Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Post Malone has gained recognition for blending various musical genres, for his introspective songwriting, and his laconic vocal style. Born in Syracuse, New York and raised in Grapevine, Texas, Malone began his hip hop career following the release of his debut single "White Iverson" in 2015, which peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was later certified quadruple platinum in the United States; its success resulted in his recording contract with Republic Records. Malone has since earned the number-four album Stoney (2016) and number-one album Beerbongs & Bentleys (2018) on the US Billboard 200. Beerbongs & Bentleys broke several streaming records upon release, while Stoney broke the record for most weeks on Billboard's Top R&B and Hip-Hop Albums chart after reaching its 77th week. Further, Malone has attained six top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100: "Congratulations", "Better Now", "Wow" and the chart-topping songs "Rockstar", "Psycho", and "Sunflower". Post auditioned for the band Crown the Empire in 2010, but was rejected after his guitar strings broke during the audition. He credited his initial interest in learning guitar to the popular video game Guitar Hero.