NSG’s latest song “Grandad,” taken from their new Mixtape “Roots,” is everything you’d expect from the group — and it’ll make you miss the summer more than ever.
Over the last few years, East London six-piece NSG have developed an instantly recognizable sound taking inspiration from afrobeat, drill, and rap. They rap about trapping, girls, and gangs over vibey, complex beats with marimba pianos, steel drums, and lashings of bass.
NSG have stuck to their tried-and-trusted format on “Grandad” and, frankly, there’s nothing wrong with that.
“See everything I do me I do for the gang/ Don’t call me bro we’re not family/ Dem boy farda, I am grandad,” raps Kruddz in the chorus.
“Got some YSL cause I’m fire as hell/ You see you been trapping? Boy I really cannot tell/ You know I’m getting money, she can tell by my smell,” raps Dope in one of the verses.
It’s unlikely to win an Ivor Novello for its lyrical originality but that couldn’t matter less.
As ever with NSG, there’s a stylish music video to accompany the song with the group are clad from head-to-toe in their signature designer streetwear. It’s shot partly on a golf course and partly in a highrise estate car park, perhaps reflecting the paucity of options for video shoots during lockdown.
Either way, the group are taking a more lighthearted approach with this video — they’re even driving mobility scooters around a council estate. Eagle-eyed viewers might also spot Pete & Bas, the UK rap scene’s favorite OAPs, making a cameo.
As with The Manor, NSG have made a song for a summer that sadly won’t happen. IO’s production, featuring trumpets and an infectious bassline, would, however, be the perfect accompaniment to a back garden barbecue.
The flows from each of NSG’s members match the beat perfectly. They glide over the track, with a laidback, laconic vibe.
“Said I’m ghosting, I said it’s not that/ You just can’t fuck with me/ See me I’m persistent but it’s not assistance/ So you never can young boy me,” raps Mojo on the second verse. It’s silky smooth and the perfect antidote for the trying times we’re living in.