Ballin' (Mustard song)

"Ballin'" is a song by American producer Mustard, featuring American rapper Roddy Ricch. The track was released as the third single from Mustard's third studio album, Perfect Ten, on August 20, 2019, though it was available as early as the end of June 2019.[2] The song and its accompanying video received acclaim from music critics, with Complex magazine naming it the Best Song of 2019.[3] It peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Mustard's highest charting song in the US.[4][5] The song received a nomination for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 2020 Grammy Awards, making it the first time Ricch has been nominated for a Grammy and Mustard's first nomination as an artist.[6][7]

"Ballin'"
Single by Mustard featuring Roddy Ricch
from the album Perfect Ten
ReleasedAugust 20, 2019 (2019-08-20)
Recorded2018[1]
Length3:00
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Mustard singles chronology
"100 Bands"
(2019)		 "Ballin'"
(2019)		 "Heartless"
(2019)
Roddy Ricch singles chronology
"Out tha Mud"
(2019)		 "Ballin'"
(2019)		 "Big Stepper"
(2019)
Music video
"Ballin'" on YouTube

Later in 2019, Mustard and Ricch released another collaboration, "High Fashion".

Background

Roddy Ricch revealed in an interview that the song was composed in late 2018, but Mustard wanted to keep it for his album, Perfect Ten, which he was still working on.[1] The song was later included on the album, released in June 2019.[8] Ricch said he knew the song was "hard enough" the first time he heard it, while Mustard proclaimed "this is going to be the one".[1]

Composition and lyrics

"Ballin'" is a hip-hop track that has somewhat of a "rags to riches" theme. In its intro, the song samples girl group 702's 1997 top ten hit "Get It Together".[9]

The song features a "smooth, bouncy beat", with Roddy Ricch rapping about his come-up and ascent in the music industry.[10]

In the first verse, Ricch salutes fellow Los Angeles rapper, the late Nipsey Hussle and his girlfriend Lauren London: "I run these racks up with my queen like London and Nip". The line simultaneously references Ricch and Hussle's collaboration "Racks in the Middle", released earlier in 2019 as Hussle's last single before his death.[10] Billboard's Heran Mamo noted that "in typical Hussle fashion", Roddy Ricch "narrates his life's hardships before delving into his newfound treasures".[10]

Critical reception

The song was widely acclaimed by music critics. Charles Holmes of Rolling Stone magazine called it "a song of the year contender",[11] while Complex and Billboard both named it as a "standout track" on the album.[12][13] Pitchfork magazine included "Ballin'" in its list of The Best Rap Songs of 2019 and called it "the centerpiece of Mustard's underappreciated album Perfect Ten".[9] Complex later named it the Best Song of 2019, calling it "a feel-good anthem so infectious you'll need antibiotics just to stop running it back".[3]

Chart performance

"Ballin'" has become Mustard's highest charting song in the US, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] It was also Roddy Ricch's highest charting song, until he surpassed it a week later,[14] with the release of his album track "The Box", which eventually reached number 1 on the chart.[5] It reached number one on Billboard's Rhythmic Songs chart, becoming Mustard's second number one following "Pure Water" and Ricch's first number one.[15] The song also topped the Rap Airplay chart.[15]

Music video

The music video for the track was teased by Mustard on his Instagram page on September 29, 2019.[16] The music video for the track was eventually released on October 2, 2019[17] to critical acclaim.[18][19]

Live performances

On December 16, 2019, Roddy Ricch performed the song live, alongside an 8-piece orchestra, at Peppermint Club in Los Angeles[20] for Audiomack's Trap Symphony series.[21]

Other uses

The song can be heard on "Elyse's Skit", track 10 off Roddy Ricch's debut album Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. In the skit, which is an actual voicenote recording, the mother of a woman named Elyse sends her (Elyse) a voicenote, with "Ballin'" playing in the background, while the mother proceeds to say "I can't get that damn song out my head", jokingly calling it "inappropriate music".[22][23] Ricch called the skit "something natural".[24]

