"Selfish" is a song by American recording artist
PnB Rock
Rakim Hasheem Allen (December 9, 1991 – September 12, 2022), better known by his stage name PnB Rock, was an American rapper and singer. He gained a large following in 2016 with his song "Selfish", which peaked at number 51 on the US ''Billbo ...
. It was released on June 23, 2016 by
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
and serves as the lead single from his mixtape ''
GTTM: Goin Thru the Motions''. The song was produced by
Needlz
Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), professionally known as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter.
Early life and career
Khari Cain was born on April 19, 1978 in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of ...
and
Donut
A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franc ...
.
Background
While talking about the song in an interview with ''
The Fader
''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes.
It is o ...
'', Rock said:
"I wrote this song about one specific girl who I was chilling with in the studio. This song really started as me just singing to her, being smooth and shit. I didn't think anything of it until it was stuck in my head so I had to get in the booth and record it. It's funny because I don't even speak to the girl anymore."
Critical reception
David Drake of ''
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' wrote that this song is "as sincere as "
Trap Queen
"Trap Queen" is the debut single by American rapper Fetty Wap from his Fetty Wap (album), self-titled debut album (2015). Following its online premiere in March 2014, it was released independently on April 22, 2014, before being re-released in c ...
," and "as attuned to the vulnerability of love, but rather than striding through the airwaves towards No. 1, it seduces, earning your trust over time".
Music video
The song's accompanying music video premiered on December 17, 2016 on PnB Rock's account on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{PnB Rock
2016 singles
2016 songs
PnB Rock songs
Atlantic Records singles
Songs written by Needlz
Songs written by Brandon Bell (record producer)