8Ball
and MJG may have never made a significant impact nationally during their
rise to fame in the 1990s, yet they indeed made an incredible impact throughout
the South, where the Memphis-bred duo pioneered what countless Dirty South
rappers would emulate years later. The two began on the Southern underground
circuit, where they peddled their tapes in such major markets as Memphis,
Houston, and Atlanta.Many years and albums later 8Ball and MJG are ready to drop an album with Bad Boy and 8Ball’s solo album on his own label 8Ways Entertainment.
What have you been working on?
I’ve got a new album coming out on my label 8Ways Entertainment. I’ve been recording and working real hard! I have recently signed a new artist called Devious and his album will be coming out next year.
Why is your last album called Light up the Bomb?
It basically means smoking weed, that’s all that it’s about!
What do you talk about on the album?
A lot of weed smoking! That’s my thing. I smoke all the time. I love weed so much I smoke it alone or with friends. Whenever the time permits it.
I heard you used to break dance?
Yeah I did, definitely not anymore. I’m not a dancer at all. I started rapping around the same time. I was a teenager and break dancing was popular back then.
Do you remember recording your first track?
The first track I ever recorded was way back in the day. I was in the seventh or eighth grade and beat boxing was popular and we had a radio with a cassette tape player. My partner was beat boxing in the bathroom with myself rapping to the radio and I just pressed record. That was the first time I ever heard my voice recorded, that was real big to me and I took it to school.
When did you get with MJG?
I met up with him while I was in school. We were more like running buddies and we went to school together but weren’t really into rapping at first. Later on we started writing and recording together.
Why do you work so well together? It’s like Ben & Jerry’s, Bobby & Whitney, 8Ball & MJG…
I don’t know how it always comes together it’s just one of those things like why does chocolate taste so good?
Tell me about space-age pimping?
That’s old school stuff, girl, you don’t know about that! It’s a saying that we used to have. It basically means ‘it is what it is.’ 8Ball and MJG = space-age pimping. An old guy we used to hang with used to say it.
What are you doing with Bad Boy?
We have an album due to drop on Bad Boy in February of next year. The first single Relax & Take Notes will be out about the same time as well. I met P.Diddy and he’s a great guy. The world’s got so many images of him including the working Diddy, the partying Diddy but he’s good at what he does. He’s a regular person; he just wears a lot of hats in the business.
Are you happy about all of the activity going on in the South’s music industry?
It’s just one of those things, there’s an overflow of talent in the South. Right now the whole world is overflowing with talent and the eyes of hip hop just happen to be on the South. It’s 12 o’clock and straight up and down.
Do you think you’re gaining recognition too late in your career?
Maybe the world wasn’t meant to know me until now…
What makes you carry on in the business?
Me and MJ have a genuine love for music and hip hop in general. We love all kind of music. I love hip hop to the bottom of my heart, from East coast to West coast. It doesn’t matter where it’s from as long as it makes my head bop. We’re still here for the music.
If you weren’t rapping what would you be doing?
I probably would be doing some stupid shit. I would be making money in some kind of way though. I love doing this music thing and I hope the world will see that.
www.8ballandmjg.com
www.8waysent.com
By Rashmi Shastri - Dec 2006