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 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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