8Ball & MJG first appeared on the rap scene with their underground 1991 album Listen to the Lyrics.[1] In 1993, they released the more commercially-successful album Comin' Out Hard.[2] Their subsequent albums in the 1990s, including 1994's On the Outside Looking In, and 1995's On Top of the World helped cement their status as undisputed icons of the South's budding mainstream rap scene.[3]On Top of the World was particularly successful, peaking at #8 on the Billboard 200 and being certified gold.[3] It contained the song "Space Age Pimpin'", which was 8Ball & MJG's first single to chart, reaching #58 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and #22 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.[4] After those albums, both 8Ball & MJG each released solo attempts, the first of which was MJG's No More Glory in 1997, followed by 8Ball's Lost in 1998.[5][6] They reunited in 1999 to release their fourth album as a group, titled In Our Lifetime.[7] One year later in 2000, they released their fifth group album entitled Space Age 4 Eva.[8]
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.[13] 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.[13] The song was a collaboration between two of the most successful rap groups from the state of Tennessee, whence Three 6 Mafia also hail.[13] Today, 8Ball and MJG also head their own record labels. 8Ball heads 8 Ways Entertainment (distributed by Koch Entertainment), while MJG heads MJG Muzik.[14] 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.[14]
In September 2007, 8Ball and MJG signed deals in Sacramento, California with Real Talk Entertainment. 8Ball released a group album with E.D.I. Mean of the Outlawz entitled Doin' It Big on April 1, 2008, and MJG released a solo album entitled Pimp Tight on April 29, 2008.[14][15] In June 2008 the group announced that they officially signed onto T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle.[16] Their eighth album as a group and their first on Grand Hustle, titled Ten Toes Down, was released in May 2010.[17] It reached #36 on the Billboard 200 in its first week.[17]
