Whilst grime has been taking the world by a storm over the past two years, another genre has recently come to forefront. The genre in which most artists don’t really know how to label their own music, whether it be afro-bashment, afro-swing or global music; it’s somewhere along those lines. A music group who have truly mastered this sound and have been rapidly producing music and expanding their fan base is NSG, a music group formed of six members who all hail from Hackney, East London.
MJ, Mojo, Dope, Kruddz, Abz and OGD are the individuals who each bring their own unique sound to the group to create something which they describe as a global sound. Following the release of their most recent single, “Pushing Up” featuring the man of the moment, Not3s; we had to opportunity to talk to them about dream collaborations, supporting their own and Coachella.
You’ve just released your latest single “Pushing Up” featuring Not3s, how did the collaboration come about?
Kruddz: “That one was a sick one and a different one. We basically had a link up with a producer called Ayo, big him up, sick producer. We went to this studio to record all our verses, it sounded sick and we were all just vibsing. Basically the way that the studio is set up there is loads of studios in the same place innit, and we didn’t know who was in the studio. So we were just saying it needs a chorus and literally ten minutes after that, someone walks in and it’s Not3s.”
Abz: “Even before that, we were saying it sounds like a track Not3s would be on.”
All of them: “Yeah, yeah, yeah we did!”
Kruddz: “Okay, even before we started the song, Dope said it sounds like Not3s should be on this track. So we basically recorded all of our verses and then Not3s walked into the studio we were in and we had a tour coming up with him anyway, innit. He must have heard that we were downstairs or something and he came down. We were talking about how us touring with him was going to be sick, which it was. Anyway, all that good stuff and we told him what we were doing in the studio with the new track. He was bopping his head and taking it in. We all went out for a quick smoke, came back, still had loads of vibes and kept chatting. Then he just randomly asked us…”
All of them: “…Can I jump on it..?”
Kruddz: “…And we just thought why not. He’s sick and always had good music and we’re all from Hackney, you know what I mean?”
Adz: “He jumped in the booth and delivered magic.”
So you as a group are all from Hackney and so is Not3s, how important do you think it is to support people from your area?
Dope: “I feel like before you get to the global stage, you’ve just got to push everyone around you. If you all go together as one, the impact is better. The more the merrier.”
Abz: “The better that everyone does, the better that you do yourself as well.”
Kruddz: “If you’re doing good, everyone around you can be as well, we can all help each other. Helping people around you is definitely essential.”
You and Not3s also have a similar sound, the Afro-Swing sound, global sound, whichever you want to call it. Why do you think this genre is so popular at the minute?
Kruddz: “Global sound yeah, that’s a better way of putting it. I feel like it’s a blend of a lot of different cultures, it makes anyone from another part of the world listen to it because it’s another sound from another culture. So I feel like that alone is another reason for them to listen to it.”
Abz: “Yeah, I feel like it’s a blend of a lot of things, our sound, for example “Yo Darlin” combined a lot of sounds that a lot of people can relate to. It’s not just one culture or genre, you can hear the bashment sound, the afro sound, the Bollywood sound, everything. It’s just sick.”
“Yo Darlin” was one of our top ten most viewed videos last year on GRM Daily, big up yourselves for that one!
All of them: “Jheeze, GRM!”
Mojo: “Big up GRM!”
Kruddz: “Aye, big up GRM on that one.”
Adz: “Big up Posty.”
With that in mind, how has your life changed since the release of “Yo Darlin”?
Dope: “Ahh, a lot of opportunities man, I’m not even gonna lie.”
Kruddz: “So let’s say, “Yo Darlin” we released it in June 2017 and from then until December, we had what? A Wireless performance, carnival.”
Adz: “We met Liam Payne, we not only met Liam Payne but, we had a song with Liam Payne.”
Dope: “We went on tour with Not3s and Hus.”
Kruddz: “Like, literally, that song has just opened so many doors for us, we’re taking opportunities and just kicking down them doors man. The lift doors opened, we just ran in there and we’re not coming out.”
Speaking of festivals, which would be your dream festival to perform at?
Kruddz, Abz and Dope: “Coachella!”
All of them: “[Laughing] Coachella.”
Abz: “Oh my daysss, Coachella.”
Why Coachella though, because it’s a lot different to UK festivals?
