Post Malone has come a long way. The Bud Light aficionado currently sits alongside hip-hop's chart-topping elite, and everybody and their most technologically-daft relative can likely rattle off a few Posty lyrics on call. Yet there once existed a time where Post Malone was, like many others, a starving artist, uploading music onto SoundCloud and hoping for the best. Of course, the notion of mass superstardom was likely far from thought when he was penning lines worthy of MSN captions, or FaceBook for those who missed that particular boat.
Now, some dedicated fans have done a fair bit of detective work, and managed to dig up Post Malone's early SoundCloud page, complete with rare, unreleased music. Going by Austin Richard, Posty uploaded a few cuts seven years back, many of which find the singer picking up his six-string and waxing poetic. He even turns in a campfire variant of the Holiday classic, "Silent Night." While hardly refined, there is an undeniable charm surrounding the recordings, which are lo-fi and delightfully sloppy.
Some of the other tracks, such as "Stranger," find Post channeling his inner Emo, complete with a strategically delivered whine. "He calls me by my first name," sings Post, adding extra emphasis on the "t" sound, "that's funny cause I've never seen his face."
Of course, such songs may not be to everyone's liking, but let it be known: Posty started from the bottom, and kept persistent in his craft. Like Skrillex before him, Posty began his music career in the Emo game, before switching genres altogether. Perhaps, one day, we'll see the resurgence of Austin Richard, if only in a limited capacity. Check out Post's pre-fame SoundCloud account here, while you still can.