The Big 6: NSG Interviewed

As we move back into an era where musical groups are gaining credence again, it’s impossible to overlook NSG, the Hackney East-dwelling Afroswing collective comprising OGD, Kruddz, Mojo, Dope, Papii Abz and Mxjib. These perennial party starters have already amassed double-platinum, gold and silver hits, and it’s only right they remain firmly in the conversation as the heir apparent to the supergroup.

On their latest offering ‘The Big 6’, they set out to quell the discourse and reaffirm their spot. The title and cover pays homage to The Beatles’ archetypal Abbey Road image. A post on X compared them to the iconic quartet, referencing how they’ve helped usher in a diasporic revolution between Ghana, Nigeria and the UK. Their fifteen-track mixtape was teased with only one single – the anthemic ‘Venus’, featuring rising singer LYVIA. On only unveiling one primer before the project’s release, Kruddz salutes the symbiotic relationship between NSG and their loyal fans: “I feel like we’ve got to a point where they trust us. We don’t have to hook them with singles, they’re going to listen to it anyway.”

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Executive produced by inhouse producer 4Play, with co-production from REHUM and Alex Montel, the aforementioned track is just one example of the group melding their Afroswing sound with features from the rap underground: CASISDEAD, Blanco, PsychoYP, and Tayc are just some of the names that make up the tapestry. The production shines on songs like ‘Overnight’, which infuses CAS’ coined ’80s nostalgia with NSG-esque drums; a silky, heartfelt joint bop tailor-made for radio. “We take in a lot of people, underground or mainstream. It really is if the vibe is right, we like what you’re doing and it makes sense,” say NSG of the curatorial decision making, much of it organic or a result of their personal A&R’ing.

2023 album, ‘AREA BOYZ’, came alongside a movement to ‘Make Afroswing Great Again’. Since then there’s been a clear and steady shift back to the genre. As one of the leaders of the space, NSG show consistency and multi-generational appeal is the key. “There’s a crop of younger artists that are really in the Afroswing sound and they’re actually doing it quite consistently. The fact that they’re young and in the university circle, it’s actually bringing the whole sound to the forefront again,” Mojo says. “I think that campaign of making Afroswing great again did have an impact because it encouraged younger people, the next generation, to think maybe we can do it again. And now that they’re popping and going viral, it adds to the whole sound.”

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“It’s a whole movement,” Mxjib continues, noting the process of reclaiming wasn’t without its challenges. “It felt like there’s a group of people that were against it, and a group of people that wanted it. I feel like our position is to make people want it back. This is our culture.” ‘The Big 6’ is undeniably a global enterprise, the plethora of international features creating a melting pot of flavours. Despite that, at no point does it not feel innately NSG: party-starters like ‘A.L.Y.B.H.B’ mirror the energy of some of their earlier hits – the instrumentation is rife and rhythmic with ample backing from the onset.

The mixtape includes a few b-sides, the outro ‘Sacrifice’ being one. A more introspective number, it contrasts bold cadence with intimate lyricism. All in all, the mixtape does well to create a cohesive vibe, and t’s highly likely there’s at least one track most music fans will appreciate – a step forward for an already boundary-pushing collective.

As our conversation draws to a close, the collective’s synergy, humour and natural interplay comes to the fore. We’re talking time capsule tracks; songs that will endure thirty years from now. Kruddz is first up. “I’ve overly abused this song: ‘Is It A Crime’ by Rema.” Dope follows with the stellar ‘Breathe Again’ by Leona Lewis. “Recently I’ve been taking in WSTRN, ‘Night & Day’. That song is magical man,” Mxjib says before Mojo lays out his era-defining pick: “Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’. You gotta be tapped into different things.” Leaving Abz to keep it current. “Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Yebba’s ‘Die Trying’. That is music man.”

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‘The Big 6’ is out now.

Words: Shanté Collier-McDermott