Post Malone’s Country Roots: Tracing His Musical Journey Before the Official Country Album

Born in Syracuse, New York, on July 4, 1995, Austin Richard Post, better known as Post Malone, burst onto the music scene in 2015 with the release of the ambient rap single “White Iverson.” A string of hip-hop No. 1 hits followed, including “Psycho,” “Sunflower” and “Circles,” but the country influence of his upbringing in Grapevine, Texas, where he lived from around age 10, was never too far away.

After dabbling with the genre throughout his hip-hop career, Post embraced his country roots with the release of F-1 Trillion in 2024. Here, we explore Post's country music background and his unique journey from hip-hop icon to country star.

Post discovered a wide variety of musical influences in his youth. Growing up in Texas, country music was inescapable. He told Vice Canada that his mother nurtured his love of country music by playing classic artists in the car. On his left shoulder, he has a large tattoo of the Man in Black, Johnny Cash, calling him “a great storyteller.”

After mastering the game Guitar Hero at around the age of 12, Post picked up a real guitar and started making his own music. He joined a metalcore band called Ashley's Arrival in high school, but by the age of 15, he'd pivoted again.

By this time, he was living in New York City and discovering new sounds through his DJ dad. He entered his surname into a randomized name generator and Post Malone was born. He began writing rap bars and released a mixtape called Young and After Them Riches when he was just 16. It impressed his classmates, who named him “Most Likely to Become Famous.”

Their prediction seemed to hold true when Post released “White Iverson” in 2015. The song peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 100, but Post was already restless. A few months prior, he'd tweeted that he'd become a country/folk singer at the age of 30. In reality, it happened even earlier.

When The Fader asked Post about his role in the rap ecosystem in 2015, he told the publication, “The old country singers, they were badass, they were the American badass people. I'm an American badass. At 40 years old, I'm gonna be a country singer. That's down the line.”

But even before Post fully embraced country, the genre influenced his hip-hop music. The family values and sense of community celebrated in many country songs were evident in songs such as “Better Now,” where he rapped, “You're not even speakin' to my friends, no, you knew all my uncles and my aunts though.” Acoustic guitar, more common in country than hip-hop music, also gave tracks such as “Go Flex” and “Feeling Whitney” from his debut album Stoney their distinctive sound.

Post also aligned himself with country stars, duetting with Dwight Yoakam on “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere” in 2018 and playing alongside Blake Shelton and Keith Urban at 2019's 50th anniversary Elvis Presley tribute. He's also treated fans to covers of songs from Hank Williams Jr., Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Cash during his hip-hop era.

Post's dedication to country foreshadowed his eventual transition to the genre. His collaborations and covers show his genuine appreciation for country music, which has set him up for success as a country star.

After edging toward country for years, Post officially made the crossover in August 2024. On the 14th of that month, he appeared at the hallowed country venue, the Grand Ole Opry, and on the 16th, he released F-1 Trillion. This Post Malone country album contained 18 original songs that blended country with rock and pop sounds and featured collaborations with icons such as Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, and newer acts, including HARDY, Jelly Roll, and Lainey Wilson. A mere 12 hours after that release, he dropped a Long Bed edition with nine more tracks.

Fans were excited about the album, which sold over 500,000 units with presales and went straight to the top of the country, Billboard Albums, and streaming charts. An impressive 18 songs also hit the Billboard Hot 100 charts, including “I Had Some Help” with Morgan Wallen, which dominated the charts for six weeks and was the first song in history to debut at the top of the Hot 100 and country singles charts simultaneously. The album garnered mixed reviews, with critics noting that the songs were catchy even if they didn't break new ground. However, nothing could stop this juggernaut.

Post Malone's performance at the Grand Ole Opry and his warm reception at the Country Music Association Awards show that the country music community has welcomed Post with open arms. However, some critics and fans remain skeptical about his transition, which came hot on the heels of Beyoncé's foray into the genre. While country may be cool, Post's longstanding and outspoken affection for the genre suggests he's no opportunist. In fact, considering how easily he's walked away from hip-hop music, perhaps country is a more natural fit.

Post seems determined to forge a path in country music. His Big Ass Stadium Tour with country artists Jelly Roll and Wyatt Flores will play U.S. shows until July 2025, when Post and Jelly Roll will head to Europe for the Big Ass World Tour. In October, he'll play Salt Lake City's Redwest Country Music Festival, and in May 2026, he's slated to appear at Panama City Beach's Gulf Coast Jam alongside country acts such as Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban, and Riley Green.

Ahead of his 2025 Coachella performance, Post told Billboard he'd recorded “probably 35 songs” in Nashville with artists who featured on F-1 Trillion, including ERNEST, HARDY and Thomas Rhett.

“I said in an interview a while ago, ‘When I'm 30 years old, I'm gonna make a country record.' And I made it at 29, so I wasn't too far off,” he told Billboard. “But you know, it just happened naturally. I was like, ‘F— it, let's go to Nashville. Let's give it a go.' I think finally bringing the fun back into what I was doing really showed on the record. And I think a lot of folks had fun listening to it. And we're going to attempt to do it again. I'm excited to keep going.”

It might seem like Post's musical evolution to country stardom has come out of nowhere, but he's no stranger to the genre. While his pivot from hip-hop to country music is one of the more dramatic transformations, it's representative of the way many artists are blurring genre boundaries and experimenting with new sounds. Post's unique blend of influences is helping country music evolve. Only time will tell whether his success in the country scene will pave the way for other artists to step outside their usual genre and explore new musical styles.