Why Post Malone Is So Damn Catchy (HBO)

Face tattoos, unkempt hair, and beer-swilling aren’t the typical blueprint for pop stardom. And yet, we still have Post Malone.

He’s one of the most listened-to and inescapable artists of the moment, and his music has broken commercial performance records previously held by The Beatles and Michael Jackson. But for every Posty fan, there seem to be even more people confounded by the idea that he has fans at all.

VICE spoke to Berkeley College of Music songwriting professors Kareem Clarke and Brian “Raydar” Ellis to discuss the Post Malone phenomenon. They credited his repetitive rhythms and melodies and strategic song structure as major players in his music’s popularity potential. Another advantage? His average singing voice.

“You know, it's different from a Beyonce when she sings ‘Love On Top’ you know when she gets to the part where she modulates, in other words she goes from from one key to a higher key to a higher key,” Ellis explained. “When she's doing that, at a certain point the average listener is just not going to be able to follow, like they can't […] For artists like Post or artists like Rihanna, they tend to just work inside a specific, limited range of notes that complement their voice but also complement the average listener.”

Looking at his music and persona in aggregate, it’s clear Post Malone is the beneficiary of a rare confluence of factors that almost predestine him for mass popularity. The formula is covering all his bases at once.

His songs are easy for everyone to remember and sing. His music pulls from multiple genres without ever fully committing to one. He’s a pop star and a populist. He does beerbongs and he drives Bentleys.

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[jordanschlansky]

The answer: he is THE nicest guy in the industry

[milanthakkar]

Vox called. They want their video style back.

[davidquintero]

I watched this twice. Just to make sure I'm not mistaken. This is so negative. How about a little bit more praise for being himself. As a person that listens to many different genres of music, spanning multiple decades, I can say Post is unique, genuine, and a true artist. Keep doing great things. We love you!

[fscorpion]

The race part came in so abruptly lmao

[ngallardo]

If you’ve watched five seconds of him speaking on the H3 Podcast you’d know he’s the biggest sweetheart on the planet.

[snewsom]

The fact he is a respectful cool guy helps his cause.

[admiralackbar]

"Softens the image of a gun toting rapper" he literally just shoots guns LEGALLY at ranges for fun....it aint that deep

[mrtoodamngoodtoyou]

of course you just had to throw in a comment about race. good job.

[KIDSVEVO]

You can smell the jealousy of the two men talking about post...

[npc]

The part talking about his race was unnecessary and filled with hate

[pixelcide]

Vice is becoming so sad. Triggered because some white guy is successful in rap music. Now they gotta lower themselves to the level of haters. They have all these fancy ways to try and explain how his music is repetitive or simplistic in their opinion, but if it takes no talent to do what he does, then anyone can do it. If anyone can do it and be successful, then how come he's one of the few? Is there a lack of people in the world trying to make it as a musical artist? That i seriously doubt.


Also, there's no reason to bring race into it. It has nothing to do with anything. People listening to him on the radio can't see his race. No one unfamiliar with him hears his song on the radio and says "I'm not sure if i like that song, i'll have to research the artist and see what race he is first" Music has always historically transcended race, thats one of the things thats great about it. Leave it to Vice, to try and create division by pointing out someone's race, like it even matters.

[davidoutchi]

So much hate for Post in the comments. The guy is a genuine caring artist who just makes music to make us and him feel good. I don't get why so many people hate on him.

[JohnPaul-jthj]

Ahhahaha, the problem is that he's wihte, got it.

[Connect]

If that's the secret sauce... then why isn't everyone making top 10 music?

[TedThomasTT]

Hey Vice, this literally isn't news.

[misssurreal]

If the formula is so easy then YOU do it lol. Why aren't you a millionaire? Where are your hits?

[zack]

if they're all experts why not make their own double platinum albums....smh

[XampleEditing]

I was hoping for a good video, but this just absolutely sucks.

[mitchellstreet]

Or because he's just a cool down to earth guy that also makes good music.

[WeerdChck]

Answer: Because his music bops


Fam, _It's not that deep_