Topline:
Post Malone's new album makes it sound like that rockstar lifestyle is losing its luster. It's titled Austin — after his real name, Austin Post. We talk about what he's accomplished so far, and what's next.
On fatherhood: We asked the rapper how it made him want to change how he lives his life.
On being liked: "He says: "I mean, my dad told me when I was a kid, 'Not everybody's going to like you.' And that stuck with me. I do the best for the people that do.
It's hard to describe Post Malone as anything other than a rockstar. He's lived like it: jewelry, face tattoos and his ever present cans of Bud Light.
But Post Malone's new album makes it sound like that rockstar lifestyle is losing its luster. It's titled Austin — after his real name, Austin Post.
A Martinez, a co-host of NPR's Morning Edition, spoke with Post Malone shortly before the album's release. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
A Martinez: Let's just start off with the name of the album. You named it after yourself: Austin. So what about what you were writing and recording made you think, Yeah, this is Austin.
Post Malone: We were about to go on tour and we initially wanted to record an acoustic record. We ended up making half the record in that week. And towards the end, you know, the development of it, we were like, 'Well, let's add some drums. Let's do some fun stuff to it.' So it just kind of became its own record and not strictly an acoustic record.
But I guess... That's my name! So we figured, you know, this is a record done by me. And also we couldn't think of another name.
A Martinez: So that's the ultimate reason? "I just couldn't think of anything."
I want to give you guys a smarter answer, but that's about it. We had a lot of options: "Don't Eat the Chicken Nuggets, There's Plastic in It." But see, that's, like, way too long.
A Martinez: It also sounds way more intensely personal. The very first song — "I Don't Understand" — you sing, "I don't understand how you like me so much because I don't like myself." Millions of people feel the same way. It's like that Groucho Marx line, "I don't want to be part of a club that would have someone like me as a member."
To be honest, I have a lot of self-confidence issues, and they came around kind of late. As I got older, I started looking at things differently, trying to take my time. And then you start thinking, "You have so much riding on everything!" You don't want to be disrespectful and super crazy because you have so many people that work with you and people that you love. So, you just try to take time to really think through things. It's a lot of anxiety, and a lot of different emotions come with that.
A Martinez: I think a lot of people couldn't possibly understand that someone like you, that has millions of fans — that does a job that people dream of doing — they think, 'Well, how could you possibly not like yourself when we like you so much?'
Sure. That not only has to do with relationships, but also performing and being in the public light. It's super introspective. I always questioned things, and now I have a tendency to second-guess myself. And I know I shouldn't. I love the music that I make. I love making music. I guess that's the takeaway from that song — just try your best. I mean, my dad told me when I was a kid, "Not everybody's going to like you." And that stuck with me. I do the best for the people that do.
A Martinez: I think dads tend to say that more than moms. My mom says, "Everyone loves you." My dad's like, "Maybe people don't like you so much.
That's all right.
A Martinez: Being a father changes things, doesn't it?
Post Malone: Very much so. Very much so. It put everything into perspective.
She is about 14 months now, and she just started running around and walking. I used to not really care about a lot of stuff, but that really turns it around super quick, man. I don't leave the house anymore. I don't really want to do anything. I want to hang out with the baby and play video games when she goes to bed.
I want to work my ass off, you know, and it's such a hard thing to do, especially going on tour. Going on tour is really hard because she just did ten steps the other day, and her mom sent me a video. I really, really, really wish that I could have seen that.
But I hope one day, she understands that, you know, me and my super bust ass just try to give her the best life that we can.
A Martinez: So she knows your voice? She knows that's daddy singing?
Post Malone: She knows and it's so cute because her mom has all the songs. I sent her all the songs. And whenever she hears, she does this kind-of shoulder dance.
She loves "Chemical." She gets so pumped. It's so funny to watch her. And that makes me, like, the proudest man in the world.
You got someone that loves you unconditionally, and then you have someone you love unconditionally as well. And for the longest time, we had a hard time. "We," as in me — I don't know why I'm doing that — but we had a hard time where we lost a lot of focus and were super sad and down in the dumps. And this baby... It's the most amazing thing to happen to me in a long time.
A Martinez: How did it make you want to change your life, or change how you lived your life?
Post Malone: I used to drink a whole lot, now I drink to celebrate, to have a good time. And now I don't smoke inside anymore. I save my money and take care of stuff that I need to do. And get everything prepared and just make sure that she has the coolest life that she can. I guess that's what all dads want to do is just make it beautiful for their baby.
