Post Malone is the latest rapper to roll the dice on a different genre. The artist who broke out with smash singles like "rockstar" and "congratulations" has gone full country. No trap drums or 21 Savage features in sight. And it worked. F1-Trillion, Malone's latest offering, has proven to be a smash out the gate. Chart Data ran the numbers on the album on August 19, and predicted that F1-Trillion will top the Billboard 200 with sales landing between 200-225K units first week.
If true, Post Malone will have completed one of the most successful genre pivots in recent memory. Fans have seen people like MGK drop successful albums in other genres, but Malone is in a different league in terms of album sales. He's one of the best-selling artists of all time, and he currently holds the record for most Diamond-certified songs in Billboard history. F1-Trillion will actually signify a big comeback for Post Malone. The artist hasn't had a chart-topping album since 2019, despite putting out albums in 2022 and 2023. The genre pivot looked like a smart commercial move, even if its led to lots of criticism from fans.
Post Malone Hasn't Topped The Billboard 200 Since 2019
Post Malone has long been criticized for his role within hip-hop. He's downplayed the genre's depth with regards to songwriting, and instead championed genres like rock and country. He's also been labeled a culture vulture from the moment he blew up. Post Malone addressed these criticisms as far back as his 2015 appearance on The Breakfast Club. "I'm not scared [to be labeled a culture vulture] because I'm not trying to be anything I'm not," he explained. "I like what I like and I don't think I'm biting off a certain culture of copying a certain culture... I like what I like." The irony, now, is that Malone is getting backlash from country artists who have the same complaint.
Post Malone recently sat down for an interview on CBS This Morning. He admitted that the criticisms did get to him. "It sucked. I was a kid," he conceded. "It's hard not to [take it personal]." The artist claimed to take up drinking as a means of coping. His solution more recently has been to focus on his fans instead of his critics. "It's not for the people who hate you," Post Malone asserted. "It's for the people who love you and yourself."