You probably wouldn’t expect Post Malone to be associated with the world of guitars and rock music, but it turns out he has quite a connection. Born in 1995, Post Malone initially made his mark in the music world with his 2015 hit single “White Iverson,” which launched him into the spotlight. Since then, he’s collaborated with major artists like Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, and Kanye West.
But what does a hip-hop and R&B artist like Post Malone have to do with rock and roll? Surprisingly, quite a bit. Before his rise to fame, Post played guitar and even auditioned for the metalcore band Crown the Empire. According to his Wikipedia page, he didn’t get the gig because one of his guitar strings broke during the audition.
Bill Burr Podcast
My first introduction to Post Malone’s rock side came from listening to the Bill Burr podcast. In his usual hilarious ramblings, Burr—who is a drummer and a rock and roll fan—mentioned attending a concert on December 16, 2016, at The Roxy Theater in West Hollywood, CA. The show was organized by Dave Navarro and his band, Royal Machines, and featured a mix of rock stars and guests, including Macy Gray, Cypress Hill, and Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains.
But the standout moment for Burr, and a lot of people, was a performance by someone few rock fans were familiar with at the time: Post Malone.
Post Malone’s Rock Performance
According to Burr, Post Malone took the stage and performed two iconic songs—”Killing in the Name” by Rage Against the Machine and “Would” by Alice in Chains. To everyone’s surprise, he absolutely nailed both songs. His performances were raw, energetic, and, frankly, pretty impressive.
You can check out the performance online, and it’s clear that Post isn’t just a hip-hop artist—he’s got some serious rock chops too.
Dave Navarro’s Setup
While Post’s performance was impressive, we can’t ignore Dave Navarro’s role in the night. Navarro was playing what appeared to be his usual PRS Signature model (the PRS SE Dave Navarro), black with gold-plated hardware and no pickup covers. Although there wasn’t a clear shot of his pedalboard, it’s likely he was using a DigiTech Whammy pedal during the solo, the same one Tom Morello used in the original Rage Against the Machine track.
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