Austin Richard Post has said he chose “Post Malone” after entering his name into a rap-name generator. He needed a name for music he had already made, liked the result, and kept it. The account comes from a 2017 interview with Noisey—not from a documented tribute to basketball player Karl Malone.
How Austin Post says he got the name
In a 2017 interview with Noisey, Post explained that he had already made songs and was looking for a name. He entered his name into a rap-name generator, which returned “Post Malone.” As he put it: “So, I put my name in a rap name generator, and it said ‘Post Malone.’”
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His explanation is straightforward: he needed a performing name, a generator supplied one, and he decided to use it. The interview does not identify which generator he used, so the service itself cannot be named.
Was the name a tribute to Karl Malone?
The claim that “Malone” honors basketball player Karl Malone is an unconfirmed rumor, not an explanation Post gave in the Noisey interview. Sporting News also reports the generator account rather than establishing a Karl Malone connection. There is not enough evidence to present the tribute story as fact.
#1 Best Overall
- F-1 Trillion is the much-anticipated sixth LP and first-ever, full-length country album from Post Malone
What about the story that he was 14?
Sporting News reports a separate account from The Tonight Show in which Malone said he was about 14 and needed a name for a mixtape. That age and the mixtape detail are secondary reporting; the clearest first-person account in the sources cited here is his 2017 Noisey explanation. The age is not necessary to understand how he says the name originated.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Austin Post and Post Malone
Austin Richard Post is the artist’s personal name; Post Malone is the name he performs under. His official site identifies him as Austin Richard Post. In 2023, NPR described his album Austin as taking its title from his real name, Austin Post. That later title draws attention to the name behind the stage persona, but it does not change the account of how “Post Malone” began.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- GRAMMY-nominated, 8x RIAA diamond-certified global superstar Post Malone released his fifth full-length offering (and one of the most anticipated albums of the year) on July 28, 2023 via Mercury/Republic Records
Rank #4
Rank #3
- beerbongs & bentleys is Post Malone's multiplatinum sophomore album, released in 2018 via Republic Records
Rank #2
- Post Malone stirs a mix of genres into his own sonic sound that's both intoxicating and invigorating
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