8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop duo from Memphis, Tennessee. Consist of … Read Full Bio ↴8Ball & MJG is an American hip hop duo from Memphis, Tennessee. Consist of Premrose Smith (8Ball) and Marlon Jermaine Goodwin (MJG).The two rappers met at Ridgeway Middle School in 1984.

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.

Nobody But Me
Eightball & MJG Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

MJG: It ain't no changing me no matter what you claim to see

I can only aim to be M J G

If thangs seem strange to me they can't be the same with me

You know it's lame to be somethin that you know is a lie

Hoes want a nigga to try to be somethin that he ain't

right before your eyes livin his life in a fuckin disguise

Follow the pack and wind up dead last (Go on)

Real dummy with your scared ass

In the future, ain't nobody gonna listen to you

(Why) Cause you do whatever to please the crew

It's easy to - Kiss ass for your wealth, Or get cash for yourself

I think I'll go with the green, Cause asses I do not clean

As bad as the shit might seem, I got a get-right team

Nigga, sensing myself and I, it ain't ever let a day go by

Without reality checks, fuck my salary check,

that ain't the reason why I want respect, but you ain't finna

distress

I gotta keep a level head, fuck what a devil said

I'm stayin me, M-J fuckin G - Put your trust in me..

Chorus: I can't be nobody but me, and that's all I can be

I can't be who you want me to be, cause nigga, that ain't me

(repeat x 4)

Eight: 100 ways to die, and I done survived 99

99 lives lost and one of them could've been mine

Blind with my eyes open, seein what is killin me

Feelin what is killin me, but wantin more constantly

Runnin from temptation, but I'm much to slow to get away

Gang, shootin niggas and bitches fuckin with me everyday

Man if I was lame and couldn't see em from a mile away

Smile on their mug, and in their minds, nothin but jealousy

Why should I get caught up in that bullshit not concernin me

Yeah, I run with Suave and we gone ride til infinity

Lord if I was lyin, strike me right here as I'm speakin this

Separate the strong from the cowardly and the weak at this

(repeat chorus x 4)

Eight: I see him everyday, point shaven and cravin

for the money that I be savin, and the moves that I be makin

Breakin rules, tryin not to be one of them broke fools

robbin niggas comin from school, thinkin that that shit is cool

Served out, whether sober, playboy, I got heataz for ya

Quick to shoot, because that indo boosts up my paranoia

I rap the blues, cause the blues is what I'm livin nigga

Surrounded my animals - livin and dyin by the trigga

Word to me, and if that shit don't meet your expectations

Fuck you critics, I do this for the underground nation

Slab ridaz, nigga, drug traffickaz and jackaz

Heat packaz, nigga, all my homeboys ain't rappaz

And, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't necessary

All of this is just a test, tryin to prepare me

My future's lookin dark, and I don't think it's gettin brighter

Forever Eightball, Pimp-Caso, Poetry writer...

MJG: It's hard to be, something that you didn't start to be

these streets be apart of me, until it's hard to see

till the years when it's hard to walk, gettin old

and, it's hard to talk, I'm on a line of chalk

it seems thinner than a line of thread, but through all this

still instead, I'm real after all

Paper, short or tall - Wife, be big and small

and still down to earth, I'll still be on the scene

Life like a tv screen, but I keep my strength

and I'll keep my hope (Why?) Cause I know they got me under the scope

But, if you're lookin at me, Look close, and your ass will learn

Maybe when you have your turn, and take a stand and shit

You might be a man and shit, make your own plan and shit

Cause I don't make no moves unless G want to make that move

Fuck he and she want to make that move, I got a face that blues

when a nigga gotta pay them dues, and they lookin at my face like Ooo

Mane, you broke and shit, but they ain't gonna throw me out a rope

and shit

I'm a drown and choke and shit

And my folkaz get clowdy with that hocus pokus shit,

I'll be the brokest trick...

But, I'm gone be myself, Pimp type nigga for sho'

Once again like I did it befo', up top or below

I'm a keep my feet on the flo', and do it in the heat or the snow

Give me a beat and I go, Off like a champ on your ass

Drop the mic and vamp on your ass, stick a stamp on your ass

Send you off to camp on your ass...when I rain, I'll dampen your

path.

