NSG. It’s a simple yet vast acronym, seeping with potential. “It’s a

lifestyle, a movement,” the group say. At first it stood for No Sleep

Gang, then Non Stop Grinding. At the moment it means Never Stop

Growing but that could change too. As member Kruddz explains,

that’s why they refer to the name’s meaning as a lifestyle – it echoes

what’s happening to NSG in the present moment.

Past and present names aside, the group reflects the most exciting

components of the current UK music scene: a lively diasporic afro

bashment sound and a larger-than-life personality, all rolled into one

six member group. Comprised of members Kruddz, Mxjib, Mojo, OGD,

Dope and Papii Abz, they’ve been bubbling under the crest of

producer Jae5 and Mercury Nominated artist J Hus since before

either of those acts broke, slowly crafting their sound together.

You’ll likely know them for their track “Yo Darlin’”, a dancefloor

ready bop amassing an impressive amount of views and streams. The

track also recently caught the attention of Liam Payne, who

commissioned them to do a remix of one of his songs (He

snapchatted himself listening to “Yo Darlin’”, a group discussion went

down, everyone eventually met). Or maybe it’s from “We Dey”, a

track Noisey named as one of their favourites of 2016 and described

as being “an anthem that’s as melancholic as it is celebratory”. Or if,

somehow, you’re an artist or embedded in the scene you’ll remember

NSG from “Whine and Kotch (Afrobeats remix) – their debut single in

December 2013, which brought the group to immediate controversy

and fame within their local scene.

On the one hand, the group had crafted a new sound. On the other,

some Londoners of Caribbean descent had something to say about

the inclusion of bashment among afrobeat. Either way, the sound

stuck and the song made an impact. “We started it. We put it down,”

the group explain. “No one was doing this sound back then.” And it’s a

true statement: seeing as acts like J Hus and Belly Squad only blew up

in the past couple of years, the facts speak for themselves – amongst

their scene NSG were one of the pioneers of the Afro Bashment sound

you hear today across Spotify and streaming into the streets.

The members of the group (who range in age from twenty to twenty

three) are of either Ghanaian or Nigerian descent. Some of them

came here at a young age, around eight and ten years old, others

were born in the UK. Quite a few have been back too – or “sent back”,

as they put it, without naming names – to their home country for a

few years. It’s this cross-continent movement and upbringing that’s

lead the group so easily to create their fusion of a sound, placing

them at the peak of the movement that’s spreading not just across

London but the world too.

All of the members came together while studying at Arts & Media

School Islington. All of them that is except for Mojo, who they joke is

“the one we found and looked after”. In fact they joke a lot. Stories are

thrown around about what they were all doing before music – “I

actually played for West Ham! I’ve got evidence, pictures!” is one

claim that’s thrown around, as we laugh about that being a common

story for young men from their area. “Individually we all had a love

for music though,” Kruddz explained. “A lot of us love dancing and

music”

Soon after they had a designated meeting spot: a studio that had been

set-up in OGD and Kruddz’s house (“It’s where the history started”).

Though his mother would often be in the house, she preferred them

being there than outside on the road and potentially getting into

trouble. OGD – the producer behind NSG’s tracks – initially started

out writing dubstep before becoming intertwined with the sound of

producer Jae5, who is behind most of the biggest tracks from J Hus,

eventually leading him to create the sound NSG have become known

for.

The group agree that the EP Grown Up marked a turning point in

their career, hence the name. “That’s why we named it Grown Up,”

Mxjib explains. Across nine tracks – some of which were produced by

Jae5 and Troots Music alongside OGD – the group made their mark.

To listen to it is to feel blessed with the energy, the soul, the sadness,

the beauty of NSG and their music. Since then and the release of “Yo

Darlin’”, the group have been working on new music. As well as the

Liam Payne remix there’s a track with Not3s, one of 2017’s breakout

artists – the rapper behind the unavoidable hit “Addison Lee”.

Called “Pushing Up”, it’s a perfect demonstration of NSG’s sound. One

ready for the dance, one with an impactful message to keep moving

forward, to grow. Alongside that is “Natural Disaster”, a song about –

you guessed it – a natural disaster. Except this one isn’t the

environmental kind, it’s centered instead in the world of

relationships. A smoke fuelled yet upbeat track, it’s an ode to getting

wavey, to searching out all the wrong people but having the best time

doing so. “She’s a natural disaster, the girl is bad bad but me like her”

Essentially, NSG are climbing slowly toward their peak. On their own

journey but also one that’s closely connected to the afro bashment

sound that’s creeping across the globe, the road ahead looks golden.

Where do they want to go? “Global domination, baby,” they say.

“Right now we’re loading up the artillery. They said no nuclear

weapons and we didn’t take that in. We’re loading them up. We’re not

looking on a United Kingdom thing, we’re looking on a global thing.”

Never Stop Growing indeed.