Fans in South Africa, Europe and South America hit up BTG because they were confused. They were trying to live the life depicted by most rappers, but it wasn’t working out for them and they couldn’t figure out why. BTG’s new single, “Top Dog” is BTG’s response. They are letting the world know the way to get