Post Malone's country album "F-1 Trillion" arrives
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Post Malone performs during CMA Fest 2024. Photo: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Spotify
Country music's banner year continues Friday with the release of Post Malone's long-awaited crossover album "F-1 Trillion" featuring some of Nashville's biggest stars.
Why it matters: Post's project is the latest example of country's rising cultural cachet.
- The genre has become an increasingly dominant force in streaming and ticket sales.
- Some of the music industry's biggest stars, led by Beyoncé, have delivered high-profile work pushing the boundaries of the genre.
State of play: Nashville became Post's home away from home while making and promoting his new album. He played at the Bluebird Cafe, Marathon Music Works and on the streets of Lower Broadway.
- Earlier this week, he made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry, where he dueted with Vince Gill, John Michael Montgomery and Brad Paisley.
- "Welcome to country music, Post Malone," Lainey Wilson said from the famous stage. "We're glad to have you!"
"Everyone here was so accepting and kind," Post told CBS' "Sunday Morning" of his new collaborators.
Zoom in: The "F-1 Trillion" liner notes read like the Mount Rushmore of Music Row. Dolly Parton, Hank Williams Jr., Tim McGraw and Luke Combs all stop by for features.
- "I just wanted to be a part of it," Combs told CBS. "Big times for country music."
- The album's lead single "I Had Some Help," a duet with Morgan Wallen, dominated the Hot 100 for weeks.
Between the lines: While Beyoncé's country-inspired "Cowboy Carter" was openly critical of genre barriers and blended sounds and styles within songs, Post's work sounds more like a contemporary country record.
- But it is also emblematic of country's ongoing flirtation with rap and hip-hop.
- Producer Charlie Handsome, who has worked with Wallen and Sam Hunt as well as Drake and The Weeknd, is credited on every track, according to the New York Times.
The big picture: Post's interest in country isn't surprising to loyal fans. He hails from Texas and his twang came out on an acoustic Bob Dylan cover he posted to YouTube before scaling the charts.
- In an all-caps tweet in 2015, he promised to become a country artist when he turned 30.
- Post's 30th birthday is next July.
The intrigue: Handsome told the Times that Post "knows every country song."
- "I used to say to people, he's a reverse Taylor Swift," Handsome said. "He's going to start as a rapper, become a huge pop star and after all that, he's going to be a country artist."
The bottom line: Post echoed Beyoncé's message in an interview with the Times.
- "Genres suck," he said. "It's easier to catalog music that way. But at a certain point — and the cool thing is that it's moving towards this — why can't you mix all this together and make something that's truly unique to you?"