Since his acclaimed and highly-successful Lost in 1998, one of the best secrets of the south is the kind of quality 8Ball [click to read] brings to his solo work. Although Memphis All-Stars: Cars, Clubs & Strip Clubs is more of a compilation than a solo, the same attention to detail stands strong. With Tela [click to read], Yo Gotti, Project Pat [click to read] and Gangsta Boo all involved, 8Ball manages to celebrate the torch-carriers of the River City, as well as introductions to a new class of respectable talents.
The space-age, pimp-type songs have always been ‘Ball‘s trademark. “So Thick” borrows a popular Bootsy Collins sample and sprinkles the kind of flow and lyrical delivery that gave Memphis a Rap identity. With assistance from Kinfolk Thugs, 8Ball makes another anthem for Cadillacs cutting corners. “100%,” with Yung Key, is a more contemporary look at Memphis music. Key‘s delivery is more influenced by east coast freestyle rhythms, while ‘Ball‘s chorus and track shows the hometown connection. Amidst the pimping and street bravado, Memphis All-Stars carries a great deal of Soul. “Love Spoken,” the album’s official closer, is a nine-minute ballad that begins as a charged, evocative spoken word piece from El-Hakim The Poet, as 8Ball enters and builds upon the effort with cresecendo production. This work is fore more artistic than most veteran artists put towards their independent projects. From its commentary on Memphis to its commentary on music, the song deserves to be up there with Blackalicious‘ “Release” and Common‘s “My City” for its brilliant collaboration between poetry and Hip Hop.
Speaking of artful production and concept, hitmaking hometown hero Drumma Boy [click to read] checks back in with one of his first artist placements, Tela, for “Gangsta Luv.” MJG [click to read] also jumps on the track (as he does four altogether), as the song may lack theme, but it demonstrates Drumma‘s ability to produced polished hits. Drumma‘s pupil, Ensayne, provides “Smoke Somethin’.” The song that shares it’s name with Pimp C‘s famed ad-lib, has some of the best keyboard programming heard this year, but like “Gangsta Luv,” is one of the lesser lyrical offerings on the compilation. This album boasts both Memphis’ pioneering production trends, as well as its longstanding pimp-meets-prophet emceeing. Unfortunately, rarely are these moments simultaneous. The best beats and the most meanigful tracks on All-Stars are not overlapping.
This album’s liner notes claim it is dedicated to the late Isaac Hayes. Like Ike, 8Ball has put on for his city by being both political and pimpin’, soulful and street. Although works like Lost or On Top Of The World releases may have had greater mass appeal, 8Ball‘s attention to detail and musical range has not changed. Like Nas‘ QB’s Finest with Queens or T.W.D.Y. with The Bay, the city Memphis has is represented nicely in past, present and future.