Post Malone’s words on hip hop and its meaning has rubbed music lovers the wrong way.
The creator behind the number one song in the country spoke to Poland’s NewsOnce about his journey in rap, how he’s used the power of a melody to his advantage and why today’s hip-hop has no meaning. “They way music is right now you don’t need to talk about nothing. You just need a nice melody,” he said.
Looking back on his breakthrough hits like “White Iverson,” the Texas native says he would often find a cadence that suited his liking and merged it with autotune to make a good record. The formula has obviously worked for the 22-year-old who’s found success in his singles, “Deja Vu” and “Congratulations” featuring Justin Bieber and Quavo, respectfully.
While he’s enjoyed how fans embrace his music and the importance southern hip-hop has had on his sound (Malone praises Atlanta’s Key! for his talents), he believes the genre currently doesn’t hold enough depth to capture the attention of those looking for meaningful perspectives.
“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,” Malone said. “There’s great hip-hop songs where they talk about life and they spit that real sh*t, but right now, there’s not a lot of people talking about real sh*t.
Malone’s hip-hop playlists may not feature the sounds he’s referring to, but this doesn’t mean they haven’t been made. Just a few spots behind him on the charts rest Logic’s poignant “1-800-273-8255,” a song by a critically acclaimed rapper about suicide and depression.
There’s also the album releases of Kendrick Lamar and JAY-Z earlier this year, who shared bold stances on black masculinity and race. Even between the stokes of Future’s exultant bars on his latest albums, bare feelings of vulnerability by Mr. Sensational himself.
Still, Malone doesn’t completely throw the genre to the wayside. He believes hip-hop’s place is to make everyone happy, which comes off a lot worse than intended.
“Whenever I want to cry, whenever I want to sit down and have a nice cry, I’ll listen to some Bob Dylan. Or 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.”
We’re sure he doesn’t look to hip-hop as means of a minstrel, but many others do. Hip hop’s elements have changed over the years (its origins rested on, rapping, DJing, graffiti and b-boying), but it does give listeners way more than a clubby high. Even in times of pain the music has highlighted joy, making it more meaningful, no?
Take a look at the interview above.