In April 2015, Bourelly released her first single, "Riot", a song that discusses Bourelly's wish to be recognized as an "authentic" and legitimate musician.In July 2015, she was featured on Lil Wayne's "Without You", which appeared on his Free Weezy Album. A month later, she was featured in (and co-wrote) Nick Brewer's "Talk to Me".She also co-wrote (with Chris Braide) Selena Gomez's "Camouflage" from her album, Revival,and was featured in Usher's single, "Chains", alongside Nas. She performed the latter song with Usher and Nas at the TIDAL X Concert in October 2015.
In October 2015, Bourelly released another single entitled, "Ego".The song made it onto the Spotify Viral Charts for several nations, peaking at No. 2 in the US, No. 8 in the UK, and No. 4 on the overall global charts.The song has been described as a "powerful, unapologetic ballad to self confidence".The music video for "Ego" was filmed in Bourelly's hometown of Berlin and was directed by Branwen Okpako.
In March 2016, the third single, "Sally" was released accompanied by an interactive video.She made her television debut on the NBC Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. In the summer of 2016, Bourelly toured with Haim and Rihanna prior to going on her solo "Free The Real" tour in North America. She was also featured in the well-known Women Who Dare campaign by Harper's Bazaar alongside Hillary Clinton, Iskra Lawrence, and Uma Thurman.
Ballin
Bibi Bourelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh Lord
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah
I got fired from Old Navy
Landlord keeps on knocking
Swear that nigga hates me
But shit, I'm not complaining
'Cause I'm still a pimp though
Like there's moulah raining
And I ain't never ever been this rich ever
I don't even make all that much dough
Ask my mama for a dub and raised her blood pressure
Now she got me working at the corner store
But I'm ballin', ballin'
I'm so fucking awesome
Vroom vroom, yeah
That's my Camry roaring
Shit, think the engine light came on
Now I gotta walk 15 miles to my apartment
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
I'm so mother, motherfucking awesome, yeah
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
Oh Lord
Yeah, yeah
Oh Lord
Gormet
Heart them ramen noodles
Freak it with the hot sauce
I do McDonalds too though
And when I wanna go out
Good Will gotta do though
Sweet talking the bouncers
18 bucks, I need 2 more
And I ain't never ever been this rich ever
I don't even make all that much dough
Ask my mama for a dub and raised her blood pressure
Now she got me working at the corner store
But I'm ballin', ballin'
I'm so fucking awesome
Vroom vroom, yeah
That's my Camry roaring
Shit, think the engine light came on
Now I gotta walk 15 miles to my apartment
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
I'm so mother, motherfucking awesome, yeah
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
Oh Lord
Jumped the gate, subway station
All the seats are taken
This kinda lifestyle teach you patience
I spend my very last savings on some Takis
I'm good at Simbis crib
I don't need no hotel lobbies
I doubt I'd get along with paparazzi , yeah
I just want a Slim Jim and a 40
I just wanna roll up to the sundown without my moms throwing a fit
I just wanna party in New York in all the abandon warehouses
With all the hipster kids and the bad bitches with hair on their armpits
We wear designer clothes from thrifts
My hair might not be laid and did
Yeah, but I'm ballin', ballin'
I'm so fucking awesome
Vroom vroom, yeah
That's my Camry roaring
Shit, think the engine light came on
Now I gotta walk 15 miles to my apartment
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
I'm so mother, motherfucking awesome, yeah
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
Ballin', ballin', ballin'
Oh Lord
Bibi Bourelly's song "Ballin" appears to be a tribute to the hustle and grind required to make it in the world, especially when you're in a financially difficult situation. The lyrics give a sense of someone who is struggling to keep up with the demands of life, but is still pushing through despite the odds. She begins the first verse by talking about her job at Old Navy, which she has been let go from, and her landlord who keeps on knocking on her door. Despite this, however, she refuses to complain and maintains her self-respect, as evidenced by her statement that she is "still a pimp though, like there's moulah raining."
The chorus resolves the tension built up in the verse by declaring that she is "ballin', ballin'." This statement is not necessarily referring to money, but instead to her own self-worth and resilience. Throughout the chorus, she also uses the image of her Camry, a modest car that some might consider beneath them, to symbolize her own ability to rise above her circumstances. She is proud of her car–so proud, in fact, that she is not ashamed to let it roar even when the engine light comes on. In this way, her camry represents her own toughness in the face of adversity.
