Paid Dues
8Ball Lyrics

Yeah, yeah, Space Age forever; Niggas and hos better recognize
We've been a part of the Space Age crew for a long time, and people should respect that.

Eightball and MJG, been ten toes down in this game
We've been dedicated to the rap game for a long time.

Since we were two young playas in a one-horse town
We've been doing this since we were young and living in a small town.

Then hopped to a muthafuckin' grasshopper
We moved to a new place.

Nigga, my life would have been done got cut off If my dues weren't paid
If I hadn't paid my dues, I wouldn't be where I am now.

It's a thinnin' line between wrong and right
Sometimes it's hard to know if what you're doing is right or wrong.

Trapped in a trap till the mornin' light
We were stuck in a bad environment.

Ghetto ain't left me no choices; I had to fight
The ghetto has limited our options, so we had to fight to make a better life for ourselves.

My mama and daddy was too young to raise me right
Our parents were young and didn't necessarily know how to raise us properly.

Maybe I been made a man from all the mistakes I made
We've made mistakes, but they've helped us grow and become better people.

Niggas dead, niggas gone; I still ain't afraid
Despite losing friends and colleagues, we're not scared to continue our journey.

Ain't too grown to get back on with ghetto games I played
We're not above our past and are willing to continue participating in the culture we grew up in.

In the middle of doin' crime; it never stopped me from writin' rhymes
Even while participating in illegal activities, we never stopped making music.

God, but it didn't mean I had to use it
We didn't have to use our talent for music in a negative way.

It was obvious: I had to give up the streets for the beats
We had to make a decision to leave the streets behind and focus on our music careers.

Not knowin', but havin' faith on just how long that it would be
We didn't know how long it would take to make it in the industry, but we had faith that it would happen eventually.

Before I made it, before somebody picked up my tape and played it
We had to continue working hard before someone gave us a chance.

With a remark like, 'Hey, played that instrumental, you cat's got potential.'
When we were finally discovered, people recognized our potential.

In the process of doing talent shows, parties, and mix tapes
We did whatever we could to promote ourselves and our music.

We even put it down on some of our homeboys jail release dates
We performed for our incarcerated friends when they were released from jail.

I can remember in the past closin' down at fast foods
We worked menial jobs while trying to make it in the industry.

Strictly stickin' to my dreams, but feelin' like I'd be the last dude
We remained faithful to our dreams, even when it felt like we were never going to make it.

Who can make it in this rap; I thought that they ain't gon' see me in Memphis
We didn't think anyone would recognize us in Memphis.

It was like a time they looked over Tennessee And didn't know hip-hop was in us
We felt ignored by the industry even though there was a hip-hop scene in our state.

To all my vets in the game, I got love; stay on your toes
We have respect for those who have been in the game before us and offer them support.

'Cause back in the days, I used to use your 4-5 instrumental to do my shows
We used other artist's instrumentals when performing back in the day.

And, look, I was seventeen when I signed my first contract
We were young when we got our first big break in the industry.

And about eighteen and a half when I signed my worst contract; we hurt from that
We've made mistakes in our contracts in the past that have caused us pain.

And till this day they still distributin' our first tape Before Comin' Out Hard, now can you feel it?
Our first tape is still being distributed, even after all these years.

Be humble and patient with whatever you should choose 'Cause to get to where I am right now, I done paid my dues
We've had to be humble and patient in order to succeed and remain relevant, and we've paid our dues to get to where we are now.

A c-note for a concert; I know that sounds preposterous
We used to charge $100 for our concerts, which seemed like a lot at the time.

Nigga, we didn't have a pot to piss
We were broke and didn't have any money.

So we got on stage, and we rocked the bitch
We put on an amazing show despite our financial struggles.

Fuck the cheese; I love to see my niggas in the front row
We care more about our fans than making money.

Get buck wild, start a fight; the police make a nigga stop the show
Our concerts were so intense that sometimes fights would break out and the police had to intervene.

Niggas all in the parkin' lot, bustin' shots, fuckin' with hos
Our concerts attracted a wild crowd that sometimes engaged in dangerous behavior.

Box Chevy with the spokes and vogues Niggas didn't know shit about a twenty inch Mo-Mo
We were into car culture before it became popular, and people didn't know about it at the time.

Hard head, young nigga don't believe that shit till I see that shit
We were skeptical until we saw the car culture for ourselves.

See them heavyweight niggas; one day, I'm gonna be that shit
We aspired to be successful and well-known like the heavyweight artists in the industry.

Okay, everybody know everybody done sold dope, ran with a gang
It's widely known that many people in the industry have participated in illegal activities.

Pimp some hos and snorted a little coke, but, uh
Some artists have even engaged in prostitution and drug use.

I'm space again, and we'll forever be Eightball, the fat mack, and M-J-fuckin'-G
We are part of the Space Age crew and will always be recognized as Eightball, the fat mack, and MJG.

Turn the page from then to now, and we still grindin'
Despite our longevity, we're still working hard in the industry.

Small clubs and small towns think they bouncin', and we find them
We're still discovering small clubs and towns that have a great hip-hop scene.

Put them on the guest list, make them pump their fist and get buck to this
We try to promote smaller artists by putting them on our guest list and getting the crowd hyped up for them.

Make one of them weed smokin', gangsta bitches get fucked to this
Our music has a sexual element that appeals to certain audiences.

Expand, give all my true fans what they demand
We always try to give our fans what they want, and we continue to grow and evolve in our music.

Do my part again and, uh, come out hard again, and, uh Keep space again, and we'll forever be Eightball, the fat mack, and M-J-fuckin'-G
We plan to continue making music and remaining a part of the Space Age crew.