Ball w/o You

"Ball w/o You" (pronounced "ball without you") is a song by British-American rapper 21 Savage from his second studio album I Am Greater than I Was (2018). It was produced by TM88.

Background and composition
"Ball w/o You" finds 21 Savage expressing his heartbreak from relationships, stating he prefers loyalty over love; in the first verse, he says, "I'd rather have loyalty than love / 'Cause love really don't mean jack / See love is just a feeling / You can love somebody and still stab them in the back". He raps in a falsetto voice on the song.

The song was speculated to be referencing model Amber Rose, the ex-girlfriend of 21 Savage, but Savage confirmed in an interview with The Breakfast Club that it was not about her.

Critical reception
A.D. Amorosi of Variety regarded the song to be "soulfully inventive" and a moment in which I Am > I Was is "at its best and most dynamic." Tom Breihan of Stereogum described 21 Savage's vocals as "a gloriously unlistenable sound even when it's smothered in Auto-Tune." Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews wrote, "It would need to be cleaned up for the radio a bit but TM88's work on 'Ball w/o You' is a sure fire hit."

Music video
An official music video was released on April 29, 2019. Directed by Walu, it opens at a nightclub where 21 Savage's fictional ex-girlfriend drinking and taking selfies with her friends,    before drunkenly stumbling into the bathroom, where she passes out in a stall while trying to take pictures of herself and is kicking and screaming as security drags her out. Meanwhile, 21 Savage sits from the balcony of his lavish home with a new girlfriend by his side as he gazes into the skyline of Los Angeles. His ex is next seen taking photos of herself in front of a large, lavish home and clear sky. The camera zooms out to show her on the curb with her packed bags.