In 2019, the internet basically had a collective meltdown when a track called "Take What You Want" hit the charts. It wasn't just the song itself. It was the fact that Ozzy Osbourne and Post Malone were sharing a microphone. Social media was a mess. You had Gen Z kids genuinely asking, "Who is this Ozzy guy? Post is so nice for helping a new artist." Meanwhile, the older generation was clutching their vintage Black Sabbath vinyl in horror.
But here is the thing. This wasn't some corporate marketing stunt cooked up in a boardroom to "bridge the generational gap." Honestly, it was much weirder and way more personal than that.
The Text Message That Changed Everything
Ozzy was in a bad way before this happened. He’d been stuck on his sofa for months. He was recovering from a nasty fall, a neck surgery that went sideways, and the heavy reality of a Parkinson’s diagnosis. He thought he was done. He told people he was just waiting for the end.
Then Andrew Watt, a producer who’s worked with everyone from Miley Cyrus to Justin Bieber, had a wild idea. He was working with Post Malone. Posty, it turns out, is a massive metalhead. Always has been. Before he was the guy with "Always Tired" tattooed under his eyes, he was a kid in a metalcore band called Ashley’s Arrival. He even failed an audition for Crown the Empire because his guitar string snapped.
Watt pitched the idea to Ozzy’s daughter, Kelly, at a party. She loved it. When the request reached Ozzy, his response was classic: "Who the f*** is Post Malone?"
He did it anyway.
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They recorded his vocals in a basement. Ozzy later admitted that this specific collaboration with Post Malone was the "catalyst" that got him off the couch. It gave him his first Top 10 hit in over 30 years. The last time he was that high on the charts was 1989 with Lita Ford. That’s a 30-year gap. A world record, actually.
It’s A Raid: Cocaine, Cops, and Bel Air
The friendship didn't stop at one song. If "Take What You Want" was the moody, emo-rock hit, their second team-up, "It’s A Raid," was the chaotic older brother.
The story behind this one is peak Ozzy. Back in 1972, Black Sabbath was recording Vol. 4 in a rented house in Bel Air. It was boiling hot. Ozzy saw a button on the wall and thought it was for the air conditioning. He pressed it.
It wasn't the AC. It was a silent alarm.
Within minutes, the house was surrounded by police. Ozzy, panicked and surrounded by "piles" of illegal substances, did the only logical thing he could think of: he hid in the bathroom and tried to ingest everything before the cops got to him. He didn't sleep for four days.
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When he told Post Malone this story, they decided it had to be a song. You can hear them screaming "It's a f***ing raid!" over blistering guitars. It’s loud. It’s messy. It’s perfect.
Why This Duo Actually Works
People try to put music in boxes. Post Malone hates that. He’s done hip-hop, grunge, and lately, he’s been dominating the country charts with Morgan Wallen. He’s a musical chameleon. Ozzy, despite being the "Prince of Darkness," has always been a fan of a good melody.
They are both "outsiders" who became the biggest stars in the world.
- Mutual Respect: Post treats Ozzy like a god.
- The "Vibe" Factor: Both artists prioritize emotion over technical perfection.
- Genre-Blurring: They proved that a kid in a Metallica shirt at a Travis Scott show is the new norm.
There’s a video of them performing at the 2019 AMAs. Pyrotechnics are going off everywhere. Post is dancing around like a maniac, and Ozzy is planted center stage, looking like he’s having the time of his life. You could see the spark was back.
The Final Chapter
Sadly, time catches up to everyone. Ozzy Osbourne passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76. He’d spent his final years battling Parkinson's and the fallout from various surgeries. But he didn't go out quietly.
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Before he died, he managed to play a massive hometown show in Birmingham. He even finished his autobiography, Last Rites. Rumors are still swirling about a "secret album" he was working on with Zakk Wylde right before the end. He wanted one last "melodic but heavy" record.
Post Malone was one of the first to pay tribute. He didn't just lose a collaborator; he lost a friend. The guy who "discovered" the unknown artist Ozzy Osbourne ended up being the person who helped him find his voice one last time.
How to Appreciate the Ozzy-Posty Legacy
If you want to understand why this matters, don't just look at the streaming numbers. Look at the shift in culture.
- Listen to "Take What You Want" followed by "War Pigs." You’ll hear the DNA. The DNA of heavy, dark, melodic music hasn't changed; only the delivery method has.
- Watch the "Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne" documentary. There’s a bonus scene where Post Malone talks about watching The Osbournes as a kid. It puts their chemistry into perspective.
- Ignore the genres. If the music makes you feel something, it’s working. That was the core philosophy both these guys lived by.
The collaboration between Ozzy Osbourne and Post Malone wasn't just a weird blip in music history. It was a lifeline. It reminded an old legend that he still mattered, and it showed a new superstar how to stay humble while conquering the world.