The cheapest ticket to see Post Malone on his Runaway Tour in Detroit cost a staggering $170. The highly anticipated tour comes after the release of his third studio album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” in September.
Post Malone entered the rap scene in 2015 at the age of 20 with the overnight success of his song “White Iverson.” The track racked up a million listens in a month and led to collaborations with rappers Kanye West and 50 Cent. He made his mark with his first full album, “Stoney,” in 2016. His unique style has led him to perform in sold-out arenas across the globe and to collaborate with Aerosmith at the 2018 Video Music Awards.
Staying true to Malone’s form, “Hollywood’s Bleeding” mixes styles and genres. He raps and sings over original hip hop tracks, rock riffs, and pop beats.
The album had the fifth-largest streaming debut week in Billboard history and currently sits at number one on the Hot 200 for the third week in a row.
The 17-track album features raw and emotional lyrics, and welcomes fans into the hardships of fame.
Malone recently moved away from Los Angeles to Utah, saying he didn’t like the Hollywood culture.
“I feel like, in L.A. and Hollywood, there’s such a strange vibe to where it just feels like there’s a lot of vampires out there that just want to suck the life from you,” Malone said in an interview with Spotify. “You gotta get out and take a step back and look at the whole situation and you realize that Hollywood itself is kind of dying in itself because of all of the blood-sucking vampires.”
The opening track shares its name with the album and sets the mood for the ensuing tracks. It paints the difficulties of living in Hollywood.
“We’re running out of reasons, but we can’t let go/Yeah, Hollywood is bleeding, but we call it home.”
A little later in the album, “A Thousand Bad Times” hits on the difficulties of finding real relationships in the celebrity world. Malone comments on the lack of sincerity in how women treat him. He suggests that the feeling of being used doesn’t affect him anymore, because he’s so used to insincerity.
“It’s gonna take a lot more to kill me/So thank you for the grave/I needed me a place to sleep,” he sings.
One of the best beats on the album is “Circles,” a track in which Malone continues to explore his relationship struggles. Now, Malone taps into the classic love-gone-cold narrative as he sings about how he and his girlfriend keep doing the same things without any change.
“Seasons change and our love went cold/Feed the flame cause we can’t let go/Run away, but we’re running in circles,” Malone sings.
“Die for Me” has a star-studded lineup — including Future and Halsey — but not only are Malone’s romantic relationships suffering, he also can’t seem to find genuine friendships.
“Said you’d take a bullet, told me you would die for me/I had a really bad feeling you’d been lying to me,” the lyrics read.
The depressing realization that his friends don’t have his back seems to cause deep pain. Malone works through the reality that his friends may be there for the perks and not for him.
His reaction to these feelings plays out in track 10, “I’m Gonna Be.”
“Some people think I’m livin’ wrong/We live this life but not for long.”
Malone has an obsession with artists who died young and has tattoos of many including Elvis, Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
With all his struggles, Malone seems to find some solutions later in the album. The shortest song on the album, “Internet,” is a reaction to the fakeness and addiction involved with social media.
“Well if ignorance is bliss, then don’t wake me up/And I’ll prolly be the last to know/Cause I don’t get on the internet no more,” Malone says.
Punning on the word “instalove,” meaning Instagram and the instant love felt on social media, Malone comments on the false reality we indulge on Instagram and the instant gratification people crave.
Throughout “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” Malone struggles with the famous life. Not all of it is sad; “Wow” takes the listener into the flashy party lifestyle and in “Saint-Tropez” Malone flexes his wealth.
“The roof go down when I hit switch/ I moneyball like Bradley Pitt,” Malone raps.
However, the overall album shines a light on the not-so-glamorous celebrity lifestyle. With addictive beats, catchy choruses, and real lyrics, Post Malone knocks it out of the park — and into the realm of serious reflection — with “Hollywood’s Bleeding.”
