts as the key to its appeal.
“He’s a stylistic chameleon,” he said Adam Bradley, a UCLA English professor who studies pop music and hip-hop. “He’s just as comfortable in country as he is in rap or R&B or rock or straight-up pop.”
What Post Malone is bringing to these properties — and what they offer him
Musically, Malone “meets the music where he wants it to go without dragging it,” Bradley notes. In doing so, he is seen as adding enough to a song to make his presence felt, but not overpowering the original artist. Often, he is seen taking on the artist’s energy and sound, Slate’s Chris Molanphy says.
This could make him a compelling partner for other singers, who admired his songwriting ability and the earworms he worked with. “I’ve become such a big fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and the melodies he creates that stick in your head forever,” Swift said.
His image, too, can be seen as stretching how some artists are perceived – with an air of edge they may lack. “I think a lot of artists are attracted to Post Malone’s imagery as much or more than they are to his artistry,” Bradley adds. “He now inhabits a place in culture that is almost exclusively his own: a good bad boy.”
This adds to the business case for working with Malone: Many of the artists he’s collaborated with have large and established audiences, but teaming up with him helps them reach fans they don’t already have. Additionally — given how she, Swift, and Wallen have been linked to the same label — the duets are likely a boost to Republic as well.
Another reason we’re likely seeing a lot of Malone is that this is part of the rollout for his new country turn. Just as he once worked with hip-hop artists to break into that space, he seems to be doing the same again when entering this new genre.
Beyoncé’s collaboration with Malone coincided with the release of her country album, cowboy carter, In this case. The choice to include him could be his way of being included, Nobile said, and an attempt to send a message about how artists shouldn’t be confined to just one genre.
Malone’s latest tactic puts a new spotlight on his privilege as a white male artist — and how it enabled him to make this transition. His decision to act with Wallen, Someone who was previously slammed for using the N-word (for which he apologized), only underscored the point.
“Post Malone is a white artist who rose to prominence in the black genre of hip-hop, and many of his previous collaborations were with black artists,” said Bradley. “By making this move to country and people, she’s exercising a privilege not afforded to one of the biggest black artists in history, Beyoncé, who has faced so much backlash for her own recent foray into country music.”
This privilege, in addition to his talent, is central to Malone’s success. And because of that, he’s been able to both embrace a spectrum of collaborations and avoid being pigeonholed in the process.
