T.I.’s independent label, Grand Hustle, has signed veteran rap duo 8Ball & MJG. Grand Hustle co-founder Jason Geter tells Billboard that the company will most likely partner with an independent distributor to release the group’s next album.
“We don’t want to be slowed by a major-label system,” says Geter. “We’d also want to own our own masters and have the freedom to release material as we please.”
The group was previously signed to Bad Boy but was released from its contract in April. 8Ball & MJG’s last album, 2007’s “Ridin High,” has sold 169,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.