Post Malone Covers Hootie & The Blowfish, Darius Rucker Responds

In celebration of Pokémon’s 25th anniversary, Post Malone dropped a cover no one saw coming. The hip-hop superstar dropped a version of Hootie and the Blowfish’s 1995 single “Only Wanna Be with You,” only this time it’s the “Pokémon 25 Version”.

Post Malone has not inserted any Pokémon references into his synth-heavy version of “Only Wanna Be With You,” but there are some Pokémon-esque game samples that you can hear sporadically throughout song. According to Polygon, there is one reference changed, Post Malone changed the mention of the Miami Dolphins to the Dallas Cowboys, which is Post Malone’s favorite team.

Hootie & the Blowfish frontman Darius Rucker loved the song, posting to Instagram, "he smile on my face will not leave for a long time. This is awesome. My bro @PostMalone bringing it. Hell yes man!!!!!!!!!"

Billboard reports Post Malone will be headlining the Pokémon Day virtual concert, this Saturday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The 25th-anniversary celebration can be streamed for free on the official Pokémon YouTube and Twitch channels, and on the official Pokémon’s 25th anniversary website.

Here’s the Post Malone trailer for the Pokémon concert:

Last April, Post Malone livestreamed a Nirvana tribute from his Salt Lake City home, to raise funds for The United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for The World Health Organization (WHO) in support of COVID-19 relief efforts. Blink-182's Travis Barker played the drums for him at the session. The makeshift band performed 15 songs during an 80-minute set, including Nirvana classics as "Come As You Are," "About a Girl," and "Heart-Shaped Box."