8 BALL & MJG  (January 2007) | Interview By: Yash

   

..........................................................................................

Interview was done in January 2007

Questions Asked By: Yash

8 Ball & MJG exclusive Dubcnn Drop: Here

Full Audio Interview Here
 

..........................................................................................

 

Dubcnn: Who inspired you guys to do this music thing?

8Ball: We had a lot of influences man. From Run DMC and LL Cool J to Al Green and The Temptations.


Dubcnn: And how did you guys meet up and form the group?

MJG: Well we were actually friends before. We met in school at 7th grade when we were 12 years old.


Dubcnn: Did you guys rap solo before you got together and decided to drop records together?

MJG: Well you know we didn’t have a deal so we were just rappin in the halls.

8Ball: On our first real record we had already been a group you know what I’m saying and there wasn’t a time where they were no 8Ball and MJG. Only time that was before we started recording records.

MJG: That was when we first started up writing and all that.


Dubcnn: Okay, tell us about the deal with Bad Boy Records in 2002 what made you guys sign with Diddy?

8Ball: To do something different man you know the world expected us to go with Cash Money or No Limit and we wanted to do something different.


Dubcnn: Was there a lot of deals on the table at that time?

8Ball: Yeah there was a couple. We really went to people like Jermaine Dupri and Baby and people like that.


Dubcnn: Speaking of Bad Boy; you know your first album there’s a song called forever where you kind of diss someone in the rap game. Is that song a diss to somebody in particular?

8Ball: Oh Yeah not to nobody in general just at that time when we did that song T.I. called himself the king and that’s what everybody know. At that particular time we had ten different niggaz saying they was the kings too. So it wasn’t a shot like directly at nobody, I was just saying that I don’t give a fuck who the king I’m gone still be me!


Dubcnn: We consider you guys as legends and one of the pioneers of south hip-hop; how do you feel about your place in southern hip-hop history and your influence on the sound of it?

MJG: Feel good man, it’s just a blessing what we hope people get out of 8Ball and MJG is just staying loyal to each other and loyal to the game, working hard and believing in your self and sticking to the format.

8Ball: We feel good about the love and the things that we get like people remaking our music, the love that we get from the fans and shit like that. But as far as our place as far as how it’s being held in the industry… Well the industry doesn’t recognize us like that.

We didn’t do the most major shit in the south but we were definitely a part of making the south what it is today. We weren’t directly teaching everybody like you should be doing this or you should be doing that but we definitely had a part in, it you feel me?


Dubcnn: Yeah and what makes you think the industry ain’t giving y’all the respect that are due?

Well lots of things that we can be included in we’re not, lots of like the best 50 rappers and all that shit. They kind of leave us out of that and when they go back in southern history you know we barely get an honourable mention sometimes. But we’re not mad at that because the fans love us and we love them so that’s who we really do it for.

We’re not bitching about being accepted in the industry that don’t accept nothing anyway, we just feel like there could be more.


Dubcnn: Okay let’s talk about the new album coming up.

MJG: Riding High, February 13th the first single is “Relax and Take Notes”. We will be airing it on BET on the 18th and this month it will have world wide premiere.


Dubcnn: Okay and who else is featured on the album?

8Ball: Oh man we got Juvenile, Pimp C, Young Joc, Killer Mike, 3 6 mafia, 112 and Project Pat on the first single.


Dubcnn: Yeah it’s kind of gangsta it’s bangin man.

8Ball: Oh yeah appreciate it.


Dubcnn: Who’s handling the production besides Jazze Pha?

8Ball: Jazze did a couple of tracks and this cat called DJ Nasty out of Orlando. He did the first single “Relax and Take Notes”. We also got the Drum Majors, Midnite Black and Montana Track.


Dubcnn: Okay, how much control do you guys have of what goes on the album and how much does Diddy have?

8Ball: It’s kind of mutual man, the deciding factor is 8ball, MJG and Diddy… like if one person doesn’t like it or you know it’s got to be a mutual decision and everybody got to like it.


