8Ball & MJG
Orange Mound duo of Premro “8Ball” Smith and Marlon “MJG” Goodwin who helped define Southern rap on Suave House and later scored a No. 3 album on Bad Boy South.
Orange Mound roots
Premro Smith (8Ball) and Marlon Jermaine Goodwin (MJG) grew up in Memphis' Orange Mound neighborhood and met at Ridgeway Junior High in 1984, bonding over the young rap music reaching the South. In 1991 the independent On the Strength label issued their three-track “Listen to the Lyrics” on cassette and 12-inch vinyl, an early calling card in the city's underground.
Suave House years
The duo signed with Tony Draper's Houston-based Suave House, and their debut “Comin' Out Hard” (1993) was the label's first release. Produced by Draper and packaged with Pen & Pixel artwork, it reached No. 40 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart and was later reported to have sold more than 500,000 copies. With distribution through Relativity, “On the Outside Looking In” (1994) followed, then “On Top of the World” (1995), which reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and went gold, with “Space Age Pimpin'” among its signature tracks. After solo albums, MJG's “No More Glory” (1997) and 8Ball's “Lost” (1998), they reunited for “In Our Lifetime” (1999), a No. 10 gold record.
Bad Boy and beyond
“Space Age 4 Eva” came out through Interscope in 2000. Signing with Bad Boy South, the pair released “Living Legends” (2004), which peaked at No. 3 and went gold behind “You Don't Want Drama” with P. Diddy, followed by “Ridin' High” (2007, No. 8). In 2005 they joined Three 6 Mafia and Young Buck on “Stay Fly,” a No. 13 Hot 100 hit and the biggest single of their careers. “Ten Toes Down” (2010) appeared on Grand Hustle.
Legacy
Built on smooth, pimp-themed storytelling and funk-rooted production, their catalog took Memphis rap in a more lyrical, introspective direction than the city's darker tape sound. AllMusic credits them with opening doors for Three 6 Mafia, Master P and Cash Money, and they are inductees of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.
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