Listen to From the Bottom to the Top (Special Edition)

8Ball & MJG are Memphis rap pioneers who achieved enduring success beyond the mainstream radar. • The pair met as seventh graders at Memphis’ Ridgeway Middle School in 1984, sharing a love of hip-hop. • In 1991, they released a three-track project that included the song “Listen to the Lyrics.” They sold vinyl and cassette copies around Memphis. • They signed to Houston label Suave House Records for their 1993 debut album, Comin’ Out Hard. The H-Town skyline is pictured on the cover. • While moving from Memphis to Houston, ’Ball and ‘G brought a suitcase containing records by Simply Red, Issac Hayes, and Booker. T & The MG’s—all of which are sampled on Comin’ Out Hard. • The duo’s third album, 1995’s On Top of the World, went Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and went gold. • After success at Suave House, 8Ball & MJG signed with Bad Boy Records in the early ’00s and released two albums that were executive produced by Diddy. They later briefly signed to T.I.’s Grand Hustle imprint. • In 2005, the duo scored the biggest hit of their career by guesting on “Stay Fly,” a No. 13 hit for fellow Memphis rappers Three 6 Mafia. • 8Ball & MJG have appeared on No. 1 albums by Foxy Brown, Ma$e, and Ludacris. • In 2018, the duo was inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame.