Charts dominator (with three diamond singles and nine Grammy nominations) Post Malone performed two back-to-back sold-out shows last week (10/12 and 10/13) at Madison Square Garden, NY. Recently, I wrote about the supercharged Philly show. One of the topics I missed touching on is the bevy of entrepreneurial projects under Malone and music mogul/manager Dre London. Together, they are taking the world by storm and reinventing a way to connect artists to consumers, by creating a space for their brands.
Post isn’t new to tapping different brand enterprises, either. Some well-known collaborations include Bud Light and Doritos— which have been featured in Super Bowl ads— the former generating a viral campaign for viewers’ choice between #PostyStore and #PostyBar which determined and aired the winner… in addition to yet another ad for Bud Light Legends with past faces/spokespeople that playfully united forces for the sake of the party.
In the Doritos ad, Posty promoted the Flamin Hot Limón flavor chips Flamin Hot Limon flavor chips, completing the look and persona of “Post Limón” with a Doritos tattoo, flaming hot jacket and sporty whip to boot. It’s cool to see other artists venture into this space, too, as we’ve seen Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Charlie Puth, and Bad Bunny, to name a few. Some might argue that it’s an over saturation of star power, but I disagree, since it’s all about fan connection as well as connecting to the brand with their music. It’s hip, fun, and apt for the culture!
As artists and brands go hand in hand for the Super Bowl, this year we get to see the Halftime Show performed by another cultural force and mega-icon Rihanna, presented by Apple Music— a first time sponsor since Pepsi for the many of the past Super Bowl’s history in entertainment sponsorship. I, for one, am super excited to see Rih, and like many others am anxiously awaiting a Halftime appearance from the Post Man himself at some point in Super Bowl history (which is yet TBD as of this writing). With as many career-spanning platinum hits as Malone has had, he’d be a true tour de force! There is also a lot to be said for the Super Bowl’s choice in r&b and hip hop representation over the last few years (The Weeknd, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar), which is an important direction in terms of diversity.
In retail spaces, we’ve seen Post pop up in multiple Crocs collaborations (for which I think there are currently 5 Series), featuring some of his personal stamps such as a barbed wire design, camo aesthetic, and little Posty accents for the accessories that come with it. The latest series immediately sold out when it launched in 2020; and Post Malone, as generous as he is, reserved 5,000 pairs to give away to fans as a thank you. Post’s kindness and compassion, especially when it comes to his fans, is unparalleled.
Photo Credit: Crocs
Most recently, we’ve seen Post collab with Moose Knuckles, an outdoor sporting brand that he’s had a hand in creating. The I Like You (A Happier Song) artist put his personal touches on the design and decision making for a yellow camouflage palette, as well as an additional line for kids, since becoming a new dad. Prior to the Moose Knuckles line, Posty put his name on Arnette sunglasses— a design drawing on street style and pop culture, with Post becoming brand ambassador.
Photo Credit: Moose Knuckles
In the beverage/spirits world, Post has teamed with Jägermeister to help the struggling bar and food services industry, post-covid. Together, they created a campaign #SAVETHENIGHT— an initiative and long-term global commitment to support the nightlife community. Post’s Shaboink brand has seen a couple of different iterations, the last of which donated 40,000 N95 masks to frontline medical workers across the country at the height of the pandemic.
Post and Dre have quickly become a mainstay in the spirits industry. First launching their own premium rosé brand Maison No. 9 two years ago, they are now on course to infiltrate the hard seltzer market with SKRT— a new hard seltzer brand which gives Bud Light Seltzer a run for its money (which by the way is offering a new apple series of seltzers for this year’s holiday fall pack, to contend with last year’s even crazier flavors like egg nog!) Crafted in a state-of-the-art brewing facility, the 2022 summer launch for SKRT introduced four seasonal flavors: Grape, Lemon Lime, Peach, and Black Cherry – all 5% ABV and only 100 calories. It will be interesting to see if an extended line of holiday flavors to rival Bud Light should launch.
Photo Credit: SKRT
Similarly, with regards to their wine collection, I’m sure many wine enthusiasts would love to see reds and whites pop up. Think a full bodied Cabernet, or a semi-sweet white (the latter to even add to apple cider for an amazing mulled cider)! Maison No. 9, has already found success internationally in 9 countries, including a launch in Australia last week. Dre London just also released his own brand (blanco) tequila named Don Londrés for which an exciting tour/after parties are based around.
Photo Credit: Maison No. 9
Photo Credit: Don Londrés
Dre and Post have covered the gamut of caffeinated coffee drinks (Madrinas Coffee) #coffee4fuel as well as grabbed hold of the energy drink market (Monster Energy). One edition I wished Monster x Posty had brought back is DUB (grape); it’s only fitting since Post Malone has a famous saying “I love grapes,” derived from an AMAs acceptance speech from 2019 which competes with the endearing charm of Corn Kid, in becoming its own meme. To be fair, it’s probably one of the reasons he dove into wine… it was a natural fit.
Photo Credit: Monster Energy
In the gaming world, Post Man got involved with HyperX which specializes in headsets and gaming gear. In the toy world, he signed on with Funko POP!, for which there a few different collectible toy versions of himself. As a World Pong League champion, Post developed his own WPL Party Game for adults, complete with an electronic shot clock and custom cups/balls. With the obsession and mayhem-causing drive-thru experience over the new adult Happy Meals (featuring “a collaboration with fashion and lifestyle label Cactus Plant Flea Market, a favorite of hip-hop greats and high-wattage celebs like Rihanna”), I think the only thing missing is a McDonald’s PM Meal, including a mini Funko POP! or something. (Remember when McDonald’s Teenie Beanie Babies were a thing?)
Photo Credit: Funko POP!
Photo Credit: Walmart.com
Being a fan of Magic the Gathering, Post even set up an exclusive contest, sponsored by Whatnot, to play the artist in a match in which his opponent won $100,000. Wizards of the Coast just released new card packs in Post’s honor: “As part of MTG's Secret Lair Drop Series, The “Secret Lair x Post Malone” collaboration features two new sets of trading cards, a part of a series of drops with specially-curated cards that feature unique artwork from artists and designers. Malone’s new sets, like all of them, is only available for a very limited amount of time, and the preorder will begin Monday, October 17.”
Even though this article is centered on the expansive, powerful partnerships between Post and his manager and global entrepreneur Dre, I wanted to include an honorable mention of their friend and business partner Bobby Greenleaf, whose son modeled the Moose Knuckles winter gear. Bobby opened Bob-O’s Cheesesteaks in Ridgefield Park, NJ, within driving distance of Madison Square Garden (the creation of first time restaurateurs he and Bobby Lee). The food looks absolutely delicious! And, again, it leads me to believe it’s only a matter of time before Post and Dre dip into this market— while Dre already sort of has with Tyga Bites, a food delivery service of artist Tyga, with Tyga-branded chicken and special sauces. Rapper 2 Chainz successfully started his own restaurant in Atlanta, originally called EscoBar but had to rebrand as “Esco” after settling a lawsuit brought by the family of the infamous Colombian drug lord, Pablo Escobar. Even with that minor setback, the restaurant is doing exceptionally well and is now being expanded into a franchise across other U.S. cities.
As an entrepreneur, London has a variety of other ventures from his own digital platform AUX Live, which streams concerts, music documentaries, festivals, etc. But, Post and Dre are clearly dominating every territory known to man… that it’s literally a Posty takeover, and we PM fans are loving it! Perhaps we all should be investing in Posty stock! Can’t wait to see what comes next!
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