And yeah, it's changed a lot. Making those changes has made me the happiest I've ever been. So it's pretty amazing.
A Martinez: You've described yourself at certain points "not feeling like Austin." Now with this album, where you live... are you back to being Austin?
Post Malone: I think so. Yes, sir. I'm in the best spot that I have been in ten years, if not my whole entire life mentally. It takes a lot of work. And it takes a lot of getting your ass kicked to say, "This is not even what I wanted in the first place."
And the cool thing is that now, I know what I want. I have a purpose. I spent so long looking for a purpose. Like, Who am I? What do I want to do? What is this?
Now I feel like Austin. Yeah, I feel like Austin. I think the goal of every person is to be as happy as a kid and just be like, eat those chicken nuggets! You know what I'm talking about? I think at the end of the day, my goal is to just be happy and be able to run around with my daughter and just be a kid and have fun.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
Topline:
Guadalupe Rosales, who was at the center of the ’90s LA party crew scene, felt her joyful experiences and those of her friends were being erased, overshadowed by a narrative of gang violence. So she wrote East of the River: A Memoir of Los Angeles Girlhood to make sure their stories would not be forgotten.
Why it matters: The '90s party crew scene was a multi-faceted movement that involved mostly Latino youth in Southern California. It involved music, fashion, flier art and the commerce of staging parties.
What it drew on: The memoir’s foundation was the online archive Veteranas and Rucas, a repository of Rosales’ photos from the party crew scene, and photos, largely from women, from those times.
The backstory: Rosales began documenting the party crew scene years after being in it, while she was earning an MFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Read on… to read about the party crew names and the women’s dominant fashions in the scene.
In the '90s, Guadalupe Rosales was a teenager in Los Angeles, part of the party crew scene. She remembers it as beautiful and empowering — but that’s not what she saw years later when she searched for stories about the scene online.
“I noticed that anything that was about Latino culture, '90s culture in L.A. specifically, [focused on] gang violence, everything that was mostly criminalizing,” Rosales said.
Rosales’ new memoir, East of the River: A Memoir of Los Angeles Girlhood, is her effort to correct the absence of personal histories of people who were a key part of that scene.
The book is part historical archive, and part personal narrative. It’s also a log of her efforts to bring the scene to life for people in the 21st century, using her training as an artist and a scholar, three decades after the scene’s heyday.
Rosales's artistic work today is in demand. Her most recent solo show was "Tzahualli: Mi memoria en tu reflejo" in 2025 at the Palm Springs Art Museum. The Broad acquired a piece by Rosales that it's including in a group show titled "Has the myth been shattered" opening in November.
Her pieces are in the collections of the Whitney Museum, the Hammer, LACMA and others. Rosales has taught at UCLA and UC Riverside.
She brings that sensibility to the book. “I really wanted to think about something that could live on hundreds of years from now, something that could be studied, something that could feel empowering, especially for women,” she said.
The ‘90s party crew scene was a multi-faceted movement that involved mostly Latino youth in Southern California. The center of the phenomenon was the party, which could take place in small backyards or large empty warehouses.
The music was variations of underground techno far from the pop mainstream. DJs played and mixed records on analog turntables, from people like DJ Irene and DJ Attack.
The scene also generated a lot of business activity. Partygoers paid entrance fees, and for alcohol, party organizers paid venues to hold the party and for the DJs to keep people dancing.
It was common to go out with the same group of people. The groups came up with names for their crews, such as Chicanos With Pride, Firme Hinas, Aztek Nation, Frek Show Tribe, Hispanics Causing Panic, and Playerz Cauzin’ Pleazure, among many, many others.
It was all covered by Street Beat, an independent publication loaded with photos of party crews and parties, while individuals honed graphic design styles for the fliers used to promote each party.
Fashion was another essential component of the scene.
In the book, Rosales describes the mesmerized feeling she had when she saw her first house party. She was about 13 years old and watched the young women show off their style through the window of her house in East L.A.
“They wore tank tops and baggy pants with puffed-out front pockets or overalls. Their sneakers — Adidas or Converse Chuck Taylors,” she said. “Two of the girls wore oversized shirts that hung loosely on their frames, and they had short hair like Demi Moore in the movie Ghost. The others wore their hair longer, styled in that wet, wavy look that was so popular, half pulled up with a clip. One took out a travel-size Aqua Net hairspray and mousse, then scrunched up her hair with one hand while spraying her hair with the other.”
