What's Post Malone's Real Name? Plus, 5 More Surprising Details About His Drug Use And Secret Girlfriend
Who really is this young artist?
getty Post Malone is one of the most unique artists on the music scene today. Is he a rapper? A singer? Honestly, it sounds like even he doesn’t know.
In any case, his second album, Beerbongs & Bentleys, comes out Friday, April 27. But as with any artist, Malone is more than just the wild-looking dude on stage. What is Post Malone’s real name, and what more is there to the man behind the microphone?
What makes Post Malone’s music stand out so much compared to the other artists of this generation is the way he meshes so many genres into music that actually somehow works. “Genre is stupid,” he told Rolling Stone in 2017. Influenced by everyone from Bob Dylan to Metallica while simultaneously wearing cowboy boots and gold teeth and putting out music with rappers like 21 Savage, Malone has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be called a rapper. “I don’t want to be a rapper,” he controversially told GQ in January 2018. I just want to be a person that makes music.”
But behind his success, Malone seems to be dealing with some tough stuff as well. While he’s known as being humble and silly, some of his music is undeniably morose — and a few of these details may explain why.
1. Post Malone’s real name is Austin Richard Post.
In a world where it seems like every new young rapper’s name starts with “Lil,” Post Malone’s name stands out. In 2016, TMZ caught Post Malone out with his girlfriend and asked where he got the inspiration for his stage name, and his answer was both surprising and yet not surprising at all. “Well, Post is my last name,” he said, then explained that he ran it through a rap name generator. Yep, for real.
Well, if it works for him, it can work for anyone, right? By the way, next time you see me, call me by my rap name: Micki Swag. Nice.
2. Post Malone’s girlfriend’s name is Ashlen Diaz.
Yes, just a few sentences ago I said TMZ caught Post Malone out with his girlfriend. GIRLFRIEND. Her name is Ashlen Diaz, and they’ve apparently been dating since at least 2015. They keep their relationship pretty under wraps. While he hasn’t shared much about her in interviews or on social media, before making her Instagram private Diaz had photos of her and Malone together as recent as February 2018.
3. He has anxiety.
As eccentric as he is, you wouldn’t think Post Malone would struggle with anxiety. However, creative minds deal with things like anxiety and depression more often than not — and Post Malone is not immune. "I've always had a loneliness. I've always been anxious," he said in an interview with Rolling Stone. "Big brain. Lot of thoughts."
4. He’s obsessed with Bud Light.
Post Malone is known to show up to interviews and on stage with a can of Bud Light in hand. In fact, he told DJ Ebro of Hot 97 that a major part of his creative process is drinking. “I just get drunk and go in the booth,” he said. And it’s not just in the booth. He told High Snobiety that he drinks before shows to help calm his nerves and “get lit” with his fans.
Post Malone and Bud Light have basically become best Buds (ha, get it??). But of all beers… why Bud Light? “It has a nice and the smoothest drinkability and it just has a nice flavour, it doesn’t get you too full and you can have a couple and you’re good,” he explained to Acclaim Magazine.
Of course, having alcohol so deeply ingrained in your creative and daily routine is dangerous. During a Breakfast Club interview, Charlamagne tha God warned him not to become an alcoholic. “I got this,” Malone replied. “I’m a functioning. Emphasis on fun.”
5. He doesn’t smoke weed.
Considering he named his first album Stoney, you’d think Post Malone would be a certified stoner. You’ll probably be surprised to learn that he doesn’t even smoke — at least, not for now. In a radio interview, Malone explained to DJ Whoo Kid that he “smoked some weird stuff. Somebody gave me like a wet jimmy.” For those wondering (*raises hand*), a “wet jimmy” is a joint laced with PCP, and can be incredibly dangerous. The whole experience seems to have turned Malone off of weed completely. “It just gives me weird anxiety now. I feel like I’m gonna die.”
6. He does pills.
Weed isn’t the only drug Malone’s been connected to. His “Rockstar” lyrics suggest that he’s also into pills: “I’ve been … poppin’ pillies, man I feel just like a rockstar,” he sings. In his Hot 97 interview, he told the hosts that his pill of choice is Xanax, a prescription drug that seems to have spread like wildfire in the music industry, especially among the new generation of “emo rappers.” He also revealed that he used to do lean, the mixture of codeine and Sprite.
However, Malone was close friends with rapper Lil Peep, who recently died after overdosing on Xanax, and revealed in a radio interview that after Peep’s death, he realized that those drugs wouldn’t lead him down “a good path” and has since stopped doing them.
7. A disturbing concert video has fans concerned about his health.
A recent video that emerged of Malone performing his hit "I Fall Apart" on his knees in bizarre fashion: stumbling through lyrics, rolling around on stage and then losing his footing has fans concerned for his health and mental state. One Twitter user wrote, "post malone has been acting strange and inebriated at his shows. ppl are fearing that this behavior is from drugs and alcohol. even if you don’t like post malone pls don’t cheer this on. he clearly needs help and ignoring it only leads to tragedies. remember amy winehouse."
Another wrote, "You can’t sit there and tell me that this is normal behaviour from Post, it’s not and the man needs help before something bad happens to him. Whether it’s alcohol or drugs, he’s not using them for fun anymore, he’s abusing them. it’s too much now, people are worried."
Micki Spollen is a YourTango editor, writer, and traveler. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her travels on her website.