Posner and blackbear team up for collab album titled ‘Mansionz’

Posner and blackbear pose with their neon green hair.

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Posner and blackbear pose with their neon green hair.

Tanner Hauck, Staff Writer

When Mike Posner and blackbear showed up to the Grammys sporting matching neon green hair, they certainly drew a lot of attention. The new duo who call themselves mansionz continued their stay in the spotlight this past Friday with the release of their first studio album self titled “Mansionz.”

Does the name Mike Posner sound familiar? It should. Posner first made a splash in the music industry in 2009 with his hit single “Cooler Than Me” and then again in 2010 with “Please Don’t Go” and “Bow Chicka Wow Wow.” After getting dropped by his record label and living out of his van, Posner reemerged to the music scene in 2016 with his hit single “I Took a Pill In Ibiza.” The other half of the duo, blackbear, is a popular underground edgy singer, rapper and producer who has put out multiple his like “Idfc” and “4u.” The two first met in 2011 when they co wrote Justin Bieber’s hit single “Boyfriend.” They describe their collaboration process as chaotic, random, weird but beautiful and that is exactly what their first album together is.

The album which was officially released March 24 boasts 13 tracks featuring the likes of Spark Master Tape, Dennis Rodman, G-Eazy and more. The album is listed as R&B/Soul but a single label does not do it justice. It incorporates alternative sounds, electronic and EDM vibes, catchy pop feels and lines of hip-hop and rap. The album bounces between real life topics and completely irrelevant topics addressing a variety of topics including; horses, drugs, women, death, God, money, strip clubs and identity. Blackbear describes the album explaining “the common theme is carelessness. It’s the American dream gone wrong.”

Their beautiful carelessness is shown on songs like “Strip Club” and “I’m Thinking About Horses,” the former a three minute and 33 second song about strip clubs and the latter a six minute and 23 second poem with musical interjections that contimplates the existence of God, hooking up with women and the legacy one leaves after death. Songs like “Nobody Knows” delivers smooth R&B sounds that are nicely complimented by the EDM sound of songs like “Wicked.” The album’s lead singles “STFU,” “Rich White Girls” and “Dennis Rodman” gathered hundred of thousands of streams and downloads each prior to the album’s release. “STFU” carries a depressing tone as its chorus chants “shut the f*** up.” “Rich White Girls” addresses exactly that (rich white girls) stating “all I’m doing is wasting my time chasing rich white girls” and continuing “tell me what could I give you that your daddy can’t give you?” “Dennis Rodman” is arguably their proudest piece. The catchy tune pays tribute to their role model and former NBA star Dennis Rodman and praises his lack of concern for others opinions.

The album although careless and messy, creates something beautiful as a whole. It is something funky, unique and different than anything else on the market. Posner and blackbear have not commented on the possibility of future collaborations, but with the success their album has seen and their teenage boy-like chemistry, it is likely this will not be the last we hear of the duo.