Comin' Out Hard [Smoked and Chopped]

• Artist: Eightball & MJG
• Rating:
• Release Date: July 13, 2004
• Type: Contains explicit content
• Genre: Rap

Review

Along with OutKast's Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994) and Goodie Mob's Soul Food (1995), Eightball & MJG's debut, Comin' Out Hard, is one of the most influential rap albums to come out of the South. It wasn't as widely heard as those others albums, nor was it as professional-sounding; however, its independent release by Suave House, based in Houston, and its basement-level production were influential in their own way. A generation of underground Southern rappers would arise by the end of the '90s, many of them following the template of Comin' Out Hard: underground hardcore rap modeled after West Coast gangsta rap yet delivered in a distinctly Southern manner, released via an indie label with major ambitions. Even the cover artwork of Comin' Out Hard, courtesy of Pen & Pixel Graphics, was influential, as the company would go on to design all the bling-blinging No Limit and Cash Money albums of the late '90s. Unfortunately, Comin' Out Hard is more historically significant than it is impressive from a strictly musical point of view. The production is admittedly lo-fi, credited to the rappers themselves, and while the raps are effective, the hooks leave room for improvement. Eightball & MJG would indeed improve in the years that followed, ultimately releasing a classic at the end of the decade, In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1 (1999). Comin' Out Hard pales in comparison, yet it's an interesting album to hear from a historical perspective and is certainly noteworthy for its widespread influence, especially throughout the South. [A "Smoked and Chopped" version of the album was released in 2004.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Intro		MJG, 8Ball	(2:04)
9 Little Millimeta Boys		MJG, 8Ball	(6:17)
The First Episode		MJG, 8Ball	(6:13)
Armed Robbery		MJG, 8Ball	(6:48)
Pimps		MJG, 8Ball	(7:39)
Comin' Out Hard		MJG, 8Ball	(5:58)
Mr. Big		MJG, 8Ball	(6:44)
Nigga's Like Us		MJG, 8Ball	(5:30)
Pimps in the House		MJG, 8Ball	(3:57)

Credits

8Ball & MJG (Main Performer)