INTERVIEW: Post Malone Talks New Album 'Stoney'

For Post Malone fans who are expecting his long-awaited, debut full-length studio album, Stoney, you may not have to wait too much longer. The 21-year-old rapper -- real name Austin Richard Post -- has been hard at work on his album, and is only perfecting the new collection of songs. At least that's what he told us during an interview backstage at the inaugural The Meadows Music & Arts Festival in New York City.

We caught up with Posty after he performed to a massive crowd of fans, and he gave us an update on his highly anticipated album, the story behind the album's title, what it has been like to put together, and more. 

[Buy "Deja Vu" on iTunes]

Originally set to be released at the end of August of this year, Stoney has been delayed. Post even issued an apology on social media writing, "Due to a couple of different issues my album couldn't be finished on the date that I promised." But, he tells us that it IS coming very soon, and that it is definitely worth the wait. He says, "It's before the end of the year. It should be coming up very soon, and I'm sorry for the wait, but I think it'll be worth it. I have to get everything just tweaked correctly."

Stoney IS Post Malone's very first album, after all. The rapper gained a lot of recognition last year for his hit single "White Iverson," which hit No. 1 on the US Billboard Rhythmic Chart, No. 5 on US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, and No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Following his success, he signed his record deal with Republic Records, and now, we are very close to the release of his full-length debut -- which has been in the works since late January of this year. There have been three other singles shared from the album, aside from "White Iverson," which include "Too Young," "Go Flex," and his #1 US Rhythmic song featuring Justin Bieber, "Deja Vu."

On the writing process for Stoney

"We started recording early this year, like [in] February of this year, maybe late January. We started working, and I thought it was done, but then I went back and I said, 'you know what, this could be doper. This could be more fire.' I just added new sh*t to it, and just kept on going. I just get into the studio and vibe."

By the sound of it, fans can look forward to a lot of awesome music on Stoney. The features alone are enough to make fans excited, as they include Justin Bieber ("Deja Vu"), Pharrell Williams, Kehlani, and Quavo ("Congratulations"), with production from producers like Metro Boomin and more. There has also been speculation as to whether or not Kanye West will make an appearance on the record following their "Fade" collab from Ye's The Life of Pablo album, which was released earlier this year.

On how he chose which artists he wanted to collaborate with on Stoney

"I wanted to work with people that I really f***ed with, not only a personal level, but on an artist level. I just wanted to make a body of work that was not only dope to hear, but you could hear the vibes that we captured working together."

Fans have already heard songs like "Deja Vu" and "Go Flex," but when we asked Posty which song(s) he was most anxious for fans to hear, he told us he can't wait for them to hear them ALL. "I'm excited for them to hear the whole thing. I know that's a boring answer, but I think it's a really dope piece of work, and it better be for the amount of time that it's taking."

One thing fans might not realize about the making of Stoney, is that Post has explored a lot of live instrumentation. You can even see him play guitar in his "Go Flex" music video. He tells us, "I play guitar on the album, that's pretty tight. A lot of people know that I play, but I'm exploring live instrumentation type of sh*t on [Stoney]. It's pretty cool."

On the meaning behind his album title Stoney

So, where did the album's title come from? From an old nickname given to him by friends. "Whenever I used to smoke weed, everybody would call me 'Stoney Maloney.' I just kind of named it in reverence of a time when I was really cool, and I would blaze it up four twenty, almost every day."

Watch Post Malone's "Go Flex" music video below: