The Real Meaning Behind These Post Malone Songs
Post Malone is one of the few rappers with a totally good vibe. The star isn't really known for diss tracks like Drake, Eminem, or his one-time collaborator Kanye West. Overall, he's notoriously tight-lipped about any rapper-on-rapper beef. One of his biggest insults in 2019 was calling Yelawolf a "nerd" — a nerd. There are far worse things to happen in the world of rap feuds. Point in case: Does anyone remember when Pusha T exposed Drake's secret love child? Yikes.
Flatly put, Post Malone is just loveable. While rappers are publicly spatting, he's collaborating with is favorite local fried chicken joint and trying to make Crocs fashionable with more fervor than Balenciaga. You might think the rapper — who's an overwhelming force of positivity — has equally as happy-go-lucky lyrics, but that's not the case. Posty's lyrics are definitely a product of a Netflix-binging generation, but they also reference some pretty tough stuff.
These are the real meanings behind some of Post Malone's most popular songs.
Does 'Patient' prove that Post Malone is a doomsday prepper?
When Post Malone released Stoney towards the end of 2016, no one expected that the star to reveal that he's actually kind of a doomsday prepper, but why not? The rapper is a huge champion of the second amendment, and it comes out in the song "Patient" when he raps, "Sleep right next to the F&N / motherf—–s the government / shut down all the plotting." If it sounds like Posty is fearing a tyrannical government takeover or feeding into some right wing fringe conspiracy theories, that's because he definitely is — at least a little.
In a video for Genius' "Verified" series, Post explained the true meaning behind some of his lyrics on "Patient." "It's a crazy time which we live in," he said. "And I think violence of any kind has been going on for so long ... But I think it's really an exploitation right now and taking advantage of our right as humans to protect ourselves against a tyrannical government, and I think it's on the way, and that's why I'm building my apocalypse shelter."
Thing that sounds extreme? Well, when Montreality asked him to name "the biggest lie in the world," Post replied, "The U.S. government," then added that they would eventually "come for you." His solution? "Move out to the country, get your scraps [guns] ... build a tower, build a long road to where you can see them coming — don't give up." Alrighty.
'Too Young' is a tribute to A$AP Yams
It's safe to say that Post Malone didn't know Steven "A$AP Yams" Rodriguez very well, if even at all. The rapper wasn't exactly a celebrity at the time of Yams' passing, so they might not have even ever crossed paths. According to the New York Times, A$AP Rocky's longtime collaborator passed away at the age of 26 from an accidental overdose in January 2015, but Post only started rising to fame a month after when he released his debut single "White Iverson." Nonetheless, the Stoney rapper was so deeply impacted by the late A$AP Mob founder's contribution to the genre that he penned the song "Too Young" about his death.
In a side-bar Genius annotation, Post spoke about how "Too Young" served as "kind of an ode to" the late hip-hop tastemaker. "We weren't friends, but I think it was so cool how he was a cultural icon, and he inspired so many people to do what they wanted to do," said the Stoney singer. "And he had such an influence on the youth of today. I think it was a tragedy that he went so soon. I just thought it was the right thing, to pay tribute to him."
"Too Young" certainly hits different when you know it's rooted in an actual tragedy.
Post Malone is a Nirvana stan on 'Goodbyes'
Real stans know that Post Malone is a cursed treasure who deserves to be protected at all costs. Why would we say cursed? Well, with a robbery at his old house (where the thieves made it clear he was their intended victim), a plane emergency, and a car crash, there's no denying the dude had some pretty awful luck following a run in with a haunted box. The worst of it might actually be the fact that Posty has been emotionally struggling — or he was struggling at the time he wrote the Young Thug collaboration track "Goodbyes." The star compared himself to Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who famously took his own life in 1994. At the opening of the song, Post sings, "Me and Kurt feel the same, too much pleasure is pain."
Nirvana might just be Post's favorite band. He's covered some of the grunge legends' biggest hits, including "All Apologies" and "Lithium," the latter of which was busted out during his epic Coachella set. Post even has a Nirvana tattoo on his face and his finger, but his connection to Cobain may be more emotional than just simply liking the tune of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Both artists seemed to struggle with fame. In 2019, Malone worried fans when he called for them to help him "be mentally stable" in a tweet. He added, "Can y'all please let me live? I'm trying my best here. That's all I can do."
