Artist: 8 Ball & MJGTitle: Living LegendsRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: Javid
When Eightball and MJG first signed to Bad Boy Records it was like Karl Malone going to the Lakers, you knew he’d been doing it for a minute but how would he fit on the leagues shiniest team. How would Malone the all-star veteran who never won that ring he so desired, do on the Lakers, the team known for being flashy, young, and most importantly winning championships? By now some of you non-basketball heads are lost (sorry…its playoffs) but Ball & G are back with their latest CD Living Legends [cue “yeah-yeah, take that” ad libs from P. Diddy]. The dirty south is on fire right now and everyone from Usher to Janet Jackson has been sipping on crunk juice, but Ball & G give you that and more on this latest release.
The album’s first single “You Don’t Want Drama” comes across as the typical crunk club record with a heavily bass influenced sound coupled with a chorus about bussin’ heads and shooting up clubs. Although the aforementioned single comes across as cliché, on “Straight Cadillac Pimpin” Ball & G take it back to their essence, giving you the streets uncut, still managing to do it the playa way. MJG opens the song with fire boasting “I’m so cold I need a coat in the kitchen…/I wrote compositions that make n##### wish they never spoke what they was spitting” over a beat that sounds like your choir humming. One of the highlights is when Ludacris steals the show on “Shot Off”, giving props to his favorite rappers and carrying the torch for Southern rappers who win because of their lyrics. The beat is hard, but bouncy enough to let Eightball make being shot off another song for St. Louis folk to do the chicken head to.
The album’s main sore spots are obvious attempts by Diddy to get the duo some female (i.e. Radio) love on “Trying to Get at You” and “Baby Girl.” These cuts may please those who like their warm milk on the rocks, but the formula seems forced and placing them back to back on the album interrupts its flow. Despite those setbacks the Ball & G save the album with bangas such as “Forever and “We Do It” which will impress Henny swiggers and sizzurp sippers alike.
Who knows if they will ever win the championship and be crowned Kings of the South but on Living Legends Eightball and MJG show they can still turn the club to a mosh pit without sacrificing their lyrical content. One thing is certain the self proclaimed “shiny suit man” knows how to pick winners and it seems he may strike gold with his latest acquisition of these southern legends, hopefully his cosigning will finally get the northern heads to listen. Pimp hard…pimp harder!
