Face-tatted, full-bearded Post Malone rose to fame with his melodic, emotionally battle-scarred take on hip-hop. He’s an artist who can sound downtrodden even when he was singing, “I’ve been fucking ho’s and popping pillies, man/I feel just like a rock star-ar-ar.” Austin Richard Post was born in Syracuse, New York on July 4, 1995, and spent his teenage years in Texas where his father worked for the Dallas Cowboys. He released his debut single “White Iverson” in 2015, and was soon collaborating with Kanye West and touring as an opener for Justin Bieber. In 2016 he released his debut Stoney, which contained the single "Congratulations," featuring Quavo.

Post Malone’s music combined hip-hop, alt-rock, and country, and he had a knack for crafting songs that felt mournful even as they’re bright hooks pushed them up the charts. “I’ve always had a loneliness. I’ve always been anxious,” he told Rolling Stone. His next album 2018’s Beerbongs & Bentleys broke first-day streaming records on Spotify and had the number one single “Rockstar,” as well as the hits like “Psycho” and “Better Now.” His third album Hollywood’s Bleeding continued his run of blockbuster hits with “Sunflower," a song with rapper Swae Lee that had appeared on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

As his career rose, Post Malone’s eclectic musical influences won him an equally eclectic group of admirers, from Taylor Swift to Bob Dylan to Dave Grohl, along with numerous hip-hop co-signs and collaborations. His next album Twelve Carat Toothache was released in 2022 and dwelt on his restlessness during he Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023 he released the reflective, guitar-heavy Austin. The following year he had the rare honor of appearing on albums by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift released just weeks apart from each, cementing his status as one of the more pliant and ubiquitous artists of his generation.