The difficult relationship between white artists and hip-hop

By: Micheal Doyle

Post Malone has been one of hip-hop’s most mainstream successes since his 2015 debut single “White Iverson,” with his controversies beginning at the same time. Malone has topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first artist with a double diamond certification. His career hasn’t been without controversy, with critics and peers accusing him of cultural appropriation since releasing “White Iverson.” 

“Post Malone is slowly turning into a white dude! Lol he’s pushing it, give it a few years he gon be full country and hate blacks lol,” wrote Rapper Lil B on X (formerly known as Twitter), sparking arguments between the fanbases. 

Malone has collaborated with artists ranging from Taylor Swift to Ozzy Ozbourne, with his most recent dive into country music featuring country artists like Luke Combs and Dolly Parton. 

Looking back at the internet archives, Malone was called out in 2017 for his comments to Polish media outlet Newonce, with Malone stating, “If you’re looking for lyrics, if you’re looking to cry, if you’re looking to think about life, don’t listen to hip-hop.” 

Malone’s 2023 album “Austin” was his fifth studio album and the first to not include any hip-hop, capturing a soft rock and synthetic pop sound. Malone’s following album, “F-1 Trillion” once again represented a shift in sound, turning to a full country album and featuring prominent country artists such as Chris Stapleton and Hank Williams Jr. 

While “F-1 Trillion” has been a mainstream success for both Malone and country music, critics who were skeptical of Malone’s intentions in hip-hop have continued to label the artist as a “culture vulture.” 

Malone’s music has always been a mixture between genres, such as “Feeling Whitney” off his debut album “Stoney” or “Stay” off his sophomore album “beerbongs & bentleys.” Additionally, Malone has frequently labeled Bob Dylan, Kurt Cobain and Johnny Cash as his influences, rather than focusing on his hip-hop peers. 

Malone is not the first white artist to leave hip-hop after achieving mainstream success, following the likes of Machine Gun Kelly and Kid Rock. Kelly rose to prominence as a hip-hop artist, notably for his 2018 beef with Eminem that many claim kicked him out of the genre after fans rallied behind Eminem. Kelly later released “Tickets To My Downfall” in 2020, a pop punk album that introduced him into the genre he now resides in. Kid Rock similarly came up in the hip-hop scene before pioneering country rap in the late 1990s and eventually turning to full country with his 2007 release “Rock n Roll Jesus.” 

Both artists faced heavy backlash, mostly for their lack of respect for the genre itself and the artists within it. Kelly received criticism dating back to 2012 for his longstanding disrespect of Eminem, another white rap artist who is highly respected in the genre. 

Kid Rock was always a polarizing artist for his party rock attitude and redneck persona, but for over the last decade has become a mascot for the alt-right, xenophobia and most recently, claimed Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was “the epitome of DEI blowing up” in an interview with Fox News. 

Malone has faced similar criticism for perceived disrespect of the hip-hop genre. After making his comments in 2017 about hip-hop being lyrically shallow, Malone insisted that he loves making hip-hop music, contradicting previous statements about not wanting to be labeled as a rapper. 

“I’m not a rapper, I’m an artist,” Malone said in a 2015 interview with DJBooth. “I might rap, but I don’t make rap music.” 

Comments such as these are controversial in the music scene, as Malone implied that rappers and artists are mutually exclusive. Many artists in the genre have proven that rap is an art form as seen through Public Enemy and Kenrick Lamar who have used the genre to critique the political climate of the world. 

The path of a white rapper in hip-hop always begins convoluted. Artists who have shown respect and admiration to the culture are accepted by the community, while others struggle to find their voice. Eminem is the most notable example, and despite his work differing in success as his career progressed, he has continuously given back to the community that got him where he is today, through initiating charitable acts through the Marshall Mathers Foundation and running a record label. Artists such as the Beastie Boys and Mac Miller have also been accepted into the genre and have since influenced other artists. 

While Malone is seemingly enjoying his new turn in life, with “F-1 Trillion” debuting at the top of the Billboard 200, it is understandable that the hip-hop community might feel betrayed towards the artist who once was known for his grills, cornrows and face tattoos. 

Malone has also achieved career worthy accomplishments in recent years, performing on Saturday Night Live with Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl of Nirvana. He also sang America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl and might not have reached any of these achievements without his rise to fame as a hip-hop artist. 

Malone will likely continue to be one of the most popular artists of his time, but the hip-hop world he inhabited for eight years is requesting a thank you for the career progress it gave him.