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8BALL & MJG
1993, 1994,
1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001…these are the years that 8
Ball and MJG have released albums. Pretty much
consecutively. Undeniably consistently. Not many rappers
can claim that they are about to release their 9th album
in a decade, which makes 8 Ball and MJG’s forthcoming
album, Living Legends (Bad Boy Records), a rarity and
the title all the more fitting.
8 Ball and MJG are rap giants and if the South were it’s
own country, they would be national treasures. For
starters, they were the first rap act from Memphis to go
platinum and one of the first in the region to attain
nationwide success. In their hometown of Memphis, TN,
they have successfully accelerated the pace at which rap
fans breathe, injecting their faces and trademark style
into the veins of America’s heartland. The magnitude of
their sound is so far reaching it has rocked the block
in cities as far North as Brooklyn, NY and as far West
as Compton, CA making artists like Mobb Deep and DJ
Quick, Nelly and Ludacris fans for life. In fact, if you
ask the average rapper or the average fan, most of them
will tell you the same thing: The first Southern rap
records that captivated them and changed their lives
forever were 8 Ball and MJG. To put it blunt, 8 Ball and
MJG are your favorite rap group’s favorite rap group.
8 Ball puts it this way, “The difference between us and
the other groups people would compare us with is that
those groups grew up on us,”
After signing the legends, an Executive at Bad Boy
explained, "8 Ball and MJG are to down South what Biggie
was to New York and what Tupac was to the West Coast."
Indeed, Living Legends marks the merging of two
powerhouses in the industry: Bad Boy Records and 8 Ball
and MJG. Both highly visible, both highly respected and
both highly imitated in their parts of the world. Living
Legends, is simply, a landmark album.
Listening to the album you’ll quickly understand that
there are Southern anthems and then there’s an 8 Ball
and MJG anthem. The first single, “You Don't Want
Drama.” Is one of them. It’s a rambunctious, throw your
hands up, party starter with a hook the country will
have memorized come springtime. No matter what dance you
do in your part of the country, you will want to do it
with all your might when doing it to this track. As MJG
put it, “It’s a get crunk, get buck, elbows, shoulder to
shoulder, crowding the dance floor, pushing song…even P.
Diddy got rowdy on the record.” 8 Ball laughs as he
recalls the first time Diddy heard the beat. “He was
dancing off some South s**t. It was a sight to see.”
Living Legends “space age 4 eva” digital flourish make
the songs sound otherworldly, but still remains firmly
planted in Southern soil thanks to premier producers
like Lil’ Jon, Jazze Pha, David Banner and Bad Boy
beat-maker Stevie J., as well as guest rappers like
Ludacris and UGK’s Bun B.
Just as Memphis birthed the Blues, thanks to the
foundation that 8 Ball and MJG laid, it is also the
birthplace of much of Southern-style hip-hop as we know
it today. It was 8 Ball and MJG who painted the blues on
hip-hop, or hip-hop on the blues, and you can hear it in
the moody tracks like “Memphis City Blues,” 8 Ball’s
favorite song on this album. Struggle is the driving
force in any ghetto in America, and even though their
success has allowed them to transcend this to some
degree, the aggression and the aggravation is still
apparent in their unified voice. And, although the South
is mostly known for its hospitality, “Don’t Make” is
nothing short of haunting, menacing even, but still
enjoyable and excitable. It is a beast of a song with a
monster track.
The mix of 8 Ball and MJG’s individual voices has made
their sound one of the most sought-after in hip-hop.
They both approach rapping the same: they hear the
music, inhabit the mood, and then construct their
rhymes. MJG describes it mystically, “The lyrics are
born from the music. We let the spirit motivate the
pen.” as evident in “Hold What You Got,” where they
wrote off the Baptist gospel soul sound and flipped into
a song that MJG describes as “pimping goes to church.”
On their previous solo endeavors 8 Ball and MJG made
their individuality known. MJG revealed he was the more
political member on his 1997 album No More Glory (the
album cover featured a burning confederate flag). 8 Ball
uncovered his preference for personal, confessional
rhymes on his 2001 CD Almost Famous. Through these
releases and a few label changes, their union remains
unbroken hence the album title.
Together, 8 Ball and MJG are the necessary symmetry of
two eyes, two arms--a unit born of the same hood. “We
grew up in a few blocks from each other. That weighs
more than anything that could come between us. The
friendship will be first,” 8 Ball explains. “At the end
of the day if I ain’t got nothing in the world but my
underwear I know that’s my friend…that’s what keeps us
together, where we come from.”
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