They first appeared on the rap scene with their 1993 album Comin' Out Hard. The album was successful commercially as well as critically and established the group as a prominent act in the then emerging Southern Rap scene. Their subsequent albums in the 1990s including 1994's On the Outside Looking In, and 1995's On Top of the World cemented their status as some of the South's best rappers. On Top of the World was particularly succeessful, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 200 and being certified Gold. After those albums both 8Ball & MJG released solo albums, first MJG's No More Glory in 1997 and then 8Ball's Lost in 1998. They reunited in 1999 to release their fourth album as a group, titled In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1
For their later releases they signed with Bad Boy Records. Their first album for Bad Boy Records, Living Legends, was certified Gold by the RIAA. Their second album on Bad Boy Records was titled Ridin High and was released in March 2007.
Commercially one of the high points of 8Ball & MJG's career was their being featured on Three 6 Mafia's hit song "Stay Fly" in 2005. That song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is the biggest hit of Three 6 Mafia's career and the biggest hit for 8Ball & MJG. The song was a collaboration between two of the most successful rap groups from the state of Tennessee, where Three 6 Mafia also hail from.
Today 8Ball and MJG also head their own record labels. 8Ball heads 8 Ways Entertainment (distributed by Koch Entertainment), while MJG heads MJG Muzik. On their label are the young, up and coming Memphis duo, Da Volunteers, who are widely known throughout the Southern United States for their 2006 single, "What's Yo Favorite Color?", which glorifies their neighborhood of Orange Mound.
In September 2007, 8Ball and MJG signed deals in Sacramento, CA with Real Talk Entertainment 8Ball released a group album with E.D.I of the Outlawz entitled Doin' It Big on April 1, 2008 and MJG released a solo album entitled Pimp Tight on April 29, 2008.
In June 2008 the group announced that they have officially signed onto T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle.
Mr. Big
8Ball & MJG Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My so called friends, they had no ends to lend me.
My job at Mickie Ds was fuckin me with no grease
I worked so damn hard, but the money, it never increased.
I quit my fuckin job, I had no job nigga
Put on the mask, get the gloc, it's time to rob nigga.
I hit the streets, but no victim had been chosen
Damn I was nervous, but my fear wouldn't stop my strollin.
I felt the burn of bullets, so I knew I had got bucked.
Reachin for my tech, the bullets hit me in my chest
My eyes closed shut, and I thought I seen death.
I woke up at the med still woozy from my jackin
T-Money walked in and he told me what had happened.
I knew him from the hood, but I did not know him well
He drove a red jag, and I knew that he was bale.
He said he was rollin when he seen me in distress
He said he killed the muthafuckin niggas with his tech.
He offered me a job said he'd front me what I needed
I said that I was with it dreamin one day I would be..
Mr. Big!
chorus: Mr. Big, Mr. Big, they call him Mr. Big
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, but not because of my size.
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, they call him Mr. Big
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, but not because of my size.
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, they call him Mr. Big
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, but not because of my size.
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, they call him Mr. Big
Mr. Big, Mr. Big, but not because of my size.
8Ball: I hit the street slaning ya-yo, then I sold up my block
Sellin 8, sellin deals, sellin $20 rocks.
Sellin dimes, sellin nickels to the junkies on my tracks
Gettin my dick sucked with the crumbs from the crack.
Some fool tried to jack me, but he only had a knife
A clip full of hollow tips took the bitches' life.
Standin on the track, my mobile rung and it was T
"Hello?" -- "Yo Eight, be the fuck aroung 3" --"Aight!"
I met him at the park, he had a job for me again
Rob some Columbians, and get my ass in.
Hit for 30 birds, if I live, I'd get five
I smoked them damn Columbians, and then got what was mine.
All the time, my clientel rappidly increased
My bank got bigger, that's when bitches started jockin me.
Cars and clothes had me fuckin different hoes
A fat bank roll was keepin me cool with the 5-O.
I had niggas workin under me to take the heat
I never touched the dope, makin a 100 Gs a week.
I gained respect, I'm the biggest playa of all time
Don't ever fuck with me, cause I'm ...
Mr. Big!
repeat chorus:
8Ball: Chillin at the club with T-Money and J-be
Lil Adrian and Boo, and my nigga, MJG.
I had the bitches staring at the twinkle of my diamonds.
Drinkin on this Yak, makin my way to the back.
When I saw this little bitch lookin finer than the rest.
With a long black weave and a tight red dress.
I started conversatin, but she didn't want to talk to me
Straight up to the hotel room, now the bitch is suckin the
Dick of this nigga that is smarter than the bitch thank
Then she got up, now somethin in the air stank.
She went in the bathroom and locked the door behind her
I got off the bed and grabbed the tech from the dresser.
Stood by the door when it opened, niggas came out
Grab my muthafuckin gun, "Hey nigga!" *pow pow*
Then, I grabbed the girl cause some more niggas had busted in
Shot that bitch in the dome with my muthafuckin chrome
Shot up all the niggas, but I took one in the leg
When the cops busted in, I was laying on the bed.
Walked up out the room, did I go to jail?
Hell no! They can't stop me..
