Austin Post began to study music at the age of 12. The spectrum of his musical preferences is quite wide – from country and rock to ubiquitous hip-hop, and Post thanks his father for his broad knowledge of music. The guy recorded his first mixtape back in his school years, at the age of 16. And although at that time he and his classmates considered the creation “fiery stuff”, now Austin admits that that recording was just shit.
To be able to record music, at the age of 19, he decided to leave college and move with friends to Los Angeles, closer to one of the centers of the music industry. “I was hoping that this closeness to the industry would end in a big breakthrough for me. I had to get this to work. Either that or Chicken Express (a chain of fast-food restaurants where the artist worked part-time during his school years – approx. DTF Magazine), ”Post recalls in an interview with Rolling Stone.
The artist’s first track that brought him success was the composition, White Iverson. The title of the track is a reference to the famous basketball player Allen Iverson, the white version of which Post calls itself. While uploading the track to his SoundCloud account, Austin wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing. However, a few days later, the song received millions of streams and retweets from hip-hop stars such as Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller.
This was followed by the signing to the global label Republic Records and the recording of the studio album Stoney, on which Quavo, Metro Boomin, Justin Bieber, and 2 Chainz worked. The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 chart, garnering positive reviews from critics, and received its second platinum certification in October this year. After the release of the record, Post almost did not give up positions in the music charts.
How Post Malone made a name for himself in the music industry
After the success of his debut single, the artist managed to collaborate with several prominent artists of the world scale. For example, he acted as an opening act for Justin Bieber as part of his concert tour. “I was dumb, I was going to appear in front of the crowd and expected a reaction like: ‘Who is this homeless dude?’ But in the end, everything was good and fun. I still have butterflies in my stomach, but now it’s much easier for me, ”says Post.
Austin also had a hand in the creation of Kanye West’s latest album, The Life of Pablo. Once the artist was invited to perform at a party in honor of Kylie Jenner’s birthday. Then Kanye heard Post’s performance and, impressed, invited him to work in the studio. As a result of the collaboration, the artists recorded the song Fade, which appeared on West’s last year’s release, and also sounded during the show of the rapper’s clothing collection Yeezy Season 2.
Besides, Post appeared on a remix of the recent Lorde track Homemade Dynamite alongside SZA and Khalid.
Developed an unusual style
In the early stages of his career, Austin faced criticism, mainly from black listeners. In the video for White Iverson, he appeared in the form of a typical hip-hop artist: with tattoos, dreadlocks, golden grills, but at the same time, he was not black. After that, many listeners reproached the artist for using black music for his success and earning money from it. “If one still thinks that only a certain race can be involved in making a certain type of music, that is a very old way of thinking,” the Post responded in an interview with Paper magazine.
However, over time, the artist’s image began to change, gaining more and more recognition and individuality. Both externally and in terms of music, Post tries to experiment and mix styles without limiting himself to specific frames. He can appear at a concert in cowboy boots and a vest, and a few days later – in clothes from Gucci or Yves Saint Laurent, he can record a composition in the style of hip-hop, and the next one uses motives of country. “Genres are stupid. I have no controversy that one moment I will record a track with Justin Bieber, and the next with 21 Savage, ”explains the Post. He seeks to create something more, not limited to the framework of a particular genre.
