"I'm an ugly-ass motherf**ker... My face tattoos maybe come from a place of insecurity, to where I don't like how I look, so I'm going to put something cool on there so I can look at myself and say, 'You look cool kid,' and have a modicum of self-confidence."
Post Malone's face tattoos look like bravado. He says they came from insecurity. That contradiction is the best clue to his personality.
Post Malone (Austin Richard Post) is that rare artist who can move between hip-hop, rock, and pop without starting a war with any scene. Critics have called him a "culture vulture." Fans describe him as unusually kind, almost shy.
So what's driving someone who seems so chill while carrying that much self-doubt?
The Enneagram gives a clean read: Type 9, The Peacemaker. Posty embodies the gifts, the blind spots, and the quiet pain that can hide behind a laid-back vibe.
TL;DR: Why Post Malone is an Enneagram Type 9
- Conflict Avoidance: He rarely claps back. When criticism hits, he smooths it over and keeps the temperature down.
- Self-Numbing: He's been candid about drinking and insecurity, classic Nine anesthesia when feelings get too loud.
- Peaceful Presence: The consistent "nicest guy in the industry" reputation is what a healthy Type 9 looks like in public.
- Hidden Insecurity: He frames the tattoos as cover, not swagger. That's the Nine shadow: suppressing needs and calling it "fine."
- Genre Diplomacy: Type 9s blend worlds. Post's career is built on harmonizing styles that normally fight.
What is Post Malone's Personality Type?
Post Malone is an Enneagram Type 9
Enneagram Type 9s are called "The Peacemakers" because no type is more devoted to creating internal and external harmony. They're easy to be around: accepting, steady, and supportive. The downside is self-forgetting. When a Nine keeps the peace long enough, they can lose track of what they actually want.
Post Malone reads like a Nine on camera. He's warm, quick to agree, and almost allergic to beef. But like all Nines, there's a shadow side: insecurity, numbing, and a habit of disappearing behind a vibe.
The Nine's Core Fear and Desire:
- Fear: Loss of connection, fragmentation, separation from others
- Desire: Internal and external peace, wholeness, harmony
Watch any interview with Post Malone and you'll see these dynamics playing out. He agrees with interviewers almost reflexively. He deflects compliments. He seems genuinely surprised that anyone would want to talk to him. It doesn't read like a PR trick. It reads like a Nine trying not to take up space.
The Syracuse Kid Who Moved to Texas
Austin Richard Post was born July 4, 1995, in Syracuse, New York. His parents separated during childhood, and Austin was raised primarily by his father Rich and stepmother Jodie.
His father worked as a wedding DJ in central New York, exposing young Austin to an eclectic mix of music, AC/DC, Mötley Crüe, Twisted Sister, Guns N' Roses. This early immersion in diverse genres would later define his career.
When Austin was nine, his father became the manager of concessions for the Dallas Cowboys, and the family relocated to Grapevine, Texas, a modestly affluent suburb near Dallas.
The Guitar Hero Moment
At age nine, Austin discovered the video game Guitar Hero. Something clicked. The game ignited an obsession with music that led him to teach himself actual guitar through YouTube videos.
By eighth grade, he had won a talent show performing a metalcore cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella", a genre-bending choice that foreshadowed his entire career. At 16, he released his first mixtape using the free audio editor Audacity. His classmates at Grapevine High School voted him "Most Likely to Become Famous."
The name "Post Malone" came from a rap name generator when Austin was 14 or 15. "Post" was his last name; "Malone" was random.
The Chicken Express Years
Before the platinum records, Austin worked at Chicken Express as a teenager. He briefly attended Tarrant County College after graduating high school in 2013 but dropped out after six months because he "wasn't feeling the vibe."
He moved to Los Angeles with a friend and went all-in on music. To a Nine, that kind of jump can feel less like rebellion and more like momentum. The expected path felt dead, so he followed the next open door.
The Rise of Posty
In 2015, Post Malone dropped "White Iverson" on SoundCloud. Within a month, it had a million plays. The song's laid-back flow, genre-blurring production, and hook-heavy construction became his signature.
But with success came criticism. Almost immediately, the "culture vulture" accusations began.
The Controversy That Revealed His Nine-ness
In 2017, Post made comments during what he described as "a beer-tasting interview" that ignited a firestorm. He said: "If you're looking for lyrics, if you're looking to cry, if you're looking to think about life, don't listen to hip-hop."
Critics pounced. Complex ran a piece titled "Here's Why Post Malone Is a Problem." The accusations of cultural appropriation intensified.
Most artists would clap back. Post tried to cool the temperature: apologize, clarify, and emphasize that he loves music.
"I just want to be a person that makes music," he told GQ. "I make music that I like, and I think that kicks ass."
This pattern, absorbing criticism without fully engaging with it, has defined his public persona ever since. When he talks about the "culture vulture" label, he doesn't sound angry. He sounds hurt, like someone who wants to be understood more than he wants to win.
The Face Tattoos: Armor for the Insecure
Post Malone has admitted that the face tattoos aren't a flex. They're cover, a way to put something "cool" over a face he says he doesn't like.
"I'm an ugly-ass motherf**ker," he told GQ. The tattoos give him "a modicum of self-confidence."
This is the window into Post's Type 9 core. Type 9s often struggle to feel they have a right to take up space in the world. They minimize themselves, merge with their environment, and avoid drawing attention to their own needs.
Post's tattoos are paradoxical: they make him stand out while serving as a mask to hide behind. They're a way of controlling his appearance rather than confronting why he feels ugly. They're external armor for internal wounds.
The Mental Health Struggles
In that same GQ interview, Post revealed he had struggled with mental health since childhood:
"Middle school, I would cry myself to sleep every f**kin' day. High school, the same thing. I tried to drink some beers to get rid of that s**t, but it just never goes away."
He connected his journey to the wave of artist deaths around him, mentioning Mac Miller, Lil Peep, and Juice WRLD: "That could have been me."
When asked if he's getting help, his response was classic Nine: "I am, now, I'm trying. It's difficult. Through my songs, I can talk about whatever I want. But sitting here, face-to-face, it's difficult."
Type 9s often struggle to voice their needs directly. They can express themselves through creative outlets, while face-to-face emotional confrontation can feel almost impossible.
The Success He Downplays
Commercially, Post Malone is a streaming-era heavyweight. He's in the same conversation as Drake: constant hits, constant attention, constant reach.
What's more interesting is how little that seems to soothe him. He still talks about insecurity. He still shrugs off praise. He still presents himself like he's waiting to be exposed as an imposter.
That's a Nine problem. Other people's validation doesn't always make it through the door.
The Genre Diplomat
Post's career is basically one long refusal to pick a tribe.
He can make a rap hit with 21 Savage, then jump to a rock collaboration with Ozzy Osbourne, then deliver pop like "Sunflower" with Swae Lee. He can also slide into a pop duet with Justin Bieber without turning it into a tabloid war.
Type 9s do this instinctively. They see the good in every camp, then build bridges instead of flags.
Fatherhood and Growth
In May 2022, Post Malone's daughter was born. In interviews, he described fatherhood as "the most beautiful thing" that "changes your life in the best way ever."
He's also talked about making health changes and cutting back on drinking. That's what integration looks like for a Nine. Not a new personality, a new backbone.
Understanding Post Through the Nine Lens
What makes Post Malone fascinating isn't just his success. It's the contradiction between his public persona and his private reality.
Publicly, he's the chillest guy in the room. He comes across as humble, kind, and approachable, almost uncomfortable with the spotlight.
Privately, he's described years of crying himself to sleep, harsh self-talk, and using alcohol to numb pain.
This is the Nine paradox: appearing peaceful while suppressing profound internal turmoil. Being so focused on external harmony that internal pain gets buried.
Integration and Growth
When Type 9s are healthy, they move toward the positive qualities of Type 3: they become more assertive, goal-oriented, and willing to take up space in the world.
Post's transformation since becoming a father suggests real growth. He's talked about getting help, changing his relationship with alcohol, and dealing with insecurity directly instead of masking it.
"I'm the happiest ever," he said recently. "Now, I'm a dad, I'm hanging out."
Disintegration Under Stress
When Type 9s are unhealthy, they move toward the negative qualities of Type 6: they become anxious, reactive, and more openly insecure.
Post's past struggles: the heavy drinking, the inability to seek help, the self-destructive patterns, reflect a Nine under extreme stress. The fact that he's addressed these openly suggests someone who has done real psychological work.
The Legacy Question
Post Malone is one of the most commercially successful artists of his generation. He's bridged hip-hop, rock, and pop, and he keeps finding new ways to make huge songs.
Yet he remains genuinely uncomfortable with his own fame. He deflects praise. He seems surprised that anyone cares. He covers his face with tattoos because he says he doesn't like how he looks.
This tension, between massive success and deep insecurity, is the most Type 9 thing about him. He's achieved external harmony through music while still struggling for internal peace.
What Can We Learn?
Post Malone's journey offers a few clean lessons:
"Chill" isn't the same as peaceful. Surface calm can be a coping strategy, not a sign that everything is fine.
Armor isn't healing. Tattoos, substances, and people-pleasing can protect you, but they can also keep you stuck.
Being liked isn't the same as being known. Type 9s can be universally loved and still feel unseen.
Growth looks like choice. Name what you want, say it out loud, and tolerate the small conflict that follows.
The face tattoos might not be going anywhere. The bigger question is whether he still needs them as armor.
What do Post Malone's face tattoos read like to you: confidence, or cover? Where do you hide behind "chill" in your own life?
Disclaimer: This analysis of Post Malone's Enneagram type is speculative, based on publicly available information, and may not reflect the actual personality type of Post Malone.
What would you add?