"Self-Made" is a song by American singer

Bryson Tiller Bryson Djuan Tiller (born January 2, 1993) is an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He began his career in 2011 with his debut mixtape, ''Killer Instinct Vol. 1''. He gained mainstream recognition following the release of his 2015 single ...

. The track appeared on Tiller's second studio album, ''

True to Self ''True to Self'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bryson Tiller. It was released on May 26, 2017, by RCA Records. Recording sessions took place from 2016 to 2017, while the production was handled by several producers from ...

'', which was released on May 26, 2017. It was written by Tiller, Philip Coleman, Jr., Konstandinos Dimopoulos and

Stavros Xarchakos Stavros Xarchakos, Greek: Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος (born 14 March 1939) is a Greek composer and conductor. Stavros Xarchakos was born in Athens, where he studied at the Athens Conservatoire. He has family origins from the Mani Peninsul ...

. The song received positive response from music critics, who praised Tiller's rapping skills. The black-and-white music video for the song, directed by

Colin Tilley Colin Tilley (born June 27, 1988) is an American filmmaker, music video director, and television commercial director. Tilley is the CEO and owner of Boy in the Castle Productions. He has directed more than 300 music videos. Tilley directed, pr ...

, premiered on October 3, 2017. "Self-Made" debuted at number 85 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart.

Background and release

On January 17, 2017, Tiller announced that he is working on his second album, titled ''True to Self''. On May 11, 2017, he revealed the album's artwork, announcing that it would be released on June 23. On May 23, Tiller posted the complete tracklist on his

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account, and released the album on May 26, a month early before the intended release. Tiller co-wrote "Self-Made" with Philip Coleman, Jr., Konstandinos Dimopoulos and

, with production handled by NES.

Critical reception

Siena Yates from ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand, ...

'' called it one of the best songs from the album, also praising the production of the song and Tiller's rapping skills. Ryan B. Patrick of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' wrote that although the song "rides a strong rap flow and hits hard in moment, it leaves your consciousness just as fast as it arrived". Music Times' Dayna Haffenden noted that the song "sounds like the hidden aggression that any normal artist goes through as they figure themselves out", as well as writing that "Tiller's flow gives off that " hardcore rapper" appeal".

Commercial performance

"Self-Made" debuted and peaked at number 85 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on June 17, 2017. It has sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

in February 2018.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song, directed by

, premiered via Tiller's

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

channel on October 3, 2017. The black-and-white video starts with Tiller getting out of the house and performing the song in the hood full of cars and women as it is raining. He is also seen in a room sitting on the bed surrounded by women. The video also features Tiller standing on the top of a moving

BMW i8 The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car developed by BMW. The i8 was part of BMW's electrified fleet and was marketed under the BMW i sub-brand. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and was releas ...

and riding a

Jet Ski A personal watercraft (PWC), also called Jet Ski or water scooter, is a primarily recreational watercraft that is designed to hold only a small number of occupants, who sit or stand on top of the craft, not within the craft as in a boat. P ...

through the streets as he gets chased by police.

Live performances

On July 7, 2017, Tiller performed "Self-Made" during his set at the

Wireless Festival ''Wireless'' Festival is an annual rap and hip-hop music festival that takes place in London, England, which is owned and managed by Live Nation Entertainment, Live Nation. Debuting in 2005, the festival's earlier years primarily featured rock an ...

in London. On August 14, 2017, he performed the song on the ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

''. On November 11, 2017, he performed it at the BBC 1Xtra Live in Manchester. The song was also part of Tiller's Set It Off Tour (2017).

Background and release

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Music video

Live performances

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

References

External links