The second verse expands on the idea of Bibi's resilience, and focuses on her ability to make do with what she has. She confesses to enjoying ramen noodles and hot sauce, and says that she's been known to hit up McDonald's too. When she wants to go out, she has to go to Goodwill for her clothes. At the same time, she emphasizes that she doesn't feel sorry for herself or her situation. She is okay with who she is, and content with the life she is living.
Overall, the message of "Ballin" is one of empowerment in the face of difficult circumstances. It shows that no matter how hard life may be, one can always choose to rise above it and be proud of who they are.
Line by Line Meaning
I got fired from Old Navy
I lost my job at Old Navy
Landlord keeps on knocking
The landlord keeps bothering me
Swear that nigga hates me
I think the landlord hates me
Sleeping on this old couch
I'm sleeping on a worn out couch
But shit, I'm not complaining
But I'm not complaining
'Cause I'm still a pimp though
I still dress like a player
Like there's moulah raining
Like I'm constantly making money rain
And I ain't never ever been this rich ever
I've never been this financially well-off
I don't even make all that much dough
I don't even make a lot of money
Ask my mama for a dub and raised her blood pressure
When I asked my mom for $20, it worried her
Now she got me working at the corner store
Now I'm working at a low-paying job
But I'm ballin', ballin'
But I'm still acting like a baller
I'm so fucking awesome
I'm amazing
Vroom vroom, yeah
Hear my Camry engine roar
That's my Camry roaring
That sound is my Camry engine
Shit, think the engine light came on
Oh no, the check engine light turned on
Now I gotta walk 15 miles to my apartment
Now I have to walk 15 miles home
Gormet
Fancy
Heart them ramen noodles
I love ramen noodles
Freak it with the hot sauce
I jazz up my ramen with hot sauce
I do McDonalds too though
I also eat fast food from McDonald's
And when I wanna go out
When I want to socialize
Good Will gotta do though
I go to Goodwill for my clothes
Sweet talking the bouncers
I charm the security guards
18 bucks, I need 2 more
I need $2 more to get in
Jumped the gate, subway station
I entered the subway by jumping the turnstile
All the seats are taken
All the seats on the subway are occupied
This kinda lifestyle teach you patience
Living like this makes you patient
I spend my very last savings on some Takis
I spent my last bit of money on Takis chips
I'm good at Simbis crib
I'm doing well at my friend's house
I don't need no hotel lobbies
I don't need a fancy hotel lounge
I doubt I'd get along with paparazzi , yeah
I don't think I'd get along with paparazzi
I just want a Slim Jim and a 40
I just want a cheap, processed meat snack and beer
I just wanna roll up to the sundown without my moms throwing a fit
I want to go out without my mom getting upset
I just wanna party in New York in all the abandon warehouses
I want to party in abandoned buildings in New York
With all the hipster kids and the bad bitches with hair on their armpits
With all the cool kids and the trendy girls who don't shave
We wear designer clothes from thrifts
We wear fancy clothes we found at second-hand stores
My hair might not be laid and did
My hair might not be perfectly styled
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ade Chang-Nugent, Kevin Risto, Waynne Nugent, Marquis King, Badriia Bourelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cherishv6844
was washing dishes today and this song was playing......I so broke down crying.....so much going on in my life right now.....but I'm still ballin.....I'm so mfN awesome
@hotcakesjubaby7300
Invisible Spirit omg I'm in tears..
@khadijahchaney5767
Invisible Spirit I hope youre doing better. It gets better.
@biggiefan4life111
Keep ya head up homie
@Richswag27
Pray, talk 2 God he has all the answers and keep pushin on, hope everything works out 4 your good
@hightemperature1056
How you doing now?
@SpacedOutJetson
I hope this girl makes it far, first time I heard this on the radio I became obsessed
@centavioushernandez
Verbal Kint me too
@MrSoupasteve
Verbal Kint she wrote already for Beyonce Kanye and Rihanna.. girl is gifted. reading these comments she connected with a lot of people.. she'll make it
@landon2632
Verbal Kint me too