Post Malone has become one of the biggest artists in music in just a few short years, and the arrival of his newest and third album Hollywood’s Bleeding last week just reaffirms how much he deserves his fame. There were some mixed opinions on this album, as it isn’t exactly what we’re used to from him compared to his previous albums. Stoney, which was more of a trap and hip-hop album about the life of being young and rich and famous, and Beerbongs and Bentleys that followed, which was similar to his first album, but had a more reckless party theme behind it. Now, with the release of Hollywood’s Bleeding, he shows us the downside of being famous and the secrets behind the Hollywood scene; a more serious side that hadn’t been exposed before.

This new album steps out of his comfort zone a little, and includes features from artists of all ranges and genres. It has the help of lots of hot artists like DaBaby, Future, and Young Thug, but also goes into the R&B realm with the help of female artist SZA. The most shocking collaboration on the album, but in my opinion the most incredible, was the song “Take What You Want” which included Travis Scott and Ozzy Ozborne. As ridiculous as those two contrasting artists’ names sound put together, they actually go together extremely well in this song, which is a mix of classic rock and modern day pop rap. While this to me all these mixes and diversity on the album sound great, the new style of these songs is not met with open arms by some other fans of his I’ve talked to about the album.

Post Malone has always been very adamant about the fact that he doesn’t want to be a static artist, and he doesn’t want to make the same simple pop hit over and over. So for his fans to expect him not to evolve as an artist is unfair to him, because he’s made it clear that’s not what he’s trying to achieve with his music. Of course he loves the lifestyle that he has from his career, partying is what half his songs are about, and they have a party feel to them. However, he wants to try out different things and push boundaries, which is why it’s so hard to define what genre of music he even is. 

I realize that my opinion is somewhat biased; considering I love the album, I would be inclined to say only good things about it. Despite my appreciation for his new music, I have to say that people aren’t wrong for having some negative thoughts about this release. Someone described his songs as being very repetitive and “saying the same thing over and over,” so they didn’t think the songs were very worthwhile. Other people think it’s too edgy and different from his normal more upbeat style, and they don’t like the big change. Overall, a lot of people were just disappointed at the result of the album considering how well the singles released for it did, and because of how long they’ve been waiting for it.

Even with all of the negative opinions I’m still very much in favor of this new album he’s worked very hard to produce for his fans. I like when an artist continuously adds to and changes their style, because growth is more interesting then a formula for a song that will just get it on the radio for a few weeks. Post Malone is very aware of the impact the style change will have on his career and  potential fanbase, and he’s so passionate about his work that he’s willing to release it exactly how he wants anyways, and I admire that. If you have any comments on the album feel free to leave them below, I would love to hear what other people think about it!