Rockstar (Post Malone song)
"Rockstar" is a song by American rapper Post Malone, featuring Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage. It was released on September 15, 2017, by Republic Records as the lead single from his second studio album Beerbongs & Bentleys. The artists co-wrote the song with Joey Badass, Carl Austin Rosen, Louis Bell, and Olufunmibi "Tank God" Awoshiley; the latter two are also the producers.
The track reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, and reached the top spot in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, Portugal, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the United Kingdom. It became both Post Malone and 21 Savage's first number-one single in all the countries mentioned. The song was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
Post Malone posted a snippet of himself recording the track in the studio via Twitter on December 26, 2016. The song originally featured American artists T-Pain and Joey Badass, the latter who co-wrote the track but is uncredited.Music videos
The unofficial YouTube video for the track's audio, released by Republic Records, is a three-minute-and-38-second loop of solely the song's chorus. Therefore, the song was able to receive equivalent downloads without featuring the entirety of the song, which some attributed to its number-one spot on the Hot 100. Some called it a "clever marketing scheme", while others believed it was a trick or a loophole.The official music video, directed by Emil Nava, was released on Post Malone's Vevo YouTube channel on November 21, 2017. The video features Post Malone in a room fighting against a gang of men with samurai swords, and ends with Post Malone and 21 Savage covered in blood. Pitchfork noted that the video references the Japanese action film Lady Snowblood. As of April 2020, the video has received more than 652 million views on YouTube.
Chart performance
The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Post Malone and 21 Savage's first number-one song. It debuted at number two behind Cardi B's "Bodak Yellow", breaking the single week streaming record on Apple Music with over 25 million streams becoming Post Malone's third top 20 hit, following his debut single, "White Iverson" and his top 10 hit "Congratulations". It stayed behind "Bodak Yellow" for three consecutive weeks before reaching the top spot in its fourth week. As of October 2017, the single has sold 165,458 copies in the United States. "Rockstar" topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks, the longest run at number one for a hip hop song in 2017. After its eighth week at number one, it was knocked off by “Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé. As of March 2020, the single has sold over 8,000,000 copies, being certified 8x Platinum in the US.In New Zealand, it debuted at number 4, then moved to the top spot the following week, staying at the summit for 8 weeks. It prevented "Havana", from Camila Cabello reaching number 1, peaking at number 2 for 5 consecutive weeks. In Australia, it topped the ARIA Singles Chart for seven weeks In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number five on September 22, 2017. The following week, it rose three places to number two, behind Sam Smith's "Too Good at Goodbyes", before reaching the top on October 6.
Critical reception
Spin.com reviewed the song's unofficial video by stating: "The chorus loop may be a weirdly hypnotic, post-Vine marketing gimmick, but it seems like it worked. "rockstar" is both Post Malone's and 21 Savage's first-ever No. 1 single, meaning this probably won't be the last time an artist attempts to boost a track by distilling its catchiest section into a standalone product. Maybe, in the future, we'll all listen to seconds-long hooks on endless extended loops." Spin and Time both named the song one of the worst of 2017.Remixes
On November 29, 2017, an unofficial Crankdat remix of the song was released on Trap Nation channel on YouTube. On December 13, 2017, a Latin remix of the song featuring Puerto Rican reggaeton artists Nicky Jam and Ozuna was released. Another remix was released on December 22, 2017, featuring new verses from rappers Jadakiss and Nino Man. On December 25, 2017, Lil Wayne released his remix of the song, titled "5 Star" and featuring Nicki Minaj, as a single from his mixtape Dedication 6. On December 28, 2017, the original version of the song featuring T-Pain and Joey Bada$$ was leaked. On January 23, 2018, American rapper Fetty Wap released his remix of the song.Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart | Position |
| Australia | 12 |
| Austria | 35 |
| Belgium | 55 |
| Belgium | 21 |
| Canada | 4 |
| CIS | 14 |
| Denmark | 20 |
| Estonia | 3 |
| France | 36 |
| Germany | 21 |
| Hungary | 39 |
| Ireland | 19 |
| Italy | 70 |
| Netherlands | 67 |
| New Zealand | 9 |
| Romania | 2 |
| Russia | 22 |
| Sweden | 8 |
| Switzerland | 18 |
| UK Singles | 24 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 6 |
| US Dance/Mix Show Airplay | 38 |
| US Mainstream Top 40 | 32 |
| US Rhythmic | 11 |