They first appeared on the rap scene with their 1993 album Cominβ 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 1994βs On the Outside Looking In, and 1995βs On Top of the World cemented their status as some of the Southβs 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 MJGβs No More Glory in 1997 and then 8Ballβs 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 & MJGβs career was their being featured on Three 6 Mafiaβs hit song βStay Flyβ in 2005. That song peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100, which is the biggest hit of Three 6 Mafiaβs 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, βWhatβs Yo Favorite Color?β, 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 Doinβ 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.βs record label Grand Hustle.
No Mercy
Eightball & MJG Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's the beginning of this story that I'm telling you
I was in the 9 tre smokin' a spliff on the strip
Seen a little cutie with some bootie, stop to shoot the shit
She was on my dick cause in the hood I had a little rank
She was the kind of ho tryin' to take a nigga for his bank
But what she did not know a nigga had a plan for that
Take her out to dinner then knock that ass up in my Cadillac
The code read 33, I knew it was MJG
Step to the mobile phone, G was talkin' crazy
This ho heard some niggas say them laws are out to get me
That night, I was dumpin' that bitch in the ditch
Did not know that I was doin' it in the presence of a snitch
Got dope from the scenery, thinkin' I was scot-free
And now, I'm ducki'n and dodgin' tryin' to keep it low-key
Spliffed-out, ridin' in my hooptie on cloud 9
Doin' about 50 when a nigga pass 1-Time
Now they got a nigga faced-down on the sidewalk
Talkin' all that punk ass rookie pig cop talk
What was in my pocket, grabbin all my money and my beeper
Ramblin' through my car, the pigs found my 9mm
Now, I'm in the county callin' G to come and get me
Wandering who is the snitch callin' these laws tryin' to sell me out
Oh no! My mind is getting paranoid
A nigga can't even trust his own homeboys
As a result, I'm always alone
except for some of the hoes I bone
Most of the time, I watch the news while I get my smoke on
Thousands after thousands on a lawyer who ain't doin' shit
Locked up in this house a nigga 'bout to have a fuckin' fit
Last night, I seen my face on the news G
Some nigga who worked for me, slipped and lost an uzi
Now, I'm on the run, livin' like a fugitive
I thought to myself on the run ain't no way to live
I thought I'd party hard and smoke and drank this century
Now, I'm slowly dyin in this penetentery
No mercy, nigga
In the song "No Mercy," Eightball & MJG narrate the story of a man who starts off enjoying himself and his life on the streets but eventually falls into a downward spiral of cautionary events. The story begins with a dead body found in the bayou and the singer smoking a spliff on the street corner. He notices a woman who is attracted to him because he has some influence in the hood. He plans to take her on a date and have sex with her in his Cadillac. However, the singer's plans are interrupted when MJG calls him and warns him that the police are after him. Feeling paranoid, the singer gets rid of the woman he was with but does not realize he is dumping her in the presence of a snitch. The story then takes a turn for the worse as the singer is caught by the police, and his friend who worked for him gets him in more trouble, causing him to be wanted and hunted by law enforcement.
The lyrics focus on themes of betrayal, paranoia, and mistrust, showing how a lavish and reckless lifestyle can bring someone down in the blink of an eye. It is a cautionary tale of the dangers of living fast, which is a common theme in many hip-hop songs. The vivid storytelling and use of vivid details create a picture of the singer's dilemma and the hopelessness that he feels as he contemplates his fate.
Line by Line Meaning
One nigga found dead in the bayou
The beginning of the story that I'm about to tell you involved a person being found dead in the bayou.
I was in the 9 tre smokin' a spliff on the strip
I was smoking a joint on the street in the 9 tre neighborhood.
Seen a little cutie with some bootie, stop to shoot the shit
I saw an attractive person and stopped to chat with them.
She was on my dick cause in the hood I had a little rank
She was interested in me because I had some status in the neighborhood.
She was the kind of ho tryin' to take a nigga for his bank
She was the type of person who was only interested in taking advantage of me for my money.
But what she did not know a nigga had a plan for that
She was unaware that I had a plan to take her out and then sleep with her.