(repeat chorus ..)

Overall Meaning

The song "Nobody But Me" by Eightball & MJG is a song about the struggle of staying true to oneself amidst the pressure of societal expectations. MJG raps about how he can only be himself despite external pressures to change. He emphasizes the importance of being honest with oneself and not trying to be someone they are not. He also criticizes those who follow the pack and lose their individuality in the process.

Eightball, on the other hand, raps about the constant struggles he faces in his daily life. He talks about the temptation of getting involved in illegal activities and the jealousy of others who want to be in his place. Despite his challenges, he chooses to continue his path and stay true to the underground nation. He recognizes that his future may not look bright, but he continues to hold onto hope and strength.

Overall, "Nobody But Me" is a song about staying true to oneself despite societal expectations and external pressures. Both rappers recognize the importance of individuality and being honest with oneself to achieve true freedom.

Line by Line Meaning

It ain't no changing me no matter what you claim to see
I cannot be changed, regardless of what you think you see

I can only aim to be M J G
My only aim is to be MJG

If thangs seem strange to me they can't be the same with me
If things seem strange to me, they cannot be identical to me

You know it's lame to be somethin that you know is a lie
It is foolish to pretend to be something that you know is not true

Hoes want a nigga to try to be somethin that he ain't
Women want a man to pretend to be something that he is not

right before your eyes livin his life in a fuckin disguise
In front of everyone, he lives his life pretending to be someone he is not

Follow the pack and wind up dead last (Go on)
If you follow the crowd, you will end up last

Real dummy with your scared ass
You are a real idiot with your scared self

In the future, ain't nobody gonna listen to you
In the future, nobody will listen to you

(Why) Cause you do whatever to please the crew
The reason is that you do anything to please the group

It's easy to - Kiss ass for your wealth, Or get cash for yourself
It is easy to either suck up to people for money or make money for yourself

I think I'll go with the green, Cause asses I do not clean
I prefer money over flattery because I do not do favors for others

As bad as the shit might seem, I got a get-right team
No matter how difficult the situation may appear, I have a supportive team

Nigga, sensing myself and I, it ain't ever let a day go by
I trust my instincts, and they have never let me down

Without reality checks, fuck my salary check, that ain't the reason why I want respect, but you ain't finna distress
I don't care about my paycheck, but I want respect for reasons other than money, and you won't upset me

I gotta keep a level head, fuck what a devil said
I have to stay calm, I don't care about the negativity

I'm stayin me, M-J fuckin G - Put your trust in me..
I always stay true to who I am, MJG, so you can trust me

I can't be nobody but me, and that's all I can be
I can only be myself and nothing else

I can't be who you want me to be, cause nigga, that ain't me
I cannot be the person you desire, because that person is not who I am

100 ways to die, and I done survived 99
There are many ways to die, and I have managed to survive 99 of them

99 lives lost and one of them could've been mine
99 lives have been lost, and one of them could have been mine

Blind with my eyes open, seein what is killin me
I am blind to the dangers around me, even though I can see them

Feelin what is killin me, but wantin more constantly
I am aware of what is harming me, but I still desire more

Runnin from temptation, but I'm much to slow to get away
I try to avoid temptation, but I am not quick enough to escape

Gang, shootin niggas and bitches fuckin with me everyday
The gang keeps shooting people who mess with us on a daily basis

Man if I was lame and couldn't see em from a mile away
If I were foolish and couldn't recognize them from a distance

Smile on their mug, and in their minds, nothin but jealousy
They may seem friendly, but inside their minds, there is nothing but jealousy

Why should I get caught up in that bullshit not concernin me
Why should I involve myself in unnecessary drama that does not involve me?

