Prblms

"Prblms" (a disemvoweling of "problems" and stylized in all caps) is a single by American singer 6lack. It was released on September 23, 2016, by LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records.^[3] The track was produced by NOVA.^[4] The song was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2020.

"Prblms"
Single by 6lack
from the album Free 6lack
Released	September 23, 2016
Recorded	2016
Genre	Alternative R&B trap cloud rap industrial[1]
Length	4:06
Label	LoveRenaissance Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Ricardo Valentine Jeryn Peters Matthew Barnes Mitchell West[2]
Producer(s)	NOVA
6lack singles chronology
"Ex Calling" (2016) "Prblms" (2016) "Bless Me" (2016)
Music video
"PRBLMS" on YouTube

Background and release

6lack originally released "Prblms" onto SoundCloud on April 14, 2016.^[5] His manager connected with Apple Music's R&B curator, and eventually the song appeared on 10 playlists through the service.^[5] In June, media personality Kylie Jenner lip-synced to the song during one of her Snapchat videos, which boosted the popularity of it.^[6] 6lack said Jenner's shout-out was a great experience, and it showed him that he was "doing something right."^[7] The song was later re-released officially in September of that year.^[7]

Lyrically, the song is about a failing relationship.^[8] 6lack wrote the song after having a fight with the woman he was seeing at the time; one of the lines from the song is a text that he received from her the night he was writing the song.^[7]

Music video

The music video for "Prblms" was released on October 14, 2016, on 6lack's Vevo account.^[9]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100[10]	72
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11]	34

Year-end charts

Chart (2017)	Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12]	96

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[13]	Gold	30,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[14]	3× Platinum	240,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[15]	Silver	200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[16]	4× Platinum	4,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Ahlgrim, Carrie (December 13, 2019). "The 113 best songs of the past decade, ranked". Insider. Retrieved December 30, 2022. The sinister, industrial production of "Prblms" intensifies a lyrical message...
2. "Street Hymns, 9 Grand". SoundCloud. 1 April 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
3. ^{[dead link‍]}
4. "PRBLMS". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
5. Slavik, Nathan (July 14, 2016). "How Apple Music Blew Up 6LACK's "Problems"". Djbooth.
6. Horowitz, Steven J. (January 10, 2017). "How Kylie Jenner's Snapchat Turns Songs Into Hits". Genius.
7. Skipper, Clay (March 30, 2017). "How 6LACK Went From Sleeping in a Recording Studio to Touring with The Weeknd". GQ.
8. Nostro, Lauren (January 31, 2017). "6LACK Breaks Down "PRBLMS" On Genius' Video Series 'Verified'". Genius.
9. "6LACK - Prblms (Official Video)". YouTube. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
10. "6LACK Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
11. "6LACK Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
12. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
13. "Brazilian single certifications – 6lack – Prblms" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
14. "Canadian single certifications – 6lack – Prblms". Music Canada. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
15. "British single certifications – 6Lack – Prblms". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
16. "American single certifications – 6LACK". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 15, 2023.