'Patient' caught Posty binge-watching
Post Malone's success is partly because the guy is so relatable (and partly because he has some monster hooks). The guy won $50,000 slaying a beer pong competition and loves Popeyes enough to order 10,000 biscuits to his Coachella party through Postmates. We repeat: he spent $8,000 on fast food from Postmates. If that isn't the budget our hangovers wish they had, what is? Post was even willing to admit on record (via HotNewHipHop) that he's "just a dude" who doesn't "make the best music ever" and his success is pretty much because he's "just relatable." This is very apparent in his description of the song "Patient."
The track sees Post rap, "Young Post be like Pablo / And they all love the blow, yeah." While there are plenty of more meaningful lyrics here, this really isn't one of them. In a video for Genius' "Verified" series, the rapper admitted that he name-dropped Pablo Escobar simply because he was on a Narcos Netflix kick when he wrote the song. Honestly, who doesn't want to binge-watch Netflix with Post?
Post Malone's alter ego comes out in 'Psycho'
Casual Post Malone fans might have been pretty confused when they first listened to the track "Psycho." Who the heck is DeChino, and where did he come from? Apparently, this alter-ego is a thing of Posty's past, and he's very likely to run around in Daisy Dukes and steal your girl, as demonstrated in the song "Patient."
Malone has made references to his alter ego Leon DeChino (above left) prior to the release of Beerbongs & Bentleys, which broke streaming records and landed the star his first No. 1 album, according to Billboard. In a 2016 interview with The Breakfast Club, the rapper admitted that he invented the character — who ended up getting his own, glorious music video — when he was a teenager.
"It was with me and my friend, we was just f***ing around ... I mean, that's my Stone Cold shorts, you know? I was just having fun ... I was like, just turned 17," he said. "You know, like, in the middle transition of a weird period where I wanted to have fun and just be weird ... I never planned to have anybody see something of mine a million times."
A million is an understatement. Fans have collectively streamed DeChino's video more than 9 million times, and by now, the rapper can't even seem to remember his alter-ego's backstory. He told Genius that DeChino's either Colombian or Romanian, but he forgot which one. Does... it matter?
'Psycho' doesn't mean what you think
Post Malone might be living like a rockstar with a bunch of expensive cars and an army of A-list friends, but when the rapper isn't walking red carpets in western-inspired suits, it's clear that he's a total nerd. Can we mention again that Post might be the most relatable rapper ever?
Post unveiled his true gamer nerd tendencies on the Beerbong & Bentleys track "Psycho." You might think the song's about going totally crazy, but as it turns out, the entire thing could be a reference to the popular first-person shooter game Fallout. In the chorus, the rapper repeats the line "Damn, my AP going psycho." As all Fallout gamers know, Psycho is an injectable drug that gives a user more action points (or, going with Post's abbreviation, AP). This clearly went over the heads of non-gamers, but Posty is just about the biggest Fallout fan on the planet.
In 2018, the star took to Twitter to bravely proclaim that he was "more excited for Fallout than [his] actual real life." That year, Post won a Billboard Music Award, MTV Video Music Award, and two American Music Awards, but he was more excited for a video game? Okay. You do you, Post!
Wait, is Post Malone driving under the influence in 'Deja Vu?'
The Stoney track "Deja Vu" has a couple of random Easter eggs — like a George Strait reference an estimated zero percent of Post Malone fans picked up on — but what really stands out is Post Malone's seeming willingness to drive while under the influence. In the bridge, Posty sings, "Show up in that new Mercedes, you already know I'm faded / Girl, I've been thinking about you lately." Excuse us?
In Genius' "Verified" series, Malone is asked — point blank — about driving drunk (though it should be noted that "faded" refers to a cannabis high, according to Urban Dictionary, which we totally didn't just look up because we're not 100 years old). Post claimed that the lyrics weren't about drinking driving because he doesn't "promote that message;" however, he clarified, "Hey, if you got to do it to show up for your super sexy lady, dude, you know I think it's worth it. Take that risk."
C'mon, man. There's Uber. We already know you're on that Postmates train. Do not take that risk!
Wow, Post Malone is an emo kid
Who would have ever thought that Post Malone is a massive fan of a certain, highly-revered, early aughts emo band? Fall Out Boy certainly doesn't have a lot of cred in the world of gangster rap, but they're pretty cool for anyone who spent their teen years watching DIY shows in VFW halls. Our research shows that Post is, indeed, an unabashed emo kid, but we didn't need the YouTube video of him performing at Emo Night in Los Angeles to prove it.
In Post's Hollywood's Bleeding track "Wow," the star raps, "I got a lot of toys / 720S bumpin' Fall Out Boy." Translation: Post probably blasts "Sugar We're Going Down" in his McLaren 720S Spider, which can sell for more than $330,000 according to Kelley Blue Book. That is some flex and some singalong.