Long live Mr. Big Ho!!!!
repeat chorus!
The lyrics of 8Ball & MJG's song Mr. Big chronicles the rise of the singer, 8Ball, from a broke fast-food worker to a successful drug dealer and criminal mastermind. The song starts with his resignation from his job as the money earned was insufficient to get him going. He turned to crime by robbing people on the streets but gets shot and saved by T-Money, who offers him a job. He gets into a drug dealing business and becomes very successful, gaining respect and admiration from people. He gains wealth through his criminal activities, and his clientele increased rapidly. He undergoes dramatic changes in his lifestyle, including working with other people and increasing his territory. In the end, he shoots a group of people in a hotel room, gets shot in the leg, but escapes from Jail.
The song portrays the struggles and aspirations of young people living in poverty and their aspirations to gain success by any means. 8Ball's journey highlights the negative impact of drugs and crime in one's life. The song also showcases the theme of mentorship since T-Money provided 8Ball with a starting point after he got shot, showcasing the importance of having a support system. Overall, Mr. Big's story is a cautionary tale of the consequences of living a life of crime and the inevitable outcomes that follow.
Line by Line Meaning
Now, I was broke as a muthafucka, my life at the end see
I was extremely poor, so much so that I felt like my life was coming to an end.
My so called friends, they had no ends to lend me.
My supposed friends didn't have any money to help me out financially.
My job at Mickie Ds was fuckin me with no grease
My job at McDonald's was treating me unfairly and not giving me the pay or benefits I deserved.
I worked so damn hard, but the money, it never increased.
Despite my hard work, I never saw an increase in my income.
I quit my fuckin job, I had no job nigga
I quit my job with no backup plan, I was unemployed.
Put on the mask, get the gloc, it's time to rob nigga.
I decided to resort to robbery to make some money and prepared myself by putting on a mask and getting a gun.
I hit the streets, but no victim had been chosen
I started walking around looking for someone to rob, but I hadn't targeted anyone yet.
Damn I was nervous, but my fear wouldn't stop my strollin.
Even though I was nervous, I kept walking and looking, not letting my fear get the best of me.
Then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I was struck
Suddenly without warning, I was shot.
I felt the burn of bullets, so I knew I had got bucked.
I felt the pain of being shot and realized I was in serious trouble.
Reachin for my tech, the bullets hit me in my chest
I tried to grab my gun, but was shot in the chest before I could take any action.
My eyes closed shut, and I thought I seen death.
I thought I was about to die, my eyes were closing and I was losing consciousness.
T-Money walked in and he told me what had happened.
T-Money, an acquaintance of mine, came into the hospital room and told me what had happened after I was shot.
He said he was rollin when he seen me in distress
T-Money had been driving around when he saw me in trouble and in need of help.
He said he killed the muthafuckin niggas with his tech.
T-Money said he had taken out the people who shot me with his gun.
He offered me a job said he'd front me what I needed
T-Money offered me a job and said he would give me a loan to get started.
I said that I was with it dreamin one day I would be..
I agreed to take the job and I dreamed of one day becoming successful.
Mr. Big!
I wanted to be known as Mr. Big, someone powerful and respected.
Chillin at the club with T-Money and J-be
I was hanging out with T-Money and another friend J-be at a club.
I had the bitches staring at the twinkle of my diamonds.
I was wearing flashy jewelry that caught the attention of women at the club.
Drinkin on this Yak, makin my way to the back.
I was drinking cognac and heading to the back of the club.
When I saw this little bitch lookin finer than the rest.
When I saw a woman who stood out to me as being the most attractive in the club.
Started conversatin, but she didn't want to talk to me
I tried to start a conversation with her, but she wasn't interested in talking to me.
Straight up to the hotel room, now the bitch is suckin the
We went straight to my hotel room and she started performing oral sex on me.
Dick of this nigga that is smarter than the bitch thank
I believed I was smarter than her and that she was just being used for sex.
Then she got up, now somethin in the air stank.
After she stopped performing, I noticed a bad smell in the air.
She went in the bathroom and locked the door behind her
She went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
I got off the bed and grabbed the tech from the dresser.
I got off the bed and retrieved my gun from the dresser.
Stood by the door when it opened, niggas came out
When she finally opened the bathroom door, some men came out of nowhere.
Grab my muthafuckin gun, "Hey nigga!" *pow pow*
I reacted quickly by grabbing my gun and shooting at the men who came out of the bathroom.
Then, I grabbed the girl cause some more niggas had busted in
I grabbed the woman I had been with because more men had come into the hotel room.
Shot that bitch in the dome with my muthafuckin chrome
To my dismay, I realized the woman I had been with had betrayed me and I shot her in the head with my gun.
Shot up all the niggas, but I took one in the leg
I shot all of the other men, but one of them managed to shoot me in the leg.
When the cops busted in, I was laying on the bed.
When the police arrived, I was lying on the bed with my gun still in my hand.
Long live Mr. Big Ho!!!!
Despite everything that happened, I still wanted to be known as Mr. Big and didn't want to be stopped by anyone.
Lyrics © Royalty Network Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: M.J. GOODWIN, PREMRO SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind