Yes, one of the most whoa-inducing covers of 90s hip-hop, and it only gets wilder when you notice the little details: MJG’s baggy coat on the ground, his wild tips, nipple piercing, and long-ass fingernails. 8Ball & MJG are known more for their albums as a unit than their solo ventures, but both of their 90s solo projects are worth checking out. I’ve already covered 8Ball’s excellent Lost (1998), which was preceded by MJG’s No More Glory. Sometimes I wonder how good a 97 or 98 8Ball & MJG album would have been, because their collab tracks with each other on these solo efforts are among their greatest songs.

Take “Middle of the Night”, for example. 8Ball’s smooth flow on the first verse is a standout moment for him, and MJG’s chorus is addictive. The song reaches the upper echelon that Do or Die’s “Po Pimp” inhabits, so it’s only fitting that they tapped Twista for the remix. Elsewhere, “Shine & Recline” is a slap that would fit nicely on On Top of the World (1995), my favorite 8Ball & MJG album.

For his part, MJG’s solo tracks are largely excellent. “Hip Hop Voodoo” (“I’m throwin’ pepper in yo salt!”) finds him snapping over a crazy beat switch. A lot of the late-90s Suave House production is pretty dated, but it also has a really lovable quality, like it’s just silly enough to stand out and neither boom bap nor g-funk. “That Girl” is a re-work of the Stevie Wonder classic and was a hit. “Don’t Hold Back” is a straight-up great R&B crossover track, sort of bringing to mind early Darkchild production with a banging chorus. Amazing.

Despite its killer album cover, I don’t think that No More Glory has some grand political message – the title track is about the challenges of the rap industry and not racism. Nevertheless, the album has been in rotation and is better than I expected, which as a fan of 8Ball & MJG is saying something.

Listen to No More Glory here.