"Wow" was the second time Post ignited rumors about a Fall Out Boy collaboration. The star first had the Warped Tour world buzzing when he appeared in the band's 2017 video for "Champion." Though no collab has happened thus far, it's clear the rapper has a not-so-secret emo edge.
'Wow' might have just predicted the future
"Wow" isn't just the song that revealed Post was a secret emo kid. It also may have predicted the future. Let's face it, that haunted box might have actually transferred some super spooky powers to the rap superstar.
In the song, Post makes a reference to the Dallas Cowboys. According to Genius, the star's family moved to Texas when his father got a job with the team, and Post ended up becoming a massive fan. He even admitted that he'd hang around the stadium as a kid and "got free chicken fingers" since his dad worked as an assistant director of food and beverage for the team. Things only started to get really weird when Post rapped about a specific play: "Always going for it, never punt fourth down / Last call, Hail Mary, Prescott touchdown."
According to Dallas News, a near identical play happened after the song was released. Quarterback Dak Prescott connected with wide receiver Cole Beasley for a "32-yard touchdown pass on fourth and 15" with a minute remaining in the game. This was a game-winning play, and even Prescott admitted it was uncanny. "I was like, 'Oh, damn.' I might need to get Post to write more songs. Super Bowl songs," Prescott told the outlet. Weird, right? It gets even weirder: Post was reportedly also at that very game.
'White Iverson' is a joke about Post Malone's braids
Post Malone was thrust into fame when he released his debut single "White Iverson" in 2015. In an interview with Nardwuar, the rapper revealed that it got its start on college radio before rising up the Billboard charts. He claimed he even used to perform the track twice a set because it was his only good song, but the song may have never existed if he didn't experiment with braids.
In a Genius side-bar annotation, Post admitted that "White Iverson" was inspired by the hairstyle he got when he first moved to Los Angeles. "I liked the way braids looked. I'd moved in with a bunch of friends, and I just said I wanted to get braids. So my friend came over and did it. It took about an hour," he said, adding, "A year later, I made this song and made this beat, and it just worked out. All the jujus aligned, and it just happened to turn out to be a really cool song."
Post claimed the lyrics were "kind of a joke" because he looked a little bit like the famed basketball player Allen Iverson with his patented 'do. It's not like the rapper was expecting to be a rock star or anything, but after the song got so popular, Post decided braids were totally his thing. He even kept them when he presumably had a quarter-life crisis and got baby bangs.
'Patient' subtly calls out Post Malone's album delay
In 2017, Post Malone to apologized via tweet for the fact that his album Beerbongs & Bentleys was delayed, but this wasn't the first time the rapper had to push back a release date. On the song "Patient," Post revealed that at least one of his delayed albums was not his fault (presumably, he's referring to 2016's Stoney, which included the single). It was delayed enough that Post thought some outside individuals deserved a good, old fashioned rap call out.
The call out was so subtle you might have missed it, but Post pointed Genius towards the lyrics "They will never stop the plan / Eighty jumpin' off my hand / Rollie, rollie, rollie / bust it open, holy moly." So who was he — in his own words — snapping on? He didn't name names, but he wouldn't let them hold him back either way.
"There's people that delayed my album from coming out, right? And just a bunch of stuff," he told Genius. "Like more than one group of people, you know, that made my life very tough ... and people are always asking me about them ... yeah I know them, but I don't work with them no more."
Are things dramatic on tour or is it just deja vu?
It doesn't matter if you're traveling in a cushy tour bus, a broken down van, or a private plane — things get dramatic on tour. You're in a high-pressure, exhausting environment where you can't get away from the people you've brought with you, and even if you love them, you're bound to snap eventually. It's inevitable, and that's exactly what Post Malone sings about on "Deja Vu."
Post's Justin Bieber collaboration was certified double platinum, but it took some obnoxious stuff to happen on tour for him to write it. Just a small price to pay, right? The star, who was referring to the lyrics "Tell me if you want it, baby / 'Cause I know I can drive you crazy," told Genius, "Being on the road all the time, whenever you're in the back of the bus, your s**t is like a square 8x8 cubicle. I don't know exactly the specifications, but it's tough, because you're cooped up. You guys are fist-fighting, going crazy. It's weird. There's a lot of drama, but it's OK 'cause we work through it."
Let's hope Post isn't getting into too many fist-fights with his tour mates. Considering the rapper once claimed he's around 6' 2", he probably can't even stand up straight on the bus.