Post Malone speaks words of wisdom in his newest album, beerbongs and bentleys. Austin Post (aka Post Malone) began his musical career in Los Angeles, where he caught the attention of several successful rappers, such as 50 Cent and Kanye West after his SoundCloud account gained popularity in 2015. From fast-paced rap to slow pop, Post Malone’s new album features several styles of music as well as all sides of the musician himself.

Even though “Stoney,” his debut album released in 2016, was praised and received several awards, Malone described it as “Mediocre” and began writing his new album, beerbongs and bentleys. The album, released Aug. 27, was an overnight sensation, crushing Spotify’s record for first-day streams, played by fans around the world over 78 million times. The album also earned the title of certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America a mere four days after its release.

Post Malone completely earned the fame and recognition because of the amazing assortment of styles of music featured on his latest 18 tracks. Malone masterfully mixes genres such as pop, rap and country in all of his new songs. The slowness of “Stay” being followed by his typical rap sound in “Better Now” creates an interestingly diverse album. This variety creates a compilation of songs for any mood or person and establishes Malone’s artistic style as a mix of rap, pop and country.

In addition to the variety of genres featured on the album, an assortment of different themes are displayed in each song. Such songs include “Paranoid” and, my personal favorite due to its prominent lyrics, “Stay.” One notable lyric from “Stay” includes “Everybody’s blind when the view’s amazing.” In today’s world, this definitely applies to many situations in our country, either politically or socially. Post addresses also his romantic problems and his trust issues as he rises in the world of music in these two tracks.

Of course, there are also songs like “Psycho” and “Rockstar” which give the listeners more of the superficial rap song that is expected to be on the radio. Superficial rap is what gets artists recognized—it usually has a catchy melody, but lacks a purpose behind the lyrics. The artist is usually singing the lyrics inaudibly with a loud beat playing over it to distract the listeners from realizing how meaningless the song is. Without this traditional aspect of the album, his millions of fans would not have recognized the rapper, as his debut album “Stoney” consisted mostly of these types of typical songs.

On the outside, this album may appear on the surface like any other rapper’s, but Post Malone goes further in allowing his fans into his world and showcasing problems he has struggled with, such as fitting into the rap world and his struggle to maintain a relationship. Post is able to master the art of producing not only a catchy song but strong and meaningful lyrics that touch the listeners emotionally.

The perfect follow up to “Stoney,” beerbongs and bentleys illustrates Post Malone’s development as an artist and as a person on his journey of fame, which is why all of the 18 songs on it are equally amazing, no matter the tempo or the purpose. The diversity in theme and genre in every track introduces a new and better Post Malone to the world and adds depth to his personality in and out of the spotlight.

The Parkway West Pathfinder gives “beerbongs and bentleys” a 10/10.