Some Help

"To be honest, I often have to remind myself that this isn’t just a Morgan Wallen song. Which isn’t to say that it doesn’t feel like a Post song too, or that his contributions are negligible, but this song is so firmly in the sonic lane that Wallen established with the title tracks of his Dangerous and One Thing at a Time albums."

(Andrew Unterberger / billboard.com, May 21, 2024)

Until recently, the now 28-year-old singer and songwriter Austin Richard Post from the state of New York was primarily known as a rapper. Although he first appeared on the pop charts at the end of 2016 with the release of his album "Stoney". With his follow-up album "Beerbongs & Bentleys" (2018), Post Malone became known worldwide and the song "Rockstar" from it became a globally celebrated number 1 hit.

On May 10, 2024, Post Malone opened a new chapter in his career after a few quieter years. 'I Had Some Help' gets released as the much-hyped first official country single of his career. It is not only a harbinger of an upcoming country album, but also a duet with one of the most successful artists of last year: Morgan Wallen.

Surprisingly, the rapper hardly finds any rejection in the genre that is known and notorious for its traditional gate-keeping. Even Reba McEntire, presenter at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards two weeks ago, couldn't stop raving about Posty when she introduced him to the audience. Which was quite different from what many other artists from outside the genre had experienced in the past.

However, one can give Post Malone credit for the fact that what we got to hear from him so far is almost entirely traditional (like the catchy 'Never Love You Again', which he performed at the ACM Awards) and that he therefore seems to be received more favorably by the gatekeepers. The video released for 'I Had Some Help' also shows off some flag-waving patriotism which however might be a little off-putting for international audiences.

The song, written by a whopping 8 songwriters (including Post Malone and Morgan Wallen, as well as Ernest and Ashley Gorley), is about a failed relationship with the core message: it takes two to break a heart in two, Baby you blame me, Baby I blame you, aw if that ain't the truth, I had some help [after all].

Just 2 weeks after its release, the song already has garnered an incredible 118 million Spotify streams and entered the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart, as well as the Billboard Global 200 chart at number 1 on May 25th. Stylistically, the song clearly carries the trademarks of Morgan Wallen and might once again become the summer hit of the year for the country superstar.

In any case, Post Malone is celebrating a high impact comeback with 3 collaborations with three of the biggest music artists in America at present: Beýonce, Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen ...