de Ronne

One of hip-hop’s greatest duos 8Ball & MJG are preparing their 7th album “Ridin’ High” together and 2nd on Bad Boy Records. It has been over two years since we have heard an 8Ball & MJG album, but the two have been keeping very busy on the independent route. The duo takes some time to chat with WordofSouth.com about their new album, being independent, legend status, and well, keeping reading below and you will find out the rest.

WordofSouth.com: It has been past 2 years since the last album. What you guys been up to?

8Ball: Man just working ya know. We got the independent projects on the streets now, Montana Trax the boy something great and “Light Up The Bomb.” We just really just working man. We got our own indie stuff coming as well, so we just have been trying to keep it moving.

MJG: My label is MJG Music and we got a couple of projects coming out next year. I got artist’s named Mac-E and Big Ammo who about to be coming out. We also got a group called Da Volunteers.

WordofSouth.com: Tell me more about your independent hustles.

8Ball: I got those albums that I just said as well as my artist, Devius, his album “Dirty Dollars” will be out March. We also got “The History Of Memphis Hip-Hop” from the gangsta walk to the Oscar and that’s a straight to DVD project that we got coming in the spring. We got the 8Ball & MJG movie which will be out next December and it’s in the works right now, so we just trying to keep it gutta mane.

MJG: It’s just about having fun.

8Ball: It’s like a Cheech & Chong/Half Baked type of flick man, it’s a stoner flick. It’s a real good have fun rated R adult type flick.

WordofSouth.com: Now your new album had an original date for July. What was the main reason behind moving it back to February 07?

MJG: Basically, it was a decision that came from the top.

8Ball: The label felt like we wasn’t ready. The streets was begging for it, but the label felt like we wasn’t ready.

WordofSouth.com: So let’s talk more about the album. Whom do you have lined up for features and production?

MJG: We got production by Lil Jon, Jazzy Pha, DJ Nasty from Orlando, Cool & Dre…

8Ball: Timbaland, Midnight Black, B-Rock, Montana Trax from our camp. We got Juvenile on the album, Killer Mike, 112, Three 6 Mafia, Pimp C, Bun B, Slim Thug, it’s something else.

WordofSouth.com: Having a few up and coming producers on the album, do you think that they might be rather intimidated by working with two people that’s been doing it so long?

8Ball: Not at all, I think they be excited.

MJG: We really don’t wanna intimidate no one like that; we want them to feel comfortable.

8Ball: Them boys be excited about working with us as much as we excited about what we do and we want them to be excited about it too. Excited more then intimidated.

WordofSouth.com: So, tell me about the single “Relax & Take Notes.” How did that come about?

8Ball: Relax & Take Notes produced by DJ Nasty out of Orlando, Florida, got Project Pat on it mane and it’s just a hard ass song. It’s got three hard ass verses on it and it’s just a hard ass song.

WordofSouth.com: How was the video shoot for it?

MJG: Real laid back, everything went smooth. We had a lot of lovely ladies on the set and everything went straight.

8Ball: The video will be premiered on Rap City December 18th and you can also see it on YouTube.

WordofSouth.com: Tell me about some of the tracks from the album.

8Ball: We got a song real unexpected, a strip club classic called “Take It Off” mane and it’s gonna be like a southern strip club classic. We got another song real unexpected with 112, 8Ball & MJG, and Three 6 Mafia on the same song. We think people are gonna love “When The Weed Is All Gone” with Killer Mike on it. For Memphis, we got a song called “Memphis” with Al Kapone on it. We got a song with Yung Joc and people are gonna love that one. We got a lot of unexpected surprises man with a lot of unexpected singles.

WordofSouth.com: You mentioned that you have some unexpected tracks on this album. Did you plan it to be that way or did you just let it flow?

MJG: We just let it flow free man, free and natural. No gimmicks, no long drawn out plans because you know when you cause friction off the hip that’s when stuff upsets you and tears you apart.

WordofSouth.com: A lot of your fans enjoyed the last album, but felt it had more of a commercial feel to it then previous work. Did you hear anything about this? if so, did you take that into consideration with recording the new album?

MJG: It was new for everybody, for us, the label, and the fans. We expected to hear that no matter what because of the new label situation and how different it was. You have to expect that type of criticism because it takes some getting used to. I think on this project everybody including us, the label, and the fans have gotten used to us being on Bad Boy and understand that we still are 8Ball & MJG. Everybody understand the situation a little better now and this next project will come across a whole lot different.

WordofSouth.com: Hip-hop is changing with increased bootlegging, downloading, and the internet. What are your opinions on the state of the game?

MJG: The whole simple solution to it all is let them do what they do. There’s always going to be piracy there always has and always will be, but the whole outcome is to continue to make good music.

8Ball: I think we should play the game too mane. If your company don’t fuck with the internet, y’all need to fuck with the internet. ITunes, Napster, and all that types of shit, we need to play the game. Wherever the people want to go buy the music we need to make sure we put it there for them. We just have to make sure we play the game with them.

MJG: People need to stop complaining about what the internet is doing because while you’re doing that there is music to be made.

WordofSouth.com: Your first album “Coming Out Hard” came out in 93. How much longer do you two plan to still put out music?

MJG: Forever man. We are blessed and thankful that the music game is something that we will be able to do for a long time. It ain’t like we got to get to a certain point and then retire. Music wasn’t meant for that.

8Ball: as long as the fans asking for it, we’ll make it. As long as we wake up and want to do it we gonna do it.

WordofSouth.com: What gives you two the drive and determination to have that same hunger that you had say 10 years ago?

MJG: Sticking to our format and we pretty much make our situation. We try not to go too far outside the box.

8Ball: The love for it mane, simply put, the love for it.

WordofSouth.com: Now I feel like your first 3-4 albums are all classic material. Do you feel that artists today have that artistic control to put such quality music consistently?

8Ball: As long as they keep it independent. any artist today if you first heard them coming from a major label then you not gonna get it like that. You’re gonna get it far and wide, but when you’re independent you can put that shit out when you want to. Long as they stay independent then you’ll love it, but once they go to the pros in this game you got to do it the way they want to do it.

WordofSouth.com: Now for an unsigned artist trying to make it in this game, do you think it’s harder or easier now compared to when you two were trying to get a deal?

8Ball: I think its easier as far as getting your music heard because you got so many outlets today where if you got a laptop and a couple of computer programs you can make a whole fuckin’ album and put it on MySpace or set it on your website and you ain’t gotta do nothing. When we was coming up there was none of that. The best promotion for us back then was word of mouth and distribution. People like Southwest Wholesale and Select-O-Hits, which was the only thing we had back then. Now cats today got so much more opportunity to get their music heard.

WordofSouth.com: Are you two very in tuned with the Internet?

MJG: We try…

8Ball: I wouldn’t say very in tuned.

MJG: But we try to stay up.

WordofSouth.com: Any plans for more solo albums?

8Ball: not at the moment, we just concentrating on a stronger Ball & G, a stronger 8Ways Entertainment and MJG Music. We gonna put all our solo efforts into helping our artists and flourishing our companies.

WordofSouth.com: Your last album was called “Livin’ Legends”; out of the new breed of artists whom do you see as reaching that status of a “Livin Legend”?

MJG: I see a lot of cats out here pretty much in the same category. I don’t really wanna call any names.

8Ball: Time will tell of the status man. Who would of ever said we’d be here right here right now. Only time will tell brother.

MJG: I see a lot of cats that seem like they on the right trail.

WordofSouth.com: Anything else that you want to mention?

MJG: "Ridin’ High" coming February 13th

__________________
myspace.com/chuklaronne