The style and dance moves wowed her, she said, but what captivated her then, and to this day, was these young women’s confidence in who they were. It was magnetic, pointed her in a direction she wanted to go.
For photos, Rosales drew on her online archive Veteranas and Rucas, (which roughly translates as “experienced ladies and broads“) which she’d kept going through the years, a repository of her own photos from the scene, and other photos from the time, largely from women. She began the project while earning an MFA at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The book includes CD covers from popular bands at the time, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, as well as photos of youth at protests against Prop. 187, the anti-immigrant California ballot measure.
“Youth culture exists for everyone. It might look different depending on where you live and who you are. And for us, as teenagers, we're living in that moment,” she said.
In the book Rosales connects a student walkout at her high school in Montebello with memories of her mother taking her and her sister to protests years before.
“Being an adult, working on this book, being an artist is also about reflecting back and also learning a lot of things that I wasn't aware of,” she said.
East of the River: A Memoir of Los Angeles Girlhood is published by One World, an imprint of Penguin Random House and is available Sept. 8.
Topline:
Two loves of Mexican American culture in L.A. are coming together in a show called “Mariachi Meets The Smiths” at The Ford on Sept. 27.
Backstory: The crossover is the brainchild of Maira Solis, director of the L.A.-based Mariachi Tierra Mia, which will perform at the show.
Read on … to find out how a lucha libre Christmas party paved the way for this crossover show at The Ford.
Two loves of Mexican American culture in L.A. are coming together in a show called “Mariachi Meets The Smiths” at The Ford.
And you know if you know.
Maira Solis is the show’s architect — as well as the director of Mariachi Tierra Mia, the L.A.-based group that will perform a mariachi program the night of Sept. 27 before launching into a set of Smiths covers with the band, The Last Line of Defense.
As to the enduring love Mexican Angelenos have for The Smiths, Solis will be the first to admit she didn’t know.
“This was, like, not intentional at all,” she said of the crossover.
The inadvertent mash-up happened in December 2024, just hours before Mariachi Tierra Mia was set to play a house gig — a “lucha libre-themed Christmas party” — when their client asked if the group knew any songs by The Smiths.
That would be the ‘80s Manchester band — led by singer-lyricist (and the Pope of Mope himself) Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr — that crafted songs as gorgeous and achy as they are wry and over-the-top. “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” and “Girlfriend in a Coma” are popular titles.
“I was like, ‘I don't think so,’” Solis said. She double-checked with her husband, Ivan Peña, guitarist and singer.
“He turned around, and he's like, ‘I f—ing love The Smiths,’” she recalled.
A few hours later, Peña, with a serape draped over his Charro suit and little preparation, belted out “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” — and brought down the house.
“Like, the mariachis were jamming out, the taco people, the bar people, everyone in attendance was just like, ‘Yeah,’” Solis said.
That performance, captured on video, went viral on social media. Then the requests started to flood in.
“Hey, we love all your traditional songs,” her clients would tell Solis. “But can you put a Smiths song in there?”
Solis picked up the violin in middle school and continued on in high school. Both schools in Boyle Heights offered mariachi programs that exposed her to the music.
Some of the students, she said, were already doing paid gigs and took her under their wing.
Solis was very much humbled at her first backyard gig, armed with a repertoire of about 20 songs learned from school, around age 14.
“I realized, ‘Oh my God, I don't know anything,’” she said, comparing her knowledge to the music’s vast songbook that has been passed down for generations.
Then there are the subgenres. “People will ask for a bolero, a huapango, a son, a ranchera,” she said.
And the music keeps adding new numbers, such as “Risk It All” by Bruno Mars.
Is it really so strange (yes, that’s indeed a Smiths reference) then, that mariachi would meet The Smiths?
“A lot of mariachi songs stand the test of time because they're very poetic,” she said, as they are commonly about heartbreak and hardships. “The melodies really give life to those words.”
Just like the music of The Smiths.
“That's why they're timeless,” Solis said. “The whole purpose of our ‘Mariachi Meets The Smiths’ — it’s gonna blend that.”
Where: The Ford, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Los Angeles
When: 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 27
Tickets and info: theford.com
Topline:
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and multiple insurance companies he owns have been sued, alleging they failed to disclose an ongoing federal probe to customers while directing policyholders’ money into Walter’s other companies.
Who's behind the suit: Ira Rosner, a 67-year-old Florida man, brought the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Miami on Wednesday. He purchased a policy from Delaware Life in April and he had until late May to withdraw his money without penalty. However, the company did not disclose the investigation to him until June, Rosner is seeking a jury trial in the lawsuit that seeks damages for negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract and aiding and abetting fraud.
The backstory: Walter has been under investigation since last year by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission following a whistleblower complaint regarding alleged misrepresented loans made between companies within his business portfolio.
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter and multiple insurance companies he owns have been sued, alleging they failed to disclose an ongoing federal probe to customers while directing policyholders’ money into Walter’s other companies.
The lawsuit lists Walter, Delaware Life Insurance Co., Clear Spring Life and Annuity, TWG Global Holdings and Walter’s Guggenheim Partners investment firm as defendants.
Ira Rosner, a 67-year-old Florida man, brought the class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Miami on Wednesday. He purchased a policy from Delaware Life in April and he had until late May to withdraw his money without penalty. However, the company did not disclose the investigation to him until June,
Rosner is seeking a jury trial in the lawsuit that seeks damages for negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract and aiding and abetting fraud.
TWG Global didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
Walter has been under investigation since last year by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and the Securities and Exchange Commission following a whistleblower complaint regarding alleged misrepresented loans made between companies within his business portfolio.
TWG Global Holdings is the holding company through which Walter controls Delaware Life, Clear Spring Life and Annuity Co. and his stake in Guggenheim Partners. TWG Global denied any wrongdoing involving the probe in a statement last month.
Walter and co-owner Todd Boehly sold their stakes in English Premier League club Chelsea this week. Last month, Walter agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers in a surprise move less than a year after buying the NBA franchise from the Buss family. The deal is under review by the league.
The Dodgers have been adamant that Walter has no plans to sell the baseball team.
Topline:
Compton Unified Superintendent Darin Brawley has won a national education prize recognizing his leadership in improving student achievement in the district. Brawley will receive the 2026 Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education, which includes a $50,000 award, at a ceremony in New York City in November.
Why it matters: The McGraw Center for Education Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, which administers the prize, cited the “extraordinary impact” of Brawley and the two other recipients. Brawley won for his work in K-12; prizes are also awarded for higher education and lifelong learning.
Why now: With about 20,000 predominantly low-income Black and Hispanic students, Compton was singled out nationally for test scores in math and reading that did not fall back during the COVID-19 epidemic and continued to exceed the national and state averages since. The center noted that Compton’s graduation rates increased from 58% to 94%, and college acceptance rates exceeded 95% during Brawley’s 14 years as superintendent. It also highlighted the district’s expanded college and career pathways and innovative industry and community partnerships.
Compton Unified Superintendent Darin Brawley has won a national education prize recognizing his leadership in improving student achievement in the district.
Brawley will receive the 2026 Harold W. McGraw Jr. Prize in Education, which includes a $50,000 award, at a ceremony in New York City in November.
The McGraw Center for Education Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, which administers the prize, cited the “extraordinary impact” of Brawley and the two other recipients. Brawley won for his work in K-12; prizes are also awarded for higher education and lifelong learning.
“At a time when schools and communities are confronting profound educational challenges, three visionary leaders are demonstrating what meaningful change can look like,” the McGraw Center said.
With about 20,000 predominantly low-income Black and Hispanic students, Compton was singled out nationally for test scores in math and reading that did not fall back during the COVID-19 epidemic and continued to exceed the national and state averages since.
The center noted that Compton’s graduation rates increased from 58% to 94%, and college acceptance rates exceeded 95% during Brawley’s 14 years as superintendent. It also highlighted the district’s expanded college and career pathways and innovative industry and community partnerships.
Last year, EdSource detailed an unusual drama program at Compton’s Dominguez High. Another EdSource article this year highlighted the inclusion of student-centered “calming corners” and learning stations in school renovations.
The McGraw prize, named after the CEO of the McGraw-Hill education publisher, has been awarded since 1988. Other recent California recipients have included Debra Duardo, Los Angeles County schools superintendent; Jody Lewen, president of Tamalpais College, who introduced academic programs at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Stanford University professor and researcher Roy Pea; and Sol Khan, creator of a worldwide free online education and tutoring platform.
The higher education prize went to Shai Reshef, who founded the University of the People, the first nonprofit, tuition-free, accredited online university, and the lifelong learning prize was awarded to Michael Webber, a nationally recognized professor of mechanical engineering and public policy at the University of Texas at Austin.
This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter.