Take her out to dinner then knock that ass up in my Cadillac
I planned to sleep with her after taking her out to dinner in my car.
All of a sudden, my beeper started buzzin' on the side of me
My pager suddenly started buzzing while I was with her.
The code read 33, I knew it was MJG
The code on my pager indicated that MJG was trying to reach me.
Step to the mobile phone, G was talkin' crazy
I went to a phone to answer the call and MJG was speaking frantically.
This ho heard some niggas say them laws are out to get me
The person I was with overheard people talking about the police coming after me.
That night, I was dumpin' that bitch in the ditch
I didn't realize at the time that I was getting rid of her in the presence of a snitch.
Did not know that I was doin' it in the presence of a snitch
I was unaware that someone was observing me dispose of her body.
Got dope from the scenery, thinkin' I was scot-free
I thought I had gotten away without being caught after disposing of her body.
And now, I'm ducki'n and dodgin' tryin' to keep it low-key
After realizing someone had seen me, I am now trying to avoid being caught.
Spliffed-out, ridin' in my hooptie on cloud 9
I am driving high in my old car feeling very happy.
Doin' about 50 when a nigga pass 1-Time
As I was driving, a police car passed me.
Now they got a nigga faced-down on the sidewalk
The police have me lying face down on the ground.
Talkin' all that punk ass rookie pig cop talk
The police are speaking in a condescending and insulting manner.
What was in my pocket, grabbin all my money and my beeper
The police are taking my money and pager from me.
Ramblin' through my car, the pigs found my 9mm
As they were searching my car, the police found my gun.
Now, I'm in the county callin' G to come and get me
I am now in jail, calling MJG to help get me out.
Wandering who is the snitch callin' these laws tryin' to sell me out
I am wondering who told the police about my activities and is trying to get me in trouble.
Oh no! My mind is getting paranoid
I am becoming very paranoid about who might be trying to get me in trouble.
A nigga can't even trust his own homeboys
I am realizing that I can't even trust my closest friends not to snitch on me.
As a result, I'm always alone
I am now always by myself and don't have any friends I can really trust.
except for some of the hoes I bone
The only people I am involved with now are women I sleep with.
Most of the time, I watch the news while I get my smoke on
I spend most of my time smoking and watching the news.
Thousands after thousands on a lawyer who ain't doin' shit
I am spending a lot of money on a lawyer who isn't really helping me.
Locked up in this house a nigga 'bout to have a fuckin' fit
I am feeling extremely frustrated and angry being stuck in my house.
Last night, I seen my face on the news G
I saw myself on the news last night.
Some nigga who worked for me, slipped and lost an uzi
One of the people involved with me lost a weapon and it was reported on the news.
Now, I'm on the run, livin' like a fugitive
I am now running from the police, living like a criminal.
I thought to myself on the run ain't no way to live
I am now realizing that living as a fugitive is not a good way to live.
I thought I'd party hard and smoke and drank this century
I had planned on living life to the fullest before I got in trouble with the law.
Now, I'm slowly dyin in this penetentery
I am now in prison, feeling like my life is slowly slipping away.
No mercy, nigga
There is no mercy for me in the situation I am in.
Lyrics Β© Royalty Network
Written by: Marlon Goodwin, Premro Smith, Tristan Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jeffery Jackson
One of the best storytellers of all time π―
Barre Baby
eightball will actually make you feel like you LIVED his struggle....any real G has been in this situation at one time or another
Aijay Johnson
classic...and if you love this song from back in the day your probably a A Classic Too Triple OG like me π―
Walter Sheppard
@lamitch Haroldpoll@a@@@P]]@AAA Γ+
Mike Lean
π―π―π―my girl
Eric Goodin
Memphis has a lot Great Rappers, South Memphis, Orange Mound,
Eric Goodin
EIGHTBALL and MJG and UGK, AND GETTHO BOYS H- TOWN.
Tavares Raven
Indeed
SWEET JONES
I miss this type of music.. 2018 I'm still riding to this..
Larry Green jr
7/20/20