Dubcnn: What kind of sound will the new album have? Is it anything like Space Age Pimpin and the old school?

8Ball: It’s exactly that!

MJG: Yeah.

8Ball: It’s like a mixture man, it’s like the “Coming Out Hard”, “On Top Of The World” 8Ball and MJG but with harder beats like harder production.


Dubcnn: Okay tight and how do you feel about the critics that are shitting on the south lately? They said that they are not as lyrical and they bringing down the lyrical level and shit like that.

8Ball: It’s just the critics man you know the fans is what make music possible man. The fans is the reason to why they play so much of the music that they play. So that’s who they need to be shitting on it’s the hip-hop fans and the rap fans but not the rappers because a lot of the cats that are popular now they just do what people want to hear. A lot of the stuff that they play on the radio it comes from online polls and the video come from when people call in and request and vote for shit.

People have choices and they can choose what they want to hear.


Dubcnn: But you know usually they just feed it to you and play a certain song so many times and shit…

8Ball: Yeah exactly but I mean a lot of times it’s just be the fan man. I mean it just be the industry man and the south is just doin what it do man and there’s more than one kind of music going on in the south and more than one kind of rapping going on in the south.

We can give you Lil’ Scrappy as well as Outkast so they have choices.


Dubcnn: You know I heard you recorded a song with Wu-Tang’s Raekwon; is that true?

8Ball: No we where trying to but we couldn’t get in contact with them dudes.


Dubcnn: What do you think of former Bad Boy artist Chopper dissing Bad Boy and going to Cash Money?

8Ball: umm I have nothing to do with that.


Dubcnn: Okay, 8ball I heard you were working with Haystack; what’s the status on that?

8Ball: Oh Yeah me and Haystack fuck around that’s my dogg! We got an album coming out.


Dubcnn: When can we expect that one to come out?

8Ball: I don’t know yet man.


Dubcnn: Have you recorded a lot of songs for that one?

8Ball: No not really because both of us got other projects we’re doing right now.


Dubcnn: MJG what are you working on right now besides this new album?

MJG: Well you know I also have my label called MJG Music. My first project coming out in March or April the Huh Committee. I also have an artist called Mack E. He’s featured on our album on the song called “Fuck That”.

I also have an artist named Big Ammo and we also have a group called D.A. Ballateer. All of that stuff will be coming out in 07.


Dubcnn: Why didn’t you guys appear on Diddy’s new album?

8Ball: That shit was too commercial for us to be on.


Dubcnn: Did you record any songs that didn’t make the cut?

8Ball: Not at all.


Dubcnn: Is it true you’re going to do a record with 3 6 Mafia?

8Ball: It’s on the new album already called “Cruising” with 3 6 Mafia and 112.


Dubcnn: What upcoming artist in the south or Tennessee should we be checking for?

Devius and the Volunteers and Yo Gotti of course Huh


Dubcnn: You know you worked with a lot of west coast artists like DJ Quik for example and would you work with him again?

8Ball: Definitely.

MJG: Of course.


Dubcnn: I read that you gave Daz from The Dogg Pound; who is another producer from the west coast a lot of praise in the Murderdog magazine. Do you plan on getting beats from him anytime soon?

8Ball: Oh yeah for sure! Daz a fool; I might do another solo album and I definitely want to work with him on that!


Dubcnn: A lot of rappers that been in the game as long as you guys been and survived just loose their hunger and drive to drop albums as hot and stuff. What keeps you guys motivated and the hunger alive?

8Ball: Oh the fans.

MJG: Yeah the fans man. We got some of the greatest fans man in the world and you can only hope and guess it but for as long as we been doing it we know it.


Dubcnn: What do you think will make the people say “Damn this is one of the best 8Ball and MJG albums we ever heard!”?

8Ball: When they listen to it. As soon as they pop it in and just really listen to it they gone love that motherfucka.