Post Malone’s second studio album Beerbongs & Bentleys released in April 2018, breaking numerous streaming records with 431 million Spotify streams in first week. The 18-track album debuted at #1 with 461,000 units, produced four Top 10 hits including diamond-certified “Sunflower” (with Swae Lee), and solidified Post as the 2010s’ most commercially dominant artist.
Streaming Records Demolished
B&B shattered streaming records: 431.3 million global Spotify streams in first week (previous record: Drake’s Views, 245M), 78.7 million U.S. streams in one day, and all 18 tracks simultaneously charting on Hot 100. The album’s streaming dominance signaled rap’s complete takeover of consumption patterns.
The singles strategy—“rockstar” (#1, 8 weeks), “Psycho” (#1, 3 weeks), “Better Now” (#3), and later “Sunflower” (#1, 7 weeks)—created year-long chart presence. Post became first artist since The Beatles to hold top 3 spots on Billboard 200 simultaneously (with B&B, Stoney, and rockstar single).
The Post Malone Formula Perfected
B&B refined Post’s genre-fluid approach: trap production, melodic vocals, rock influences, and melancholic lyrics about excess and emptiness. Songs ranged from club bangers (“Zack and Codeine”) to vulnerable ballads (“Stay”) to pop-rap crossovers (“Psycho,” “Better Now”).
Features from Young Thug, 21 Savage, Ty Dolla $ign, Nicki Minaj, G-Eazy, and YG diversified sound while maintaining Post’s distinctive voice. The production from Louis Bell, Frank Dukes, and London on da Track created cohesive yet varied sonic palette.
The album’s title reflected Post’s aesthetic—beer (working-class, relatable) and Bentleys (aspirational luxury)—capturing his appeal to both suburban white teens and urban hip-hop audiences.
Sunflower and Into the Spider-Verse
“Sunflower” (feat. Swae Lee), released for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse soundtrack, became the album’s biggest hit despite not being on original tracklist (added to deluxe). The song topped Hot 100 for one week in January 2019, then returned to #1 for additional six weeks, spending 33 weeks in Top 10—tying record for longest Top 10 run.
“Sunflower” went 17x platinum (diamond plus 7x), becoming one of the best-selling digital songs ever. Its association with Oscar-winning Spider-Verse introduced Post to family audiences and demonstrated his mainstream versatility.
Cultural Dominance
B&B was 2018’s best-selling album (1.8 million pure sales, 3+ million total units), and Post became Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2018 (5 billion streams). The album’s success proved streaming-era artists could achieve Beatles-level commercial dominance through playlist placement and algorithmic recommendation.
Critics noted Post’s persona—affable, unpretentious, genre-agnostic—made him palatable to audiences typically segregated by taste. His ability to succeed in rap, pop, rock, and country (later) made him decade’s most boundary-crossing star.
Sources: Billboard streaming records, Spotify 2018 data, Pitchfork B&B review