![]() ![]() (These early recordings for On the Strength would later be reissued in 1997 as Lyrics of a Pimp and also in 2000 as Memphis Under World.) 8Ball and MJG subsequently signed a deal with Suave Records (aka Suave House), a Houston, Texas-based label run by Tony Draper. They made their recording debut in 1991 with a three-track single, Listen to the Lyrics, released on cassette and 12″ vinyl by On the Strength Records, an independent label. They shared a passion for hip-hop, which hadn’t yet made a strong impact in the South, and formed their own rap duo, 8Ball and MJG. There were no acrimonious incidents, no run-ins with the law, no “retirements,” no hangups whatsoever - if anything, 8Ball and MJG were respectably reliable over the course of their career, always comin’ out hard and always representing the South.Įightball (born Premro Smith) and MJG (Marlon Jermaine Goodwin) grew up in the rough Orange Mound area of Memphis and met at Ridgeway Junior High in 1984. Despite never crossing over into the mainstream - none of their singles ever broke into the Billboard Hot 100 for example, not even once they signed to Bad Boy - and despite occasionally infrequent output, 8Ball and MJG persevered over the decades. In addition, 8Ball and MJG recorded individually, the former by far the more prolific of the two. ![]() 1 (1999), which would become Southern rap milestones, along with classic singles like “Space Age Pimpin’.” 8Ball and MJG eventually left Suave for a major label, JCOR/Interscope, in 2000, and then were signed by Diddy to Bad Boy Records, resulting in their most commercially successful album to date, Living Legends (2004). ![]() ![]() The pioneering duo enjoyed increasing recognition as the years passed, releasing a couple albums, namely Comin’ Out Hard (1994) and In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1, their last release on Suave House, puts Eightball & MJG's best attributes on full display.One of the pioneers of Southern rap, 8Ball and MJG, emerged from Memphis, Tennessee in the early ’90s and, aligned with the Houston, Texas-based independent label Suave Records, quickly garnering a tremendous regional following while proving highly influential to a generation of aspiring, independent-minded rap artists and entrepreneurs. The album was recorded in part at the freshly minted Dungeon in Atlanta and Cee-Lo shows up on the slow-rolling, status declaring track, "Paid My Dues" while OutKast appears for a long-awaited collaboration on "Throw Your Hands Up." Andre 3000 is in top form, of course, opening his verse with the memorable line: “You wouldn't understand if you stood under it/It’s like the longer I talk to you, the dumber that I get…” On another album standout "Love Hurts," which offers Ball a chance to shine with his relaxed storytelling, the DF's Big Rube shows up to offer words of advice.Ī strong contender for the best albums in their catalog, In Our Lifetime, Vol. DJ, for three of the tracks on the 14-song effort, continuing their connection with the Dungeon Family. While alongside T-Mix, Ball & G initially handled a lot of their own production, on In Our Lifetime, they also called on their Atlanta neighbor, Mr. Balancing one another stylistically, with Ball’s vivid storytelling and MJG’s fast, lyrical wordplay, Eightball & MJG have always been top-level emcees with a great sense of musicality, and that's vividly on display throughout the project.įollowing On Top of The World, both Eightball and MJG released long-awaited albums - Ball dropped off a triple disc effort, Lost, which featured everyone from Redman, Too $hort, and Canibus to E-40 and Bun B, while MJG released No More Glory with less fanfare, though it further showcased his lyrical dexterity. The album, crafted almost entirely by Suave House's wildly underrated talent, producer T-Mix, arrived after their 1995 standout effort, On Top of the World, an album which spawned one of their signature hits, "Space Age Pimpin," and perhaps more importantly, established the Orange Mound, Memphis duo as one of the most lyrically dense, influential groups in southern Hip-Hop and beyond. On May 18, 1999, Eightball & MJG dropped one of their best albums, In Our Lifetime, Vol. ![]()
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