When Eightball's solo double-disc debut, Lost, sold a stellar 140,000 copies in its first week of release last May, it begged the question, "Who the hell is Eightball and why did the population of a small city just buy his double-album?" The zaftig rapper (ne Premro Smith) and his partner, hardcore Southern rapper MJG, had amassed a grassroots following over five years, to the tune of 1.5 million indie albums sold. After his move to the majors, however, Eightball quickly earned props and cameo gigs with various other urban legends like Mase, Foxy Brown, Jermaine Dupri, Kid Capri and now, Heavy D. With such heavyweights batting for him, it's no wonder Eightball ended up on a winning team.

Eightball's next appointment with the spotlight will be in May, when he appears on what will likely be the first single ("Big Shots") off Heavy D's forthcoming album, tentatively titled Heavy. Next, Eightball reunites with MJG for In Our Lifetime (Suave House/Universal), also due out in May. "It's our best album to date," says a brazen Eightball. "I think we put it down this time. It's on another level lyrically and we're comfortable, ya know what I'm saying? We didn't try to do different shit, we just did whatever made us comfortable." Along with his usual partners in rhyme, Cee-lo of Goodie Mob and Outkast guest on the record.

His busy spring sets up a summer of touring and then a new Eightball album in the fall. He says he already has R. Kelly, Mary J. Blige, Lil' Kim and Da Brat in mind to rap on that album, which won't be a double, but will include eighteen tracks. An Eightball-headed production company, called Eight Ways Entertainment, will also launch this year with several nubile R&B acts slated to make their debut.

BLAIR R. FISCHER
(March 4, 1999)