Comin' Out Hard
Year Released:1993
Certification:Uncertified
Label:Suave House
Guest Stars: N/A
On the outside
Lookin in
Year Released: 1994
Certification:Uncertified
Label:Suave
House
Guest Stars:M.C. Breed; Thorough; Crime Boss
On top of the World
Year Released:1995
Certification:Gold
Label:Suave House
Guest Stars: E-40; Big Mike; South Circle;Mac
Mall
No More Glory (MJG)
Year Released:1997
Certification:Gold
Label: Universal Records
Guest Stars: Eightball, Rodney Ellis, The Fedz, Bun B.
Lost (Eightball)
Year Released: 1998
Certification: 2x Platinum
Label: Universal Records
Guest Stars: Master P, Redman, MJG, Goodie Mob, Canibus, Silkk The Shocker, Too Short, Mystikal, Puff Daddy, E-40, Busta Rhymes, Ice Cube, Rappin' 4-Tay, Spice-1, Phoenix Johnson, Psycho Drama, Slim Goodie, Rodney Ellis, Bun B Of UGK, Ill Hill Billies, Panama P.I., Crucial Conflict
Lay it Down
Year Released:2001
Certification:Uncerified
Label:Virgin
Guest Stars:Ice Cube,P.Diddy,MJG,Dez, Mr. Sche, Cide,Beanie Segal,Carmen San Diago, Lil' Noah,Gillie Tha Kid, Hawk
In our Lifetime
Year Released:1999
Certification:Gold
Label:Universal
Guest Stars:Cee-Lo, Outkast, Big Duke, Thorough, Gillie Da Kid, Toni Hickman, Nina Creque
Space Age 4 Eva
Year Released:2000
Certification:Uncertified
Label: JCOR Entertainment
Guest Stars: Peachee P, Thorough, DJ Quik, Billy Cook, Swizz Beats, Tiny, Jazze Pha.
Doin' It Down South
Year Released:2001
Certification:Uncertified
Label:R&D
Guest Stars:N/A
Lay it Down
Year Released:2001
Certification:Uncerified
Label:Virgin
Guest Stars:Ice Cube,P.Diddy,MJG,Dez, Mr. Sche, Cide,Beanie Segal,Carmen San Diago, Lil' Noah,Gillie Tha Kid, Hawk
Almost Famous
Year Released: 2001
Certification:Uncertified
Label: JCOR Entertainment
Guest Stars:
P. Diddy; Cl'che; Ludacris; Thorough; MJG; Koncrete; Carl Thomas; Dorasel
Biography
Widely viewed as Southern rap pioneers, Eightball & MJG arose from Memphis, TN, in the early '90s and were one of the first Dirty South acts to score national success. The duo's influential debut, Comin' Out Hard, appeared in 1993 on their own Suave House label, faintly alluding to their country pimpin' mentality that would evolve in terms of production with subsequent releases. After years of grass roots promotion, the duo inked a deal with Universal Records that gave them lucrative major label distribution and promotional push. Their first album as a duo after this deal, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1, proved that Eightball & MJG were no longer confined to a Southern audience, putting them alongside other Southern rap artists such as Outkast and Scarface that were able to expand their reach across America.
Premro Smith (Eightball) and Marlon Jermaine Goodwin (MJG) grew up in the rough Orange Mound area of Memphis and met in 1984 at Ridgeway Junior High when they discovered their mutual passion for hip-hop, which hadn't yet made a strong impact in the South. Soon the two were exchanging rhymes at school and eventually went on to form a rap duo. After years of local work ? later released on the Lyrics of a Pimp and Memphis Under World compilations ? the two managed to assemble enough money to start their Suave House label with the business savvy of a 20-year old CEO named Tony Draper; a year later their first full-length album appeared, Comin' Out Hard, a cult classic produced entirely by the duo. In a Lincoln Continental with a trunk full of posters and tapes, the three drove city to city trying to establish a name for themselves at a point in time when the South was still years away from a fertile climate for rap music. Then with each successive year came a new album ? 1994's On the Outside Looking In and 1995's On Top of the World ? before Draper signed a 15 million dollar distribution deal with Universal for Suave House in 1997.
With the ink still fresh on the contract, Eightball & MJG released a pair of solo albums ? Lost and No More Glory ? and went on to record In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1, a surprisingly sincere and mature album. With this album came a new mentality; though still parading with a pimp mentality, the two rappers were family men by this point and were obviously putting their gangsta days behind them. Furthermore, Eightball ? an admittedly large man with a taste for bud smoking ? began suffering from breathing problems which cut back on his lifestyle. Widely celebrated as their best album yet, aided by a few tracks produced by superstar production team Organized Noize, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 firmly established Eightball & MJG as veterans in a fledging Southern rap scene. In 2000, they returned with Space Age 4 Eva, another impressive album with a more celebratory feel.