Songfacts®:

• Post Malone opens Twelve Carat Toothache with this vulnerable track where he bemoans his self-destructive lifestyle. Stuck in a dark cycle of sex, drugs and benders, Malone cannot break free. His hedonism is part of his reputation and he feels cursed that he was "born to raise hell."
• Post Malone (real name Austin Post) recorded this song, along with much of the rest of Twelve Carat Toothache, in a house in Malibu right by the ocean. Throughout the album, he references his struggles with drugs, alcohol and fame. "There's been some kick-ass times - and not in a good way," he told Apple Music. "I was not normal. My brain was not operating at its normal frequency. I just wasn't…Austin. I was so f---ing lost."
• Post Malone co-wrote and co-produced the track with longtime cohort Louis Bell. Unusually for Post, on "Reputation" the piano rather than guitar is the main instrument.
• Louis Bell is Post Malone's primary producer, having contributed towards every Beerbongs & Bentleys, Hollywood's Bleeding, and Twelve Carat Toothache track. His other credits include Camila Cabello's "Havana," 5 Seconds of Summer's "Youngblood," and Justin Bieber's "Peaches."