If listeners can get past the fact that this is a collaboration between P. Diddy and 8Ball & MJG, the quality of the songs will speak for itself. Tracks such as the soulful “Memphis City Blues” are more than enough to make you forget about the hollow pop concession of “Trying to Get At You.” MJG raps about his roots, describing how the soul tradition of Memphis runs through his veins: “I come from a city where R&B run deep / And the blues was the music that paved the whole street.” 8Ball & MJG have represented their town too long and hard for any amount of pop sheen to overtake the spirit of their music. With Living Legends, the duo show they can deliver in all styles: from the riot rap of “You Don’t Want Drama” to the lucid introspection of “Confessions.” The pair still makes music for the strip clubs and the streets of their city, and age and experience have only deepened their rhyme skills.