Post Malone
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Before Post Malone’s second album, beerbongs & bentleys, even arrived, it was already eligible for gold certification based on the success of its singles — the result of a tried-and-true song-by-song rollout strategy patiently honed by the 22-year-old artist. Since dropping his debut single in September 2015, he has consistently scaled the charts and set records with one carefully timed smash after another: Of his nine singles, seven have gone platinum, and most of those are multiplatinum. At the 2018 BBMAs, he’s nominated for 13 awards in 12 categories, including top male artist.
2015
Sept. 26
“White Iverson,” his debut single and first off debut LP Stoney, enters the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 84.
Oct. 9
Second Stoney single “Too Young” drops but never reaches the Hot 100.
2016
Jan. 23
Five months after its release, “White Iverson” peaks at No. 14 on the Hot 100.
May 14
Stoney single “Go Flex” debuts at No. 94 on the Hot 100, followed by “Deja Vu,” featuring Justin Bieber, at No. 75 on Oct. 1.
Dec. 29
Post Malone tweets that his second album is already in the works: “Beerbongs and bentleys isn’t a song… It’s a whole project.”
Dec. 31
Two days later, his first album, Stoney, debuts on the Billboard 200 at No. 6.
2017
Jan. 31
“Congratulations” (featuring Quavo) enters the Hot 100 at No. 83; it spends nearly a year on the chart, longer than any of Post Malone’s other singles to date.
July 8
“Congratulations” becomes his first Hot 100 top 10, peaking at No. 8. It has since become his most-streamed track and gone seven-times platinum.
Oct. 7
Beerbongs lead single “rockstar” (featuring 21 Savage) debuts on the Hot 100 at No. 2.
Oct. 14
After a video of Post Malone singing it goes viral, the Stoney track “I Fall Apart” debuts on the Hot 100 at No. 65.
Oct. 28
Stoney peaks at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. (As of May 2018, it has been on the chart 73 weeks and counting, and has yet to dip below No. 25.)
Nov. 10
In a controversial interview with Poland’s NewOnce, Post Malone says, “There’s not a lot of people talking about real shit” in current hip-hop.
Nov. 11
Seven months after it first appeared on The Fate of the Furious: The Album, “Candy Paint” is released as beerbongs’ second single, debuting at No. 84 on the Hot 100.
Nov. 23
He walks back his NewOnce comments on Twitter: “I’m just trying to keep living and make the music that I love.”
Dec. 1
He tweets this update on the delayed beerbongs & bentleys: “I’m gonna keep working my ass off and make the best fucking album ever.”
2018
Jan. 3
Rising on radio, “I Fall Apart” peaks at No. 16 on the Hot 100, three months after its debut on the chart.
March 10
Third beerbongs single “Psycho” (featuring Ty Dolla $ign) debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100, with the second-largest first week in on-demand audio streams in history.
May 7
Post Malone breaks records set by The Beatles and J. Cole for the most songs in the top 20 of the Hot 100 at the same time, with nine.
May 12
Beerbongs & bentleys debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, setting the record for biggest streaming week ever, after its April 27 release.
This article originally appeared in the May 19 issue of Billboard.
