Post Malone has changed a little bit since he first found fame after the release of his No. 1 album Beerbongs & Bentleys nearly two years ago, from adding bespoke suits to his wardrobe to marketing his own varietal of French wine. The Texas music prodigy who fed his given identifier “Austin Post” into a hip-hop name generator a few years ago and became an underground sensation on the strength of debut streaming single “White Iverson” is all of 24, and had to grow up fast in a 24/7 social media universe where the forces that nurture rising artists exist alongside haters prepared to tear them down.
Post figured out how to take it all in stride. There’s no sign of burnout on third studio album Hollywood’s Bleeding, which rocketed to No. 1 upon its release in September. The album has generated six singles so far, and Post is on the second leg of his Runaway Tour as he makes his second concert appearance in Las Vegas within seven months. His swift ascent has settled into a state of ubiquity, with his stream of soft-spoken self-aggrandizement and introspection leading to collaboration opportunities with artists like Kanye West and Ozzy Osbourne.
In an interview with Apple Music 10 days after the recording of Hollywood’s Bleeding was complete, Post described the time since hitting No. 1 in 2017 with “Rockstar” as a blur. “These last couple years have felt like two weeks,” he told interviewer Zane Lowe before segueing into a de facto musical mission statement:
“I’m not trying to make anything massive. I’m not trying to make hit records. I’m just trying to make something that I love, and I know that everything in music is shifting to a place where there’s like … you look at all the genre-bending and everything now that’s just like this element and this element. And you know what? I like this so let’s put that in, too. And everything comes together and it’s just shmusic.”
Shmusic came natural to the son of a former DJ. He took to guitar early and developed an appreciation for Bob Dylan and Stevie Ray Vaughan by his teens. His talent was recognized by his peers, his dad approved of his direction in life and his voice emerged as an instrument that effortlessly shifted from laid-back rapping to a signature vibrato. After leaving the nest, he lived with friends and focused on his work, and by February 2015 he created an homage to a favorite basketball player that he was ready to show the world.
Three months later, he played his first show at a small club in New York City. Now he’s headlining arenas, kicking off concerts with the title track from his latest album. Post performs all six singles from Bleeding including No. 1 “Circles,” and with opening act Swae Lee in the vicinity, he’s able to perform their collaboration for the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack “Sunflower.” Just don’t be surprised if he wields a wine glass onstage instead of a Bud Light.
MGM Grand, 8 p.m. March 14, starting at $83 plus tax and fee. 888.929.7849 AXS
