Post Malone tries to go from ‘White Iverson’ to ‘White Jordan’ with the highly-anticipated “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” 

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TOP 5

 

5. DIE FOR ME

“Die For Me” is the type of song that will have you feeling uncomfortable like s**t. On it, Post Malone, Future and Halsey all take shots at their past-lovers, accusing them of disloyalty, lying and cheating (Oop).

While Post and Future’s verses on this song sound made up (More-so Post’s verse), Halsey’s doesn’t, as judging by her specific claims on it, I can tell she’s going after a guy that has a name that rhymes with the word D-Eazy. Nonetheless, each artist makes sure they spill their guts on this track, singing beyond their capabilities and opening up in ways that is truly vulnerable.

Why do human-beings keep asking for people to die for them? How can I enjoy the person I’m dying for if I’m dead?

 

 

4. SAINT TROPEZ

I became a fan of Post Malone when he was “White Iverson,” so when he makes rebellious trap records, I love it! In my opinion, “Saint Tropez” is a rebellious trap record, as on it, Post soulfully sings about his cash, luxurious cars, and carefree ways over this dope ass trap instrumental.

I can almost guarantee that this song will be a fan-favorite.

 

 

3. GOODBYES

“Goodbyes” is a break-up song that actually has feel-good vibes attached to it. (I wonder how Post pulled that off?) On it, Post Malone and Young Thug sing passionately and confidently about giving their partners the boot.

While I love the melody Post delivers for us on “Goodbyes” (Especially how it fits in with the top-40-ish instrumental that powers the song), I believe it’s Thugger’s fearlessness that takes s**t over the edge. On the real, I feel like Thugger legitimately sounds hurt, while Post sounds ready to get a rebound from the club.

 

 

2. WOW

“Wow” is the best banger of the year. Not only does the track boast ground-shaking bass, but it also features cocky lyrics (Everyone likes cocky lyrics, right?), a great blend between rapping and singing, and a galvanizing/catchy ass hook. In my opinion, the track is impossible to dislike, especially if you hear it in the right setting.

I truly believe “Wow” was one of those songs Post made for fun, and that s**t ended up blowing up.

 

 

1. SUNFLOWER

“Sunflower” is one of my favorite songs this year (Easily). What I love about it is that it has this timeless feel to it production-wise that reminds me of some s**t Lionel Ritchie would croon over, while the singing you get from both Swae Lee and Post Malone over this production is smooth, edgy, fearless, and effortlessly passionate. When you add the melody and divine lyrics you get from both artists, what you get is a gem that can end up dear to your heart.

Believe it or not, Swae Lee and Post Malone are our generation’s go-to R&B singers.

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SONG BY SONG BREAKDOWN

1. HOLLYWOOD’S BLEEDING (4/5)

2. SAINT-TROPEZ (4.5/5)

3. ENEMIES (4/5)

4. ALLERGIC (3.5/5)

5. A THOUSAND BAD TIMES (3.5/5)

6. CIRCLES (4/5)

7. DIE FOR ME (4.5/5)

8. ON THE ROAD (4.5/5)

9. TAKE WHAT YOU WANT (4/5)

10. I’M GONNA BE (3.5/5)

11. STARING AT THE SUN (3.5/5)

12. SUNFLOWER (5/5)

13. INTERNET (3.5/5)

14. GOODBYES (4.5/5)

15. MYSELF (4/5)

16. I KNOW (3.5/5)

17. WOW (5/5)

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OVERALL RATING

(B)

 

A couple of years ago, Post Malone made sure to correct people whenever they called him just a hip-hop artist. I feel his pain, cause on the real, throughout the last couple of years, he’s shown that he can create high-quality music utilizing a bunch of different genres. In “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” Post once again proves that exact point to the people, as he delivers a body-of-work for us that is as versatile as anything I’ve heard this year.

You know what I love about this album? It’s very dramatic. From the moment you press play on it, you are greeted to an extremely dark/cinematic effort from Post Malone in “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” From there, you get tracks like “Die For Me,” “On The Road” and “Take What You Want” that tackles subject-matters such as dishonor, disloyalty, disrespect and disagreements. While other artists tackle subject-matters similar to the ones I just mentioned, none really let their heart bleed like Post does both lyrically and vocally while tackling them. On the real, I wouldn’t be surprised if Post stabbed himself in the heart before recording most of the songs you heard on this album.

Remember when it was considered an insult to make an album full of commercial hits? Well, “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is an album full of commercial hits. The good news is that all of these commercial hits have a level of edginess to them that is hard to ignore. So how was Post able to successfully make edgy commercial hits? By getting personal in his lyrics, and more importantly, understanding exactly how to ooze hip-hop elements into the grand scheme of his plans. You see, hip-hop rules everything, and if you know how to use it correctly (Especially when a song needs a splash of it), you will be able to succeed in any one of today’s music genres (That’s why Bazzi is successful, too).

The production on “Hollywood’s Bleeding” was interesting… For the most part, Post sung over instrumentals that were either of the alternative rock/pop variety, or the trap-rap variety. Personally, I loved the vibes the instrumentals on this album provided, but I can definitely see how some of Post’s fair-weather fans can be thrown off by some of them.

The features on “Hollywood’s Bleeding” were mainly fantastic. On the album, you get a gritty verse by Da Baby, an inspired verse by Young Thug, pretty emotional verses by Halsey and Future, trill ass verses by Meek Mill and Lil Baby, a weird ass verse by Ozzy Osburne (It felt like a poorman’s version of a Billy Cyrus verse), and ho-hum contributions by Travis Scott and SZA. To me, everyone fit their respective songs nicely, which tells me Post didn’t just pull these features out of his ass.

There wasn’t really anything major to dislike about “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” as I believe it’s a great listen, especially if you are one of those individuals that loves all kinds of music. However, there are a few times the album is predictable and a bit corny (Especially on tracks like “Allergic,” “A Thousand Bad Times” and “Take What You Want”)…  With that being said, Post Malone is such a lovable artist, mainly because he comes across like an ordinary joe with an ordinary voice and ordinary problems. Somehow, this ordinary guy knows how to put together a song masterfully, so you can’t hate on him when he tries to expand on his artistry.