After releasing two chart-topping albums (Stoney and Beerbongs and Bentleys), rapper Post Malone released his third album, Hollywood’s Bleeding, on Friday, September 6. Before releasing Hollywood’s Bleeding, Malone released four songs that would debut on the album: “Sunflower” dropped first, which premiered in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, an animated film based on the hit character of the same name. Malone released “Wow.” and “Goodbyes” next, just two months before the album’s release. Finally, Malone released the single “Circles” to promote the album’s debut. 

Hollywood’s Bleeding takes a dive into a different side of  Malone’s music style that fans did not know about previously. The album contains similar background beats and rhythms from his previous two albums, Stoney and Beerbongs and Bentleys but shows off Malone’s skill as a singer, setting it apart from prior albums which emphasized his rapping talents more. 

Starting off the album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding”  begins with a slow acoustic guitar riff and an echoing voice in the background. As the song progresses, Malone adds a drumbeat that speeds up the song, at the same time rapping about how a girl he tries to pursue wants nothing to do with him because his job demands too much time from him. Malone ends the first track with repeating the catchy chorus one last time as he sings:

“I just keep on hopin’ that you call me

Say you wanna see me but you can’t right now

You never took the time to get to know me

We’re scared of losin’ something’ that we never found

We’re running out of reasons but we can’t let go

Yeah, Hollywood is bleeding but we call it home,”

The ending left listeners with chills because of the intense background music and slowed down singing.

“My favorite song on the album is ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding,’ because I like the overall feeling and vibe of the song. It makes me ponder my life choices,” sophomore Lawrence Kamani said.

The next song, “Saint-Tropez,” returns Malone to his old roots with previous albums, as the song utilizes similar background music to his other songs: more specifically, the vibe of the song resembles beats from Beerbongs and Bentleys’ “92 Explorer,”, and slows down during the chorus to present Malone rapping with faint drum beats in the background. The album then moves to the next song, “Enemies,” which Malone wrote as a way to call out his haters who said he would never make it in the music industry. Malone sings:

 “I know it’s hard to swallow your pride

 Sorry that you can’t get over me 

Now you’re out of my life, I’m so relieved,” 

Through this verse, he proudly states that he does not let what his past girlfriends think of him bother him since he moved on from losing them.

“A Thousand Bad Times” resembles a beat similar to the hit single “Hey Ya!”, written by Outkast. Malone’s song incorporates a fast tempo and meaningful lyrics that make listeners want to sing and dance along. The song talks about Malone’s love interest who only uses him for his wealth and although he knows this he stays with her because he loves her. Malone says in the song that he knows he can do better, but when loving someone, it becomes harder to confront all of their flaws.

Throughout the album, Malone collaborates with popular artists such as Halsey, Future, SZA, Young Thug, and others. The song “Die For Me” features Halsey and Future: they add to the song’s melody with their repetition of the line “die for me” helping it to stick in the heads of listeners. The song deals with confronting exes with their lies in the relationship. Other songs like “Take What You Want,” featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, and “Goodbyes,” featuring Young Thug, also deal with the same topic: the aftermath of a breakup. 

“Staring at the Sun,” featuring SZA, resembles a similar beat to one of SZA’s hit songs, “All The Stars,” as the intro and the overall flow of the song almost copy it. This song makes listeners want to groove and sway along to the beat of the track. Malone and SZA’s voice fit perfectly together due to the contrast between Malone’s raspy voice and SZA’s soothing one, making listeners feel happy and inspirational emotions.

“This [‘Staring at the Sun’] is my favorite song because the song makes me feel happy and complete. Both of their voices are so unique and they fit perfectl[y] together,” Magnet sophomore Bentley Huff said.

Although the album contains beats and melodies from previous albums it still manages to still bring something new to the table never before seen in Malone’s discography. The songs found on Hollywood’s Bleeding make listeners dance and sing along with catchy lines and background beats. Fans cannot wait to see what Malone plans for the future as the album exceeded all expectations.

The Chant’s Grade: A