If you were scrolling through DatPiff or SoundCloud back in May 2016, you probably remember the absolute chaos surrounding Austin Post. He was the "White Iverson" guy. People were calling him a one-hit-wonder before he even had a full project out. Then, he drops this thing called August 26.
Most people call it the Post Malone August 26 album, but technically, it was a mixtape. A freebie. A "warm-up" for what was supposed to be his big debut, Stoney.
The title itself is a bit of a tragic comedy in hip-hop history. See, the plan was simple: drop the mixtape in May to build hype, then release the actual album on August 26, 2016. But August 26 came and went. No album. Posty actually had to jump on social media the next day to apologize to his fans, admitting that he and his team had "let everyone down." We didn't get Stoney until December.
So, why are we still talking about this "placeholder" project a decade later? Honestly, because it’s where Post Malone actually found his soul.
The Sound of a Genre Crisis (In a Good Way)
At the time, Post was in a weird spot. He was opening for Justin Bieber on the Purpose tour and hanging out with Kanye West. He was "rap-adjacent" but clearly wanted to be something else. August 26 is the sound of that struggle.
It’s messy. It’s hazy. It feels like a 3 AM Uber ride home where you can't decide if you're happy or depressed.
Take a track like "40 Funk." It’s produced by ILoveMakonnen and FKi 1st, and it’s basically just Posty vibing over this weird, druggy instrumental. It’s not a radio hit. It’s not "Congratulations." But it showed that he wasn't afraid to be experimental. He was playing with textures that other rappers wouldn't touch.
That Fleetwood Mac Sample
If there is one reason the Post Malone August 26 album stays in the rotation, it’s "Hollywood Dreams / Come Down." Sampling Fleetwood Mac’s "Dreams" is a bold move for a 20-year-old kid from Syracuse via Texas. But it worked. He took Stevie Nicks’ iconic melody and turned it into a somber, guitar-heavy anthem about the hollow nature of Los Angeles.
- "Thunder only happens when it's raining..."
When he hits those notes, you realize he wasn't just a "trap artist." He was a rockstar who happened to use 808s. This track basically set the blueprint for everything he did later on Hollywood's Bleeding and Austin.
Who Showed Up?
The feature list on this thing is a time capsule of 2016. You’ve got:
- 2 Chainz on "Money Made Me Do It" (the only track that really made it onto the deluxe version of Stoney).
- Lil Yachty on "Monte," which is a weirdly catchy tribute to NBA player Monta Ellis.
- Jaden Smith and Teo on "Lonely," which sounds like a hazy cloud-rap fever dream.
- Jeremih on "Fuck," which is exactly what you think it is—a smooth, R&B-leaning bedroom track.
It’s a bizarre mix of people. Larry June pops up on the intro, "Never Understand," and it sets this relaxed, "I’m just doing me" tone for the whole thirty-seven minutes.
Why the Critics Hated It (and Why They Were Wrong)
If you look back at reviews from 2016, a lot of people were pretty harsh. Sputnikmusic gave it a 1.0, calling it "boring" and "commercially slick." Anthony Fantano wasn't a fan either. The general consensus from the "serious" music world was that Post Malone was a flash in the pan with zero depth.
But they missed the point.
The Post Malone August 26 album wasn't trying to be a lyrical masterpiece. It was a vibe check. It was about atmosphere. While critics were looking for metaphors, fans were just vibing to the reverb-drenched vocals and the DIY feel of the production.
The mixtape proved that Post had a "stick-to-your-ribs" melodic sensibility. Even the tracks that felt like filler, like "Git Wit U," had these earworm hooks that you couldn't get out of your head. It showed he could carry a project, even if the project was just a bunch of loose ideas thrown together while he was touring with Bieber.
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The Legacy of August 26
It’s funny looking back now that Post Malone is a diamond-certified artist with country albums and stadium tours. August 26 feels like the "lost tapes" of a legend.
It exists in this weird legal limbo, too. Since it was a free mixtape released on DatPiff, it’s not always easy to find on major streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music (though "Money Made Me Do It" is there via Stoney). Fans still hunt for the high-quality downloads or the unofficial vinyl pressings that occasionally pop up in record stores.
If you want to understand how we got the Post Malone of today, you have to go back to this mixtape. You can hear the beginnings of his country influences, his obsession with 70s rock, and his ability to make "sad" sound like a party.
What to Do if You’re Just Discovering It
If you’ve only ever heard his radio hits, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle. Here is how to actually digest the Post Malone August 26 album in 2026:
- Find the Original: Don't just listen to the chopped-up versions on YouTube. Find the full mixtape sequence. The transitions matter.
- Listen to "Oh God" Last: This is the closing track. It’s haunting, minimal, and shows a vulnerable side of Post that he didn't really show again until years later.
- Compare it to Stoney: Notice how much "cleaner" the album version of his sound became. There’s a rawness on the mixtape that got polished away in the studio.
Honestly, the "August 26" date might have been a failed release deadline, but for the fans, it became a timestamp of the moment a superstar was born in the middle of a messy, beautiful transition.
Actionable Insight: If you're a vinyl collector, keep an eye on secondary markets like Discogs. While there was never an "official" wide retail release for the mixtape, several high-quality "import" (bootleg) pressings exist. They are becoming increasingly rare as Post's early era gains "cult classic" status among younger fans who missed the 2016 SoundCloud wave.