An Analysis: Post Malone's Odd-Defying, Chart-Conquering 2017

It’s impossible to argue that Post Malone didn’t have a killer 2017—whether you like his music or not. The musician has arguably become a household name with his signature brand of roughed-up rap, and while a number of other new names also emerged from the hip-hop underground to become quantifiably successful, Malone has the numbers to show that he not only made it to the bigtime, but that he has the power to stay at the top like few can.

Post Malone first made his name known back in 2015 with his breakout hit “White Iverson,” though it took him almost two years to get his debut album Stoney out, and by that time, the single was done and nobody was sure what his future looked like. The rapper wasted no time showing everyone that not only was he not about to slip away quietly, but that he was just getting started thanks to single "Congratulations," which features fellow new superstar Quavo, managed to find its way into the top 10. That success kept its parent album alive and set Malone up for even greater things to come.