8Ball & MJG Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
8ball & MJG (or Eightball & MJG, as they used to call themselves) have been the kings of Memphis rap for quite some time now, even going so far as to refer to themselves as "living legends." That's not exactly an overstatement. They've inspired countless Southern rappers and helped to foster a strong hip-hop community in their home city, and now, signed to Bad Boy Records, they're able to reach an even wider audience. Their second album on Diddy's label, Ridin High, is a super-produced tribute to the things the duo love best: drugs, money, and women (there's even a song titled "Alcohol Pussy Weed"). From the first single, "Relax and Take Notes" (featuring a Biggie line from "Dead Wrong," not any new material from the deceased rapper), to "Worldwide" to "30 Rock" (the only track to have a non-Southerner guest, this one being Mr. Combs himself), 8 and MJ rhyme their way through heavy synth crunk beats and smooth slow jams. Their lines aren't revolutionary -- the kind of typical braggadocio so much associated with hip-hop at this point -- but their delivery is fluid and well practiced, their cadences moving from singsongy triplets to rough and fast eighth notes easily, and only occasionally do their rhymes really fall short (the best example being, from the Jazze Pha-produced "Pimpin' Don't Fail Me Now," "I'm about to turn you inside out/I'm about to look into your heart though your mouth/With my dickoscope"). Listeners familiar with 8ball & MJG will probably be a little disappointed with Ridin High: it's more focused on club anthems than the group has been before, but it's this same thing that should make the album appeal to those looking for good, commercial Southern rap. The duo is aware of this transition, and the ever-growing popularity of their music and their audience, but they want to make sure everyone knows that that hasn't changed their lives or what they believe in. "I could give a muthaf*ck about a flow and hustle," 8 spits on "Memphis," which samples a short line from the Marc Cohn adult contemporary classic "Walking in Memphis." Maybe that's true, but mainstream success of a certain film, and a certain style, definitely won't hurt their album sales. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
P. Diddy claims that his Bad Boy record label and 8ball & MJG are a perfect match. It's really just strange, but kudos to Diddy for having the smarts to sign the duo. These "Legends of the South" still have their skills, but can they blend their sparse and hard Southern sound with the N.Y.C. glitz of Bad Boy? For the most part, the album works extremely well, except when Diddy interrupts the slow flow with a trite voice-over or any of his numerous reminders that this is a Bad Boy record. Hit the skip button early to avoid his corny toughness at the end of the otherwise excellent "When It's On" and you're better off. On the other hand, sticking Bad Boy's resident crooners 112 on "Trying to Get at You" is a smooth move that enlivens the track, and almost all the other bits of showiness work. It makes Living Legends one of the duo's more well-rounded albums, and there's no evidence the rappers themselves have gone soft. "Don't Make" is a thug creeper that Lil Jon would call "nasty," and both "You Don't Want Drama" and "Straight Cadillac Pimpin'" were already street-level mixtape endorsed before Living Legends' release. Diddy has gone home by the album's great, down-low fourth quarter and replaced with more complimentary guests like Lloyd and an extravicious Twista. The slow jam "Confessions" ends the album on high note, and even the interludes and skits are worth hearing more than once. Despite having nearly as many producers as songs, it all hangs together and the duo gets an album that's up to the level they deserve. Executive producing 8ball & MJG's strongest full-length in quite a while is something Diddy should crow about, but maybe not so much on the actual album. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After the thoughtful reflection of In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1999), which had cast Eightball & MJG as been-there, done-that Southern rap sages and earned widespread acclaim in the process, the duo responded with the lighthearted Space Age 4 Eva. This album, Eightball & MJG's first non-Suave House release, returns to the space-age pimping that had been the duo's stock-in-trade for years. The club-orientated tracks stand out, particularly the Swizz Beatz-produced "At the Club" and the DJ Quik-produced "Buck Bounce," both of which pair Eightball & MJG with non-Southern big-name producers for the first time. Elsewhere, a pair of Jazze Pha productions also stand out, the meditative "Thingz" and the aggressive "Pimp Hard," as do the celebratory title track and the intense album-closer, "Thank God." While these individual moments feature some of the best production work of Eightball & MJG's career to date, the album itself as a whole plays like a mishmash, more a collection of big-name producer collaborations than a cohesive whole, which many of the duo's previous albums had been. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1'
Release Date 5/18/1999
Tracks 14
Label Uptown/Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Aging does not become most hip-hop artists, nor do reunions. However, there are always exceptions that prove the rule and, apparently, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 is one of those cases. Eightball & MJG went on hiatus in 1998, and they both released solo albums that weren't bad but weren't particularly noteworthy, either. Their reunion on In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 is another story altogether. Working with producers Organized Noize, T-Mix, and Black, the duo has found an appealing variation on the Dirty South sound -- a smooth groove that recalls classic late-'70s/early-'80s funk, while taking chances with its drum machine rhythms and the overall sonic texture. Even the hardest-hitting cuts, "Get It Crunk" and "We Started This," have a spacy feel to their production. It all holds together, and none of the guest artists -- including Cee-Lo, Big Duke, Nina Creque, and OutKast -- detracts from Eightball & MJG, who have written some of their finest lyrics yet. The entire album is designed as an oral history of their past, and since they have a loose narrative to follow, they've wound up creating their most coherent -- and arguably best -- album yet. Very few rappers could claim to get better with age, but it seems like Eightball & MJG may be doing just that. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'On Top of the World'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 15
Label Suave/Relativity
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Eightball & MJG's breakthrough album, On Top of the World improves on their previous two albums. The duo builds on the G-funk stylings of Dr. Dre, making the music rougher and rawer. The album includes the single "Break'em Off" and "Friend or Foe," which features guest appearances from Mac Mall, E-40, and Big Mike. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'On the Outside Looking In'
Release Date 5/24/1994
Tracks 12
Label Suave
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Eightball & MJG made some significant strides forward on their second collection, On the Outside Looking In. Featuring improved production skills and tighter rapping, the album suggested that the duo had the Southern potential to break nationally. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Along with OutKast's Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) and Goodie Mob's Soul Food (1995), Eightball & MJG's debut, Comin' Out Hard, is one of the most influential rap albums to come out of the South. It wasn't as widely heard as those others albums, nor was it as professional-sounding; however, its independent release by Suave Records, based in Houston, and its basement-level production were influential in their own way. A generation of underground Southern rappers would arise by the end of the '90s, many of them following the template of Comin' Out Hard: underground hardcore rap modeled after West Coast gangsta rap yet delivered in a distinctly Southern manner, released via an indie label with major ambitions. Even the cover artwork of Comin' Out Hard, courtesy of Pen & Pixel Graphics, was influential, as the company would go on to design all the bling-blinging No Limit and Cash Money albums of the late '90s. Unfortunately, Comin' Out Hard is more historically significant than it is impressive from a strictly musical point of view. The production is admittedly lo-fi, credited to the rappers themselves, and while the raps are effective, the hooks leave room for improvement. Eightball & MJG would indeed improve in the years that followed, ultimately releasing a classic at the end of the decade, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1999). Comin' Out Hard pales in comparison, yet it's an interesting album to hear from a historical perspective and is certainly noteworthy for its widespread influence, especially throughout the South. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
