8ball & MJG (or Eightball & MJG, as they used to call themselves) have been the kings of Memphis rap for quite some time now, even going so far as to refer to themselves as "living legends." That's not exactly an overstatement. They've inspired countless Southern rappers and helped to foster a strong hip-hop community in their home city, and now, signed to Bad Boy Records, they're able to reach an even wider audience. Their second album on Diddy's label, Ridin High, is a super-produced tribute to the things the duo love best: drugs, money, and women (there's even a song titled "Alcohol Pussy Weed"). From the first single, "Relax and Take Notes" (featuring a Biggie line from "Dead Wrong," not any new material from the deceased rapper), to "Worldwide" to "30 Rock" (the only track to have a non-Southerner guest, this one being Mr. Combs himself), 8 and MJ rhyme their way through heavy synth crunk beats and smooth slow jams. Their lines aren't revolutionary -- the kind of typical braggadocio so much associated with hip-hop at this point -- but their delivery is fluid and well practiced, their cadences moving from singsongy triplets to rough and fast eighth notes easily, and only occasionally do their rhymes really fall short (the best example being, from the Jazze Pha-produced "Pimpin' Don't Fail Me Now," "I'm about to turn you inside out/I'm about to look into your heart though your mouth/With my dickoscope"). Listeners familiar with 8ball & MJG will probably be a little disappointed with Ridin High: it's more focused on club anthems than the group has been before, but it's this same thing that should make the album appeal to those looking for good, commercial Southern rap. The duo is aware of this transition, and the ever-growing popularity of their music and their audience, but they want to make sure everyone knows that that hasn't changed their lives or what they believe in. "I could give a muthaf*ck about a flow and hustle," 8 spits on "Memphis," which samples a short line from the Marc Cohn adult contemporary classic "Walking in Memphis." Maybe that's true, but mainstream success of a certain film, and a certain style, definitely won't hurt their album sales. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
Ridin High is the seventh album by the rap duo 8Ball & MJG and their second release for Bad Boy Records. The album was released on March 13, 2007. It was originally scheduled for July under the title "Pure American Pimpin'", but then has been confirmed to be titled "Ridin High".
The first single off the album is "Relax and Take Notes", which features The Notorious B.I.G. (containing a sample of "Dead Wrong" from his posthumous album Born Again) and fellow Memphian Project Pat. The second single of the album is called "Cruzin'", and it has been confirmed on 8Ball & MJG's official website [3]. The explicit version of the album leaked onto the Internet on March 7, 2007. The album was also highly publicised on Xxlmag.com.
Following its release, the album debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 50,000 copies in its first week.[1] As of September 2007, the album has sold approximately 200,000 copies worldwide.[citation needed]
A&R: Conrad "Rad" Dimanche and Dewayne "Big Du" Martin
Project Manager: Gwendolyn Niles
Marketing: Jason Wiley
Creative Direction & Design: Abbey Katz
Photography: Naoto Akeda
Background Photos: Abbey Katz
Associate Design: Marsha Porter
Styling: Shanieke Peru
Management: Du Drilla
Videos
Relax and Take Notes
Take It Off
Hickory Dickory Dock
Get Low
Stand Up
Reviews
Reviews for Ridin High are equally impressive with 3 stars out of 4 from USA Today, a B- grade from Entertainment Weekly magazine and a "Critics Choice" pick from the New York Times. Online reviews cite the disc as "...an instant classic...," "...a must own" (Down-South.com), "a trip worth taking"