Yeah, I run with Suave and we gone ride til infinity
Yes, I am with Suave, and we will ride together forever

Lord if I was lyin, strike me right here as I'm speakin this
If I am lying, may the Lord strike me down while I am saying this

Separate the strong from the cowardly and the weak at this
It is important to distinguish the strong from the cowardly and the weak

I see him everyday, point shaven and cravin
I see him every day, well-groomed and desiring something

for the money that I be savin, and the moves that I be makin
I think about the money I save and the actions I take

Breakin rules, tryin not to be one of them broke fools
I break the rules, trying not to be one of the poor fools

robbin niggas comin from school, thinkin that that shit is cool
I rob people who are coming from school, thinking it is cool

Served out, whether sober, playboy, I got heataz for ya
I will take you down, whether I am sober or high, I have guns for you

Quick to shoot, because that indo boosts up my paranoia
I am quick to shoot because smoking marijuana increases my paranoia

I rap the blues, cause the blues is what I'm livin nigga
I rap about the struggles and hardships, because that's what I live through

Surrounded my animals - livin and dyin by the trigga
I am surrounded by dangerous people, who live and die by the gun

Word to me, and if that shit don't meet your expectations
Listen to my words, and if it doesn't meet your expectations

Fuck you critics, I do this for the underground nation
I don't care about the critics, I do this for the underground community

Slab ridaz, nigga, drug traffickaz and jackaz
We ride in luxury cars, we are involved in drug trafficking and robberies

Heat packaz, nigga, all my homeboys ain't rappaz
We carry guns, not all of my friends are rappers

And, I wouldn't say it if it wasn't necessary
I wouldn't say it if it wasn't important

All of this is just a test, tryin to prepare me
All of this is a test, trying to strengthen and prepare me

My future's lookin dark, and I don't think it's gettin brighter
My future seems bleak, and I don't see it improving

Forever Eightball, Pimp-Caso, Poetry writer...
I will always be Eightball, Pimp-Caso, and a writer of poetry

It's hard to be, something that you didn't start to be
It is difficult to be something that you did not choose to be

these streets be apart of me, until it's hard to see
The streets are a part of me until it becomes difficult to see

till the years when it's hard to walk, gettin old
As the years pass, it becomes harder to walk due to aging

and, it's hard to talk, I'm on a line of chalk
It is also difficult to communicate, as if I am walking on a thin line

it seems thinner than a line of thread, but through all this still instead, I'm real after all
The line seems as thin as a thread, but despite that, I am true to myself

Paper, short or tall - Wife, be big and small
Money can come in any amount, and a wife can be any size

and still down to earth, I'll still be on the scene
I remain humble and stay present in the same environment

Life like a tv screen, but I keep my strength
Life is like a television screen, but I maintain my resilience

and I'll keep my hope (Why?) Cause I know they got me under the scope
I will hold onto my hope because I know they are closely watching me

But, if you're lookin at me, Look close, and your ass will learn
But if you observe me closely, you will realize the truth

Maybe when you have your turn, and take a stand and shit
Perhaps when it's your turn, and you face a challenge

You might be a man and shit, make your own plan and shit
You might become a mature person and create your own plan

Cause I don't make no moves unless G want to make that move
I don't make any decisions unless it's what I truly want

Fuck he and she want to make that move, I got a face that blues
I don't care about what others want, I face my own struggles

when a nigga gotta pay them dues, and they lookin at my face like Ooo
When I have to pay my dues, people look at me with surprise

Mane, you broke and shit, but they ain't gonna throw me out a rope and shit
You may think I am broke, but they won't offer me any help

I'm a drown and choke and shit
I will struggle and suffer

And my folkaz get clowdy with that hocus pokus shit,
And my people get involved in deceptive and magical stuff

I'll be the brokest trick...
I may be struggling financially

But, I'm gone be myself, Pimp type nigga for sho'
But I will always be myself, a confident and assertive person

Once again like I did it befo', up top or below
Once again, just like I did in the past, whether on top or at the bottom

I'm a keep my feet on the flo', and do it in the heat or the snow
I will keep my feet on the ground and succeed regardless of the circumstances

Give me a beat and I go, Off like a champ on your ass
Give me a beat, and I will go off as a champion on you

Drop the mic and vamp on your ass, stick a stamp on your ass
I will drop the microphone, show off my skills and dominance, and leave a mark on you

Send you off to camp on your ass...when I rain, I'll dampen your path.
I will send you away and make your life difficult, dampening your progress when I am successful