Kevin Lipson

Last week, Post Malone returned with his first album in three years, Twelve Carat Toothache, which also marked his first album with newly relaunched Republic Records imprint Mercury Records. And this week, that album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — his fourth straight top five album on the chart — and at No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, maintaining a streak of No. 1s that dates back to his debut album, 2016’s Stoney. It’s a success for both Post and his label Mercury, which is run by his longtime A&R Tyler Arnold as president, as well as parent label Republic. And it’s another win for Republic’s executive vp of global commerce and digital strategy Kevin Lipson, who oversaw the rollout and the marketing moments that touched almost every aspect of physical and digit...