Silent Hill (song) explained

"Silent Hill" is a song by American rappers Kendrick Lamar and Kodak Black. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio and urban contemporary radio through PGLang, Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment, and Interscope Records as the first US single (second overall) from Lamar's fifth studio album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, on May 31, 2022.^{[1] [2]} The song was produced by Boi-1da, Sounwave, and Jahaan Sweet, with additional production by Beach Noise.

Composition

"Silent Hill" contains "crisp, lighter beats".^[3] In the chorus, Lamar claims that he is "pushing the snakes, I'm pushing the fakes, I'm pushing them all off me like, 'Huh!'".^[4] The song was likely named after the Silent Hill franchise by Konami.^[5]

Critical reception

NME music critic Kyann-Sian Williams felt that Lamar was inspired by the "loose rap style" of his cousin, fellow American rapper and record producer Baby Keem on "Silent Hill", which is highlighted by the "animated Kendrick voice we all love" in the chorus.^[6] Matthew Trammell of Pitchfork was reminded of DaBaby and Marilyn Manson's guest appearances on Kanye West's song, "Jail pt. 2", from the latter's tenth studio album, Donda (2021), due to Kodak's involvement in the song, explaining that "it's unclear whether his presence is meant to make a case for redemption or musical kinship".^[7] Writing for Rolling Stone, Jeff Ihaza conversely remarked that "in the hands of just about any other rapper, the song would read as nothing more than post Playboi Carti-era pastiche, but Kendrick finds new terrain, retracing over unexplored horizons" and "he tries out about three different cadences before Kodak Black, a perfect guest feature on the beat, arrives to deliver a case study on melodic rap".^[8]

Credits and personnel

• Kendrick Lamar – vocals, songwriting
• Kodak Black – vocals, songwriting
• Boi-1da – production, songwriting
• Sounwave – production, songwriting
• Jahaan Sweet – production, songwriting
• Beach Noise
  • Matt Schaeffer – additional production, songwriting, engineering
  • Johnny Kosich – additional production, songwriting
  • Jake Kosich – additional production, songwriting
• Manny Marroquin – mixing
• Emerson Mancini – mastering
• Derek Garcia – engineering
• Johnathan Turner – engineering
• Ray Charles Brown, Jr. – engineering
• Andrew Boyd – recording assistance
• Wesley Seidman – recording assistance

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"

Peak position
Lithuania (AGATA)[9]	39
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[10]	68
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[11]	2
UK Streaming (OCC)[12]	38

Year-end charts

Chart (2022)! scope="col"

Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13]	51
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[14]	49

Release history

Region! scope="col"

Date	Format	Label
United States	May 31, 2022	Rhythmic contemporary radio		[15]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kendrick Lamar Picks 'Silent Hill' Feat. Kodak Black As First Single From 'Mr. Morale'. HipHop-N-More. Navjosh. May 21, 2022. May 21, 2022.
2. Web site: Kendrick Lamar Chooses First Single Off Of "Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers". HotNewHipHop. A.. Aron. May 20, 2022. May 21, 2022.
3. News: Kendrick Lamar – Mr Morale & the Big Steppers review: Still light years ahead of the game. Evening Standard. Smyth. David. May 13, 2022. May 21, 2022.
4. News: Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale and the Bigsteppers is a tender, delicate opus – review. The Independent. Bryant. Ben. May 13, 2022. May 21, 2022.
5. Web site: r . c O. V. E. R. t-R. e a D. E. . 2022-12-21 . Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers by Kendrick Lamar [Song by Song: Silent Hill] ]. 2024-05-07 . Medium . en.
6. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers review: a cathartic, soul-bearing autobiography. NME. Williams. Kyann-Sian. May 13, 2022. May 21, 2022.
7. Web site: Kendrick Lamar: Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Pitchfork. Trammell. Matthew. May 16, 2022. May 21, 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170418163803/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kendrick-lamar-mr-morale-and-the-big-steppers/. April 18, 2017.
8. Ihaza. Jeff. May 16, 2022. Kendrick Lamar Has Been Going Through Something. May 20, 2022. Rolling Stone.
9. Web site: 2022 20-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100). lt. AGATA. May 20, 2022. May 21, 2022.
10. Web site: ČNS IFPI. IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202220 into search.. May 23, 2022.
11. Web site: Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 20. Sverigetopplistan. May 21, 2022.
12. Web site: Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100 (20 May 2022 – 26 May 2022) . . May 20, 2022 . May 21, 2022.
13. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
14. Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2022. Billboard. December 2, 2022.
15. Web site: Future Releases for Rhythmic Radio Stations. All Access. May 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220524233941/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases. May 24, 2022.