The Pokémon Company has announced its second musical collaboration in celebration of the games' 25th anniversary: it's a virtual concert with rapper and singer Post Malone.
Bit of an extraordinary choice, isn't it? Post Malone's songs (which he writes himself) often orbit themes of addiction, narcissism, heartbreak, cynicism, death, etcetera. They are bops, however. For a series that's aimed at children, seeing "Post Malone" and "Pokémon" and "virtual concert" in the same sentence together has stunned fans, but I consider this to be an inspired collaboration. Again, the rapper explores topics in his songs that aren't friendly for younger audiences, and that's not even counting the bad words. But, Pokémon has a scattering of unsettling lore about the fantasy world and its creatures, and it could be that The Pokémon Company and Post Malone have found common ground.
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Yamask, a Ghost Pokémon haunting Relic Castle in Pokémon Black and White, is in fact holding the mask of its human face. Yes, it used to be one of us until something terrible happened. "Sometimes they look at it and cry," reads its Pokédex entry. Conversely, Pokémon Sun and Moon's Tsareena is a deceptively majestic Grass Pokémon. "A kick from the hardened tips of this Pokémon's legs leaves a wound in the opponent's body and soul that will never heal," reads its entry in Pokémon Shield. Perhaps that's what Post Malone is truly singing about, with his dreamy and melodic concoction of multiple genres and styles. He got punted by a Tsareena and paid the price.
Really though, I doubt this is the reason why Post Malone was approached to perform for Pokémon's 25th anniversary concert. It's more likely that he's a popular artist who's recognisable across age groups, and his songs are catchy and famous. Still, his concert will be the start of P25 Music, "a collaboration between Pokémon and Universal Music Group with some of music's biggest names." I'm not overly sure about the anime-style makeover they've given him, presumably to let him blend in with the cartoony world of Pokémon.
"I've been a Pokémon fan for a long time, so the opportunity to headline the Pokémon Day concert celebrating 25 years is awesome," said Post Malone in the press release. The concert will be free to view via the official Pokémon YouTube channel, Pokémon's official Twitch channel, and on Pokémon's 25th anniversary website beginning at midnight on February 28th.
Featured Image Credit: The Pokémon Company