Post Malone

SINGER-SONGWRITER

There’s a deceptive casualness to Malone’s persona that figures into why he has so many detractors as well as millions of devout fans: he’s too much the Everyman — or Everyrapper — to seem like he’s even striving for the brass ring. But he’s getting it anyway. The 23-yearold Texan just won Song of the Year for “Rockstar” at the VMAS, a minor plaudit compared to some of the records he’s broken in the last year, including a streaming benchmark for his “Beerbongs & Bentleys” album (although that record has already been re-broken by Drake). His tour sold more than 350,000 tickets, including two sold-out nights at the Hollywood Bowl. Why fans flock: It’s not (just) the conspicuous consumption and stoner tropes. He’s really a sensitive, heart-on-sleeve emorocker trapped in a hip-hopper’s hard-partying body.