Post Malone’s Country Music Journey: From Rap to Country Music
- mjnoakes
- Sep 11, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 8, 2024
Hi Y'all,
Fans have been debating for quite some time now on when will Post Malone finally venture into the country music genre. Considering all events of the past year, it was not a surprise for the people who have been workin’ with him closely. It was only a matter of time’ read the headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the May 28 issue.
No surprise to people: Post is the complete opposite of Taylor Swift. She had started with country and had moved to pop; but Post? First, he was rapping, then he started becoming a pop star and now he is gradually attempting to claw his way into the country music business. Charlie Handsome, who helped in the production of all the tracks in the latest Post’s album, said something similar to The New York Times. He said, “Post knows every country song,” I discovered that for example, if you sang a song that singer Hank Williams Sr. recorded as early as 1954, Post would easily sing word for word. ” That is quite something.”
About a month after dropping F-1 Trillion, his first country album, Post Malone is takin’ it to the road, showing another side of him – the country artist crisscrossed the United States. The tour that was highly expected began on 26th February in West Valley City, Utah. This one has been on the minds of people for quite some time now.
Anyway, one thing that has never been an issue with Post Malone is Utah. He continued and called it the ‘most amazing place ever’ and this goes to show how much this state is valued by him. Well, he has been rather vocal about that for years now.
When he entered the stage of the Super Bowl, Post added a little country spirit to his rendition of ‘America the Beautiful. ’ While standing right there and singing to the audience, he most certainly recontextualized the song but never quite lost the song to its genre. That’s Post, always mixin’ things up while remainin’ true.
Post and fans of the ‘turntable’ will have this album and tour they’ve been waitin’ for. When it comes to Post and fans enjoying this album and tour, one has to say that, yes, it has taken some time. It has taken quite some time for people to see him playing with the idea of country music and now it is finally being realized.
Post has always been very open about his preference when it comes to music - country music. He has been rapping on songs about exploring that lane for quite some time now. It has been on his mind and he has made all effort to make sure that people are aware of it.
In 2022 when Malone was a guest on The Howard Stern Show he said, ‘There’s nothin’ gonna stop me from makin’ a country album while back at my studio in Utah I’ll just set up a camera‘ And indeed he did. It was only a question of time.
Before “F-1 Trillion” which is a compilation of different styles of country music including the modern one, Malone hinted at collaborations with Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, covered Garth Brooks, paid tribute to Toby Keith who passed away recently and performed on “Cowboy Carter”, Beyonce’s first attempt at country music.
Finally on 14th August, Post Malone got the chance to perform alongside the grand old institution of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry – and he was led onto the stage by none other than Brad Paisley. Now, it’s back to back, because just two days later F-1 Trillion dropped, including friends such as Paisley, Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, and Jelly Roll. Oh that album sure did announce its arrival in the country music scene.
It did not take long before Post became a record holder for the most fuel efficient music run in North America. His album also set a new record at Spotify single day country streaming with the album having almost 14 million streams. That meant the news came from none other than the Deseret News, which I think proves my point that people couldn’t get enough of it.
There is one thing that fans cannot argue about Post Malone and that is the fact that the artist is quite versatile. He has tried out different styles from rap to pop to hip hop and that has opened up several great opportunities in the area of crossover. It is that versatility that has seen him transition into country music as he pleases; as smooth as jelly.
He is very clear about it, literally; Post Malone is also not in a hurry to embrace the concept of genres. For himself he said, ‘Genre’s suck. ‘ He told The New York Times it’s easy to categorize music and put it in a box but why not try something different and make something out of nothing?
Well now that Post is out there on the road, he is taking his brand of music to the masses. However, where else is good enough to start than in Utah; one of the places, he has adapted a home at?
He also did not miss an opportunity to tell everyone how much he enjoys livin’ in Utah again as well. When performing in West Valley City, he told the audience that moving to this ‘amazing state’ as he called it is one of the best things he has ever done, the second being having his baby daughter. The country radio station in Salt Lake known as The Bull, recorded it on TikTok and people loved the show.
Utah is mixed and Post called Utah his “oasis” where he can escape from the lights of Hollywood. Of course, in the Variety interview back in 2019, he talks about how good he feels that he has no responsibilities with simple video games and beer. To be honest with you, I can’t say that I blame him for thinking in this manner.
In an interview with Billboard magazine in 2022, Post went further to explain more about life in Utah, saying that there is very little distraction, and therefore living there makes him be able to envision a life for himself outside music. It is a rather low-profile lifestyle and Musthofa added that he is thinking about what lies ahead.
But post hasn’t been just livin’ it up though, he has been quite a busy man in his Utah community as well. This time last year, he played in the NBA All-Star Game in Salt Lake City and if that was not enough, he wrote the name on a salmon pink Raising Cane’s outlet at Midvale. And he donated an acoustic guitar signed by himself for the benefit of the Utah Honor Flight Program. A man of his word, there is no denying the fact that he is a generous man.
It only made sense that Post Malone began his tour with two performances in the Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City. And the only city on his tour of a dozen or so that he spends two nights in, going by the calendar on his homepage. He’s saving the best for the people of Utah.
Well, this tour is not going to slow down the pace anytime soon. For the Post Malone show, he will be on the road until the end of October which he will be concluding in Austin, Texas. Therefore, if you have not had a chance to spot him, you still can do that before the curtain comes down.
Thank Y'all for readin'
—Tucker Gentry
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