Post Malone reflects on 'culture vulture' accusations and career struggles in CBS News interview

Post Malone, one of the world's most popular artists, recently opened up about the "culture vulture" accusations that have followed him since his breakthrough hit "White Iverson" in 2015. In an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, the 29-year-old singer revealed that these criticisms took a significant toll on him during the early days of his career. "It sucked," Malone said, recalling how he felt as a young artist under intense scrutiny. "I was a kid." He admitted that he coped with the stress by drinking heavily.

When asked if he took the accusations personally, Malone confirmed that he did but emphasized that he continued to write music despite the negativity. "It’s not for people who hate you," he explained. "It’s for the people who love you, and for yourself, you know what I mean?"

Despite his massive success, with over 40 billion streams globally, the "culture vulture" label has remained a controversial aspect of Malone's career. In 2018, during a performance at Miami's LIV nightclub, Malone addressed his critics directly, saying, "There’s a lot of people that wanted to talk down on me... and say that I don’t appreciate hip-hop, that I don’t do nothing for the culture... and I always say, congratu-fucking-lations, man."

In a separate interview with GQ around the same time, Malone denied accusations of cultural appropriation, stating, "I just want to be a person that makes music. I make music that I like, and I think that kicks ass."