Abz: “This is the thing yeah, I actually agree with you on that one but, imagine the crowd would be mad chilled yeah and then they’re gonna see six guys on stage with mad energy.”
Kruddz: “Yeah, we would just win them over.”
Dope: “They would see a few guys vibsing on stage and we would win them over.”
Abz: “That’s why I think performing is really important, like really really important. It brings the music to life and if your music isn’t live then it’s dead.”
All of them: “[Laughing] That’s true!”
Kruddz: “I’m telling you, if we got to perform at Coachella we would win everyone over.”
Music wise, what’s your next aim or goal, because “Yo Darlin” must have ticked some boxes for you in terms of numbers.
Dope: “Erm I’d say the next aim is…”
Mojo: “…To keep pushing and pushing, that’s it.”
Kruddz: “Just keep upping the levels each time.”
Abz: “We want a couple of awards this year. You know what yeah, GRM Rated Awards. Yeah?”
We’ll see what we can do about that one.
All of them: [Laughing]
Abz: “No pressure, no pressure.”
Kruddz: “You lot said it, top ten video this year yeah, we deserve it you know.”
Abz: “That’s enough reason man.”
You’re a relatively big group, with six members it must be difficult to make decisions some times… who makes most of the decisions?
Dope:” It’s not really that hard you know.”
MJ: “Everyone.”
Kruddz: “You know what, sometimes in life yeah, you just need to say this is going to work.”
Abz: “We’ve all known each other so long, that we know what we want and know what each other’s going to want.”
Kruddz: “For example yeah, you’re not always going to agree on everything but if I put an idea in the group chat, I know who’s going to agree with me and who won’t. It’s not hard, I don’t think it’s that hard.”
So, you’re all a family now, it’s easy to get together and everything?
Dope: “We’ve been like a family for time.”
Kruddz: “The things is, I feel like people think that we just do music together but outside of music we’re always together. Whether we’re doing football together or partying together. We were always known for partying together, before music.”
Dope: “Yeah, literally people would ring us and ask us to come to the party.”
And they would just know that you would turn up as a group?
Dope: “Yeah, they know we would all turn up together.”
Kruddz: “This energy is just transferred into the music.”
Do you have any label behind you, or are you remaining independent at the minute?
All of them: “Independent!”
Abz: “We ain’t signing until we get an offer of six million, we need a mill each.”
Kruddz: “There’s six of us man, we need to all get some.”
Abz: “I’m telling you, there’s reasons and we’re worth six million, don’t doubt us. This is what it’s all about, as long as we prove that we’re all worth that.”
Dope: “We know what we’re worth.”
Do you think that it’s important to stay independent now because a lot of people are doing it and don’t want to sign to a record label?
Kruddz: “It depends on the person, I don’t think that everyone has the ability to stay independent.”
Dope: “Yeah it depends on yourself innit.”
Kruddz: “Cos the six of us alone have so many different ideas and ways of doing things but especially individual artists they might not have a creative mind or let’s say the funds to help themselves grow as an artist. You know what I mean, they might need a label because there’s a lot of talent but some people just struggle to get their stuff out there.”
Abz: “The thing is, if you stay independent it’s you against big money spenders, so you’re gonna have to find a way to work around that. I just don’t feel like everyone has that ability. Cos someone can be mad talented but they might not have anyone to promote their stuff or they don’t know how to do it themselves. So it just depends on them as an artist really.”
Kruddz: “If you understand yourself and you know what you can do then you can be independent.”
Have you got any shows coming up?
Dope: “A lot of club shows and hopefully festivals. You will find us somewhere.”
Kruddz: “Yeah you’ll see us somewhere over summer, I can guarantee that.”
And music release wise, what can we expect from you next? Singles, an EP or an album?
Kruddz: “Everything you said: single, EP and an album. The order you said it.”
Abz: “Yeh just like that.”
Imagine you could collaborate with absolutely anyone, who’s it gonna be?
Abz: “Rihanna.”
Kruddz: “You’re really not gonna let that one go are you.”
Abz: “I’m not gonna let go, I’m telling you. It’s gonna happen one day.”
Dope: “I would say Future.”
Kruddz: “Sean Paul or Post Malone.”
I didn’t catch any British artists there, is there none that you would want to collab with?
Mojo: “Shakka, definitely.”
Kruddz: “Ed Sheeran.”
OGD: “Not a British one but, Michael Jackson, he needs to come back to life first though.”