It’s really not a secret that Post Malone is a country music fan, but it goes back further than you might think.
The Dallas, Texas, native actually got his start in music playing country and southern rock covers at a little neighborhood Italian restaurant in Grapevine.
And over the years, his love for country music has been well-documented. We’ve seen him jam out with Dwight Yoakam and Billy Strings, and play some Hank Williams and Johnny Cash covers. He loves Shania Twain and he even rocked a Dolly Parton suit at Bonnaroo… I mean, the guy probably knows more about classic country than half the artists in the mainstream right now. And of course, we all remember his cover of Sturgill Simpson ‘s “You Can Have The Crown.”
Flash forward to today, he just released an absolute banger, “I Had Some Help,” with Morgan Wallen. And while it’s not the traditional country, Sturgill-esque song I was hoping for, it’s just so damn catchy. I’ll admit it…
He has also teased songs with Blake Shelton and Luke Combs, and is expected to released a full blown country album at some point this year. Him and everybody else in pop music…
Beyoncé recently released her “country project,” Cowboy Carter, even though she explicitly stated that it wasn’t a country record. The buzz faded on that album pretty quickly, but now Shaboozey, who got started in hip hop and now mixes elements of country and folk rock into his hip hop sound, has a #1 album in country music (“Tipsy” is damn catchy, too).
Lana Del Rey working on country record and she straight up confessed that the impetus behind the move to go country was essentially because it’s popular right now. Lil Nas X said he wants to get back in country (was he ever in it?), which prompted a diss track from Breland. Ed Sheeran has expressed his desire to work on some country music at some point. Even Jelly Roll, a Nashville native who is taking country music by storm, got his start in hip hop.
And here’s the thing, any artist is free to make whatever kind of music they want, mix whatever genres and influences they want, but I do find it a little annoying when people throw on a cowboy hat, make some cliche, corny pop songs about horses, throw in a little banjo, and try to cash a check.
And I like Lana Del Rey, but her reasoning on this country project comes off as shallow and soulless. Here’s the direct quote:
“If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening.”
She also recently performed “Sweet Home Alabama” with Jelly Roll recently, and didn’t really seem to even know the words. And changed some of the others… I’m not exactly optimistic. Her album, titled Lasso, is set for a September release, so I’ll reserve my judgments on the album until then.
All of that to say, I suspect many country music fans will lob the same accusations at Post Malone. Just cashing in on something popular right now, but the difference is, he’s on record nearly a decade ago (before all the face tattoos), saying that he would love to work with George Strait. And think back to 2015… that was pretty much the peak of Bro-Country where Sam Hunt and Florida Georgia Line were on top of the genre, and Post was namedropping King George? I respect it.
In an interview from 2015 with Hot 97, Post mentioned that he would love to collaborate with George, and he also mentioned Toby Keith (RIP) as another country star he’d like to work with:
“I put myself on country whenever I started playing guitar… I’m gonna get a rhinestone suit and a guitar strap with my name on it.
I wanna work with George Strait, Toby Keith… there’s too many people.”
His song “Deja Vu” even offers a subtle nod to George with the line:
“Girl this a confession, I’m not like your exes, I came in from Texas…”
Check out the full interview:
So however this Post Malone country album turns out, whether it leans pretty pop or not (seems like it probably will), I think it’s coming from a place where there is a sincere appreciation for country music. And I’m here for it.
Watch this jam session with Dwight and don’t even try to tell me that a Post/Strait collab wouldn’t be fire.
