"PTSD" is a song by American rapper

G Herbo Herbert Randall Wright III (born October 8, 1995), better known by his stage name G Herbo (formerly Lil Herb), is an American rapper from Chicago. G Herbo is signed to Machine Entertainment Group. He has released the mixtapes '' Welcome to Faz ...

featuring fellow American rappers

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was a leading figure in the emo rap and So ...

Lil Uzi Vert Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...

, and

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

. It was released on February 28, 2020, from G Herbo's third studio album of the same name (2020). The song was produced by D.A. Got That Dope. It peaked at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming G Herbo's first and highest-charting song.

Background

In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', G Herbo described the song's collaboration as "natural", further stating, "I was hounding him — I had to make sure Juice recorded the hook. Once he recorded the hook, we knew we had a smash. Then Chance came naturally and Uzi as well. Everybody recorded their part right in front of me." "PTSD" is Juice Wrld's second posthumous release, following his feature on

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

's "

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

Composition

The song is about the trauma which the rappers have experienced and its effects, such as mental health issues, and features an "eerie" guitar-driven instrumental with "bubbly drums". It opens with the chorus, sung by Juice Wrld: "I turn the news on, when I smell death in the air / I prove you wrong, I made it out of here". G Herbo reflects on his own experience of seeing his friends die. Next, Chance the Rapper details witnessing shootings, murder (including that of his mother), and robbery, while Lil Uzi Vert touches on their paranoia as a result of PTSD.

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews. Critics have praised Juice Wrld's singing of the chorus and described it as sounding even more sadder given his death in December 2019. Fred Thomas called it a "mesmerizing melodic hook". Mitch Findlay of ''

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'' praised the production of the song, calling it "melancholic yet hopeful". In a ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' review of ''PTSD'', Josh Svetz regarded Lil Uzi Vert's verse as unnecessary and writing that it "takes away from the sentiment of the song, spitting vapid and on the nose bars devoid of detail." However, Svetz went on to comment, "Despite Uzi having another '

Bad and Boujee "Bad and Boujee" is a song by American hip-hop group Migos featuring vocals from American rapper Lil Uzi Vert. It was released on October 28, 2016 as the lead single from Migos' second studio album ''Culture''. It was released by Quality Cont ...

' moment, the track is one of Herbo's greatest triumphs, a collaboration that serves as the heart of the record."

Live performances

On November 16, 2020, G Herbo and Chance the Rapper performed the song on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...

'', as a tribute to Juice Wrld.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Chance the Rapper 2020 songs G Herbo songs Juice Wrld songs Chance the Rapper songs Lil Uzi Vert songs Songs about anxiety Songs about depression Songs released posthumously Songs written by Juice Wrld Songs written by Chance the Rapper Songs written by Lil Uzi Vert Songs written by D.A. Got That Dope Posse cuts