April 27, Post Malone’s much-anticipated album, Beerbongs and Bentley’s was released to the public. Because this is the artist’s sophomore album and his first album, Stoney, spent a total of 73 weeks on the top 25, it had high expectations to live up to. Fans were especially anxious to hear his new work after it was intended to be dropped Dec. 1 and was postponed. The tracks on this album were streamed over 431 million times in the first week, breaking the record held by Drake’s, More Life. The eighteen songs on Beerbongs and Bentley’s are classified as Hip-Hop/Contemporary R&B because Malone stresses that he’s “not a rapper” and wants to be known for a wider range of sounds. Additionally, the album is accompanied by various artists including Swae Lee, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla $ign, Nicki Minaj, G-Eazy and YG.
Three of the songs on the album have already topped the charts. Rockstar (feat. 21 Savage) spend a consecutive eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) peaked at No.2 and Candy Paint certified gold after being released on the Fate of the Furious soundtrack. Another impressive achievement the album managed to accomplish was to be certified platinum only four days after it was released.
Q&A with senior Ian Baker:
Q: How is Beerbongs and Bentley’s different than Stoney?
A: Overall, Post’s album is a detour from his freshman album, Stoney, both with the style of music and the content within the songs. However, in my opinion, this album is a great follow up to his breakout hit. He gives hard beats to attract fans of other sub-genres of rap, but he also gives real and relatable lyrics to keep fans of his previous work. The album takes his musical career in a new direction by drawing from different inspiration. In Beerbongs and Bentley’s, he talks about the Hollywood life, rampant drug use, loneliness and wild nights that come with his career choice. Personally, I think that this album is his breakup album. The entire album goes through details of his breakup, him partying trying to forget and then him coming to the realization that what he’s doing isn’t helping him get over her. He sings about trying to find someone new and not being able to distinguish any of them since they all have “fake” personalities and blend into one another. The album finishes off by him talking about his cars or what he holds near.
Q: How does the title fit the album?
A: The album title Beerbongs and Bentley refers to his life and what he viewed as success growing up. For example, he viewed being able to party all night and owning luxury cars as a success.
Q: The hit single, Rockstar, is so popular, but what is the meaning behind the lyrics?
A: Within the verses, he talks about the stars that he knew growing up and what they were like. He sings about the death of Bon Scott, singer of ACDC, and pays respects to him. He talks about throwing T.V.’s out the window, like Keith Richards, from Rolling Stones. He brings up a few more examples such as these, comparing the life of a Rockstar to the life of a Rap star and how rappers have become the new rockers. This song is giving the public insight into the life of a star and compares new stars to past ones.
Q: Why is Paranoid a strong opener to the album?
A: In this song, he talks about the fears and anxiety that he has in his career. Fans get to peek under the curtain and see more about Malone’s psyche and the fears that he has, questioning whether or not people are real friends or just using him. He wants to stay in, fearing that it might be his last night if he leaves.
