By Carlos Cureno
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
The city of Philadelphia is historic, on many levels, and is a hotbed for music. But, not every Philadelphia artist is tied to the Meek Mill drama with Drake and Game. Also, not every Philadelphia artist is tied to someone tied to Jay Z.
NTG and Yung Draw are making history and doing so by earning their status off the muscle. Their goal isn’t to offend anyone else out there or to take away from them. Instead, they are making their own moves, as their “I’m Real” single is up to 42,000 streams.
Recently, Hip Hop Vibe caught up with the viral sensations, landing the couple for an On The Rise interview. NTG and Yung Draw are making history and building a strong fan base, along the way. There is much more to come from this couple, in the future.
Read the entire interview below:
In a business primarily built on temptation, how do you two maintain a successful marriage and rising stardom?
Why would we be tempted, when we provide all the needs we have with each-other. It’s the best of both worlds to put it in the words of Queen Latifah in the movie, Brown Sugar, “we got the buddy and the booty, how can we lose?” We are a unit, a movement by ourselves but a force when we’re together. We take it day by day & always make time for love in the midst of all the hats we juggle, simply put we make beautiful music together.
With Philadelphia being the home of such music icons as Patti LaBelle and Will Smith, is there pressure for NTG and Yung Draw to come correct?
Hell yeah! Philly is known for talent and, in the hip hop arena, there are so many real lyricist here, so yes the task is heavy. We never worry, though, we flow with the best of them, we are very versatile, and always try to remain true to ourselves in this ever-changing industry. We believe the unique artist last and stand the test of time. There’s a lot of fad artist out, no diss, but years from now, their music won’t be memorable. We, on the other hand, want to be remembered like a Prince, Michael Jackson, Tupac Shakur, and so on. We pour our heart and soul into our music and when you do that you cant go wrong.
Can you talk more about your Music & Marriage mixtape?
Yes, absolutely. Actually, Music & Marriage is not a mixtape, but is in fact our first joint album, so we’re very excited about the vision coming to life. It’s exclusively available on our site www.ntuneentgrp.com. We have done collaborations, collectively, with several artist all over the world but this is the very first time we’ve done an entire project by ourselves. It’s exciting to put out a body of work you are truly committed to and proud of for that matter. We created a feel good album, appropriate for all ages and walks of life, with topics ranging from losing love, to finding love, police brutality and the plight of the urban community and the list goes on. Ten tracks on the album including the intro and outro not to toot our own horns but this is the album to have in your great hip hop collection.
How do you feel about the fan reaction to this project?
The album is actually per-released right now and so far we have rotation of the single “Don’t Shoot” produced by Midnite Music gaining a lot of attention and great reviews. We’ve also been told by several taste makers in the Philly hip hop scene, and abroad, that our album is refreshing and reminiscent of a time when artist talked about more than hoes, clothes, drugs and money.
What was it like working with Tone Trump for the “I’m Real” record?
That was quite a fun experience Tone Trump is a grinder salute to him. We met Tone many moons ago through DJ Stash Money and later reconnected via our friend and fellow artist Mykal. Tone is a true professional with several major moves in the works so it was definitely an honor and a pleasure working with him.
Are you two proud of the success that single had?
Absolutely. And it’s still going over 42k on youtube featured on blogs and sites such as the very one interviewing us right now, so we definitely came along way.
How do you guys feel about the drama surrounding Philly with the Beanie Sigel/Meek Mill situation?
We like to focus on music but since you asked we feel like dope music can squash any beef. As artist its tough enough trying to maintain in a microwave industry where your hot one day and cold the next therefore screw the beef and get money. Take all that energy in the booth and make classics. Philly needs to stick together more other cities do it but we haven’t quite figured that part out yet. Unity builds the community.
After this project, what comes next for NTG and Yung Draw?
Lord willing, more success, bigger venues, more fans, endorsements, monetary freedom, and, dare we say it, total domination (laughs). We plan to push our brand to the top of the world and never look back. We do this for all the underdogs who were told that don’t fit the mold or would never make it. We want to be proof that talent is still important and with god, our drive,effort, hard work, our fans, supporters and friends anything is possible.
Where can fans connect with you two on social media?
We are literally everywhere, but seriously, check us out and be sure to Google us. Peace and blessings all.
Websites
www.ntuneentgrp.com
www.phillyntg.com
EPK
http://artistecard.com/phillyspowercouple
http://www.reverbnation.com/rpk/powercouple
www.fb.com/phillyspowercouple
www.fb.com/ntgmcee
www.fb.com/yaboidraw
www.twitter.com/ntgmcee
www.twitter.com/yungdraw
www.instagram.com/ntg2627
www.instagram.com/yungdraw28
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/ntg2627
Watch “I’m Real” by NTG and Yung Draw ft. Tone Trump below:
Follow Carlos Cureno on Twitter @DjayyCharliee.
