Post Malone Addresses Controversial Hip-Hop Comments
Post Malone responds. Following backlash over a recent interview, in which he said that fans “looking for lyrics” should avoid hip-hop, the 22-year-old chart-topper releases a new video statement in attempt to clarify his stance.
At first, Malone appeared to say that he was intoxicated during the conversation. “It was a beer-tasting interview, so they put a lot of beer in my face and asked me what kind of beer tastes good to me, so you know, knowing me, I drank it,” he said. “Apparently I said that whenever you wanna feel something, don’t listen to hip-hop. It’s funny because who the fuck am I to tell you don’t listen to this and whenever you wanna feel something don’t listen to this? Or who am I to tell you that you should feel a certain way when listening to something?”
Malone went on to say that he prefers to cry to Bob Dylan. “What I was saying was, that when I want to sit down and cry, I listen to Bob Dylan and his guitar, just like everyone else,” he added. “No matter how hard you are, where you’re from, you’re gonna have a time where you sit back and reflect on your life and you listen to what you wanna listen to. For me, that’s Bob Dylan.”
from posty. love ya. pic.twitter.com/L7rfHFkgjL
— Beerbongs & Bentleys (@PostMalone) November 23, 2017
However, he said he took issue with the notion that he doesn’t appreciate the genre that he participates in. “A lot of people saying that I don’t appreciate hip-hop or I’m taking advantage of hip-hop, my last hip-hop album was fuckin’ hip-hop. My next hip-hop album is fuckin’ hip-hop,” he continued. “I love hip-hop. I make hip-hop. I want to take this genre and stretch it so far that people who may not listen to it, listen to it.”
Finally, he shared his belief that a majority of rappers today aren’t saying anything meaningful. “What I was trying to say is that, a lot of people, except for a handful of artists, are saying the same shit,” he added. “They’re not saying anything super meaningful. I’m 22 years old. I have not had all of the life experience in the world to talk about the most meaningful shit. I just sing about what I have gone through, what’s going on in my life, and what I want to sing about. Never once did I say that I don’t appreciate hip-hop. Just trying to keep living and make the music that I love.”
Malone was under fire about his initial interview in Poland, where he seemed to downplay hip-hop’s emotional pull. “If you’re looking for lyrics, if you’re looking to cry, if you’re looking to think about life, don’t listen to hip-hop,” he said. “There’s great hip-hop songs where they talk about life and they spit that real shit, but right now, there’s not a lot of people talking about shit. “Whenever I want to cry, whenever I want to sit down and have a nice cry, I’ll listen to some Bob Dylan. But whenever I’m trying to have a good time and stay in a positive mood, I listen to hip-hop because it’s fun. I think hip-hop is important because it brings people together in a beautiful, happy way. Everybody’s happy.”
Shortly after he started to get criticized over the comments, Malone defiantly posted a message on Twitter. “It’s crazy that after all this time im still being questioned,” he wrote. “Suck my fucking dick i don’t have to explain shit. i do this shit because i love to do this shit.”
Malone’s “rockstar” single featuring 21 Savage has been No. 1 on the Hot 100 for six weeks. Featuring Nicki Minaj, John Mayer, Ty Dolla $ign, and Tommy Lee, the rapper-singer’s sophomore album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, is due Dec. 1.