Post Malone's Nirvana Tribute May Finally Chart — Half A Decade Late
Post Malone's Tribute to Nirvana may be one of the most exciting and biggest releases for Record ... More Store Day 2025, and it shows another side of the star. LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 06: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Post Malone performs during Wireless Festival 2018 at Finsbury Park on July 6th, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Lorne Thomson/Redferns)
Post Malone has never been shy about experimenting with genre. He launched his career in hip-hop, dominated pop for years, and more recently found surprising success in country music with F-1 Trillion, which brought him back to No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Now, the superstar is returning to rock, but not with brand new material.
For Record Store Day 2025, Malone has signed on to serve as the official ambassador, lending his name and influence to the annual celebration of vinyl and independent music stores. And he's doing more than just smiling for the camera or promoting the event – he's sharing a new collection…sort of.
Malone is releasing a special album titled Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana, which is certain to be one of the most in-demand items during Record Store Day this year. The set isn't exactly new, but it's never been released in any official format before now.
Back on April 24, 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Malone livestreamed a performance from home in honor of Nirvana. The show featured Blink-182's Travis Barker, and it was highly-viewed and earned him praise for his performance. At the time, it helped reshape Malone's image, proving that he wasn't just a genre-hopping pop star, but someone who genuinely respected and understood rock music, particularly grunge.
Nearly five years later, the audio from that livestream is being pressed onto a yellow vinyl, which is exclusive to Record Store Day 2025. The two-LP set features 14 tracks, including many of Nirvana's most iconic songs like "Come As You Are," "Heart-Shaped Box," "Something In The Way," "Lithium," and "In Bloom." "Smells Like Teen Spirit" isn't included, though.
Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana is being produced in a larger quantity than almost anything else available for Record Store Day this year. A whopping 17,000 copies will be made available to buy, and that marks the largest pressing of any exclusive release this year. That number alone shows that Malone isn't just trying to support indie stores, he's also aiming for another major Billboard win.
Because the album won't be available on streaming services (at least initially), and fans can't order it online, those 17,000 vinyl records will represent the title's first-week sales. If it can sell even half of those, which seems possible, the set will have a real shot at appearing on charts like the Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales tally, where physical sales are weighted heavily.
This rock collection arrives less than a year after Malone shocked fans with his full pivot to country music. His 2024 album F-1 Trillion gave him yet another No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced a new chart-topping single on the Hot 100. Now, Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana marks yet another genre turn.
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