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.
Intro
Eightball & MJG Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ball and G, that's the answer
Living legends, many are called but few are chosen
You know their names, legends of the south
8 Ball, Fat Boy, MJG, pimpin'
Bad Boy nigga, show them whachu got
The opening lines of Eightball & MJG's song Intro are borrowed from William Shakespeare's famous soliloquy from his play Hamlet. The alternative hip-hop duo substitutes Hamlet's existential question, "To be or not to be," with "Ball and G, that's the answer." Essentially, they are saying that their music and partnership is their identity, their raison d'être. As "living legends," they acknowledge that many aspire to their level of success, but only a select few "are chosen." The verse then lists their aliases, 8 Ball, Fat Boy, and MJG, along with the reputation of pimping and being a "bad boy," which suggests that they are unafraid to buck convention and embrace controversy or speak their truth.
Line by Line Meaning
To be or not to be, that is the question
We must decide whether or not to exist, and that is the dilemma
Ball and G, that's the answer
Our identity as Eightball and MJG is the solution
Living legends, many are called but few are chosen
We are highly respected and recognized figures, although only a select few attain this status
You know their names, legends of the south
Our reputation precedes us as iconic figures in southern hip-hop culture
8 Ball, Fat Boy, MJG, pimpin'
These are our stage names and they represent our personas as players and pimps
Bad Boy nigga, show them whachu got
We are confident in our abilities as artists and dare anyone to prove otherwise
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Shondrae Crawford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind