Post Malone may be a rapper, but he has rock and heavy-metal DNA running through much of what he does. Whether it's naming his biggest single "Rock Star" or taking the time to hang with rising metal acts like Power Trip, he really does seem to actually be about that life. Last night at the MTV Video Music Awards, he took this a step further, teaming up with Aerosmith (who are no strangers to working with rappers ala Run DMC) to close out the show in a wild collaborative performance.
The set began with Post performing "Rock Star" and bringing rapper 21 Savage out for a back-and-forth performance of his hit single. As the song closed out, Post ran down to another section of the stage and picked up a guitar to join Aerosmith to play their classic "Dream On." They burn through the track, transitioning into a raucous version of "Toys in the Attic" for a finish with Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Post Malone all sharing a microphone and seeing the track to its conclusion, all while the stage burns down behind them.
Below, watch the premiere episode of "Secret Metalheads" — our new video series where we talk to musicians and other inspiring figures outside of metal about their love for the genre — in which Run the Jewels' Killer Mike and El-P explain why Aerosmith were their gateway to heavy music.
