Rewind a couple years ago to White Iverson ringing on the radio, inside our house at pregames, and pretty much all over the place. In the era of Internet raps, this was Post’s song that would change his life. Now fast forward to 2019, and White Iverson is almost completely irrelevant in posts discography. Running 3 albums deep and plenty of singles and features in between, post has become a household name.
Much like the evolution of Post’s sound, his appearance and mannerism has matured and changed liked the songs. From slightly tattooed and a little reckless to fully face tatted and soft-spoken, Post has flipped the script on his career and his life since his Soundcloud-White-Iverson days. Highlights include playing Coachella, having chart topping singles, and his sophomore album Beerbongs and Bentleys consistently slapping in my friend circle as well as in my headphones.
Last week, we would receive posts 3rd album, dubbed Hollywood’s Bleeding, a 17 song album that boasts features like Meek Mill, Future, Travis Scott, and Ozzy Osborne just to name a few. The tracks we were teased with leading up to this feature could have maybe given us a clue as to the sound and scheme of his Junior album. The chart-topping track Sunflower had Swae Lee on the first verse and chorus, with Post following up with a sing-songy half rap but not really rap cadence. This song would crush the Hot 100, and probably will turn Hollywood’s Bleeding platinum after the first week. Next, we had Circles, another sing-songy track with Post belting his vocals rather than flexing his rap chops. The third singles is Goodbyes, which again features Post singing but is donned with a classic Thugger feature. With these three tracks, you could have predicted into the future what this album would sound like.
At it’s core, Post Malone’s 3rd album would be deemed pop. In the above photo thanks to @hiphopnumbers , we can clearly see Post has changed his direction and has taken on more of a pop approach to his sound. One of the best arguments against this theory, however, is the illustrious list of A-list rap features that are sprinkled on the album. Rap game veterans like Meek Mill and Future surely certify the tracks as rap/hip-hop, correct?
While Post collects features from raps elitist, he still continues his pop sound. Post maybe spits bars on a handful of tracks, and there are plenty with just him singing to a rap-sounding beat. On top of the pop sound and delivery, this album also sees Post in the middle of a major heartbreak. Most of the lyrics inside curse a woman or muse, and often talk about his heart scarring over from a girl only looking at him for his success and status.
With all this said, I still am really enjoying Hollywood’s Breathing as a breath of fresh air from an artist I have enjoyed listening to for quite some time. Definitely an album that would help someone get through a rough patch of their love life, there are plenty of fun tracks in between with a little bit more upbeat sound and vibe. Standout tracks that I find myself running back the replay button on are Hollywood’s Bleeding, Saint Tropez, Die For Me, Take What You Want, and Goodbyes. With a nice sound to accompany the end of summer and beginning of fall, going all the way into cuffing season and the cold drowsy months of winter. What’s your opinion on the new post project? Yay or nay? Drop a comment or hit my DM with your view!
James Giordano 