Post Malone – beerbongs & bentleys (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

He’s been labeled a hip–hop artist, but as the song says, Post Malone is a rockstar too. His second album regales fans with tales of the hedonism and excess that 2016’s astoundingly popular Stoney afforded him. The beerbongs & bentleys universe is one of partying, girls, money, and Saint Laurent clothes, but he makes no secret of the downsides to success. Money is everything—except true happiness, and this tenderness adds a dark depth to his addictive songs. This album, like his previous releases, proves that Post holds the recipe for the perfect chart-topper: a wild lifestyle, exceptionally catchy melodies, and the ability to fit Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee and heartfelt acoustic ballads alongside fiery features from Nicki Minaj, YG, and 21 Savage.

In the year and a half following his multi-platinum full-length debut, Post Malone continued his climb up the celebrity ladder, extending Stoney’s success with the number one single “rockstar” and second-place follow-up “Psycho.” Those tracks landed on his chart-topping second effort, Beerbongs & Bentleys, which arrived in spring 2018. With a team of producers including Louis Bell, PartyNextDoor, Scott Storch, and London on da Track, the set benefits from livelier beats and varied atmospherics, especially when he steps outside of his narcotic comfort zone. However, much like Stoney, it wears out its welcome with a bloated track list and abundance of tiresome, overly dramatic lyrics that often veer into gross and wildly misogynistic territory as Post delivers lines about “beautiful boobies,” putting a woman’s privates “in a motherf***ing bodybag,” and his inability to “make a ho a housewife.” Elsewhere, he tries to convey his swirling emotions with gravitas, yet ends up sounding like an ungrateful kid who enjoys the benefits but can’t handle the work. “Paranoid,” “Rich & Sad,” and “Jonestown (Interlude)” are just a few peeks into this tortured soul. Half-rapping, half-singing, he laments that he “can’t get no relief,” convinced authorities and enemies are following him, even comparing himself to Edward Snowden at one point. He sleeps with a gun, he’s lost family, friends, and lovers, and wishes all the money could buy something meaningful. Such bids for sympathy fall flat most of the time, especially considering the abundance of hedonistic odes to sex, drugs, and rap-rock & roll. “Zack and Codeine,” “Takin’ Shots,” “rockstar,” and “Same Bitches” are carefully tailored to maintain his reputation, but like his appropriated image, feel forced and disingenuous. Post fares slightly better when he sticks to simple, relatable topics like love and heartbreak. Wading through the murky gloom, a handful of standouts reveal themselves on the latter half of the album. “Otherside” and “Blame It on Me” bleed like lost Auto-Tuned ruminations from 808s & Heartbreak, while the tender acoustic number “Stay” is Post’s most natural offering here. Guests like Swae Lee and Ty Dolla $ign get lost in the mix, while G-Eazy, YG, 21 Savage, and Nicki Minaj bolster Post’s credibility while stealing the spotlight on their respective tracks. Beerbongs & Bentleys is an apt reflection of his lavish lifestyle and his subsequently begotten hardships, but its attempts at sincerity work only when Post Malone stops trying so hard.

Tracklist:
01. Post Malone – Paranoid (03:41)
02. Post Malone – Spoil My Night (feat. Swae Lee) (03:14)
03. Post Malone – Rich & Sad (03:26)
04. Post Malone – Zack And Codeine (03:24)
05. Post Malone – Takin’ Shots (03:36)
06. Post Malone – rockstar (feat. 21 Savage) (03:38)
07. Post Malone – Over Now (04:06)
08. Post Malone – Psycho (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) (03:41)
09. Post Malone – Better Now (03:51)
10. Post Malone – Ball For Me (feat. Nicki Minaj) (03:26)
11. Post Malone – Otherside (03:48)
12. Post Malone – Stay (03:24)
13. Post Malone – Blame It On Me (04:21)
14. Post Malone – Same Bitches (feat. G-Eazy & YG) (03:32)
15. Post Malone – Jonestown (Interlude) (01:52)
16. Post Malone – 92 Explorer (03:31)
17. Post Malone – Candy Paint (03:47)
18. Post Malone – Sugar Wraith (03:48)