Awards and nominations

62nd Annual Grammy Awards

Year Award Result
2020 Best Rap/Sung Performance[7] Nominated

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[38] Platinum 70,000
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 80,000
Portugal (AFP)[40] Gold 10,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[42] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

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References
  1. Roberts, Randall (December 5, 2019). "For Nipsey Hussle friend Roddy Ricch, Grammy recognition is bittersweet". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  2. "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases | R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates | ..." All Access. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  3. Tharpe, Frazier (December 17, 2019). "The Best Songs of 2019". Complex. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  4. "Mustard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  5. Trust, Gary (January 13, 2020). "Roddy Ricch's 'The Box' Bounds to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Justin Bieber's 'Yummy' Debuts at No. 2". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  6. "Roddy Ricch Grammy Awards History". The Recording Academy. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  7. "Mustard Grammy Awards History". The Recording Academy. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
  8. Renshaw, David (May 22, 2019). "Mustard confirms Perfect Ten details". The Fader. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  9. "The Best Rap Songs of 2019". Pitchfork. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  10. Mamo, Heran (September 23, 2019). "Here Are the Lyrics to Mustard's 'Ballin',' Feat. Roddy Ricch". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  11. Holmes, Charles (October 31, 2019). "The Ricch Get Riccher on Roddy Ricch and Gunna's 'Start Wit Me'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  12. Tigg, Fnr (October 2, 2019). "Watch Mustard and Roddy Ricch Live Out Their Dreams in "Ballin'" Video". Complex. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  13. Saponara, Michael (October 2, 2019). "Mustard & Roddy Ricch Inspire Kids to Chase Their Dreams in Luxe 'Ballin' Video". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  14. "Billboard Hot 100 - Week of January 4, 2020". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  15. Anderson, Trevor (December 18, 2019). "Mustard & Roddy Ricch's 'Ballin Shoots to No. 1 on Rhythmic Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
  16. "Mustard on Instagram: "@roddyricch you think they ready for the Ballin video ????"". Retrieved November 16, 2019 – via Instagram.
  17. "Watch Mustard and Roddy Ricch Live Out Their Dreams in "Ballin'" Video". Complex. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  18. "Mustard & Roddy Ricch Inspire Kids to Chase Their Dreams in Luxe 'Ballin' Video". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  19. Alston, Trey. "Mustard And Roddy Ricch Show Kids What It's Like To Be Rich In 'Ballin". MTV News. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  20. "Roddy Ricch Trap Symphony With Live Orchestra (Full Performance)". Audiomack. December 16, 2019. Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via YouTube.
  21. Price, Joe (December 16, 2019). "Watch Roddy Ricch's Full 'Trap Symphony' Performance With 8-Piece Orchestra". Complex. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  22. elysemariev [@Elyse] (November 14, 2019). "LMFAO y'all listen to what my mama sent me @RoddyRicch..." (Tweet). Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  23. elysemariev [@Elyse] (December 5, 2019). "YALL!!!!! THIS IS MY MAMA!!!! THANK U @RoddyRicch..." (Tweet). Retrieved March 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
  24. Lamarre, Carl (January 14, 2020). "Roddy Ricch Interview: Making The Box and His Chart-Topping Success". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
  25. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 February 2020". No. 1563. Australian Recording Industry Association. February 17, 2020. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  26. "Ultratop.be – Mustard feat. Roddy Ricch – Ballin'" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  27. "Mustard Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  28. "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  29. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mustard feat. Roddy Ricch – Ballin'" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  30. "Portuguesecharts.com – Mustard feat. Roddy Ricch – Ballin'". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  31. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 6". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  32. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  33. "Mustard Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  34. "Mustard Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  35. "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  36. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  37. "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  38. "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2020 Singles". ARIA. 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  39. "Canadian single certifications – Mustard & Roddy Ricch – Ballin". Music Canada.
  40. "Top AFP/Audigest - Semana 16 de 2020" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 4. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  41. "British single certifications – Mustard Ft Roddy Ricch – Ballin'". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 27, 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Ballin' in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  42. "American single certifications – Mustard & Roddy Ricch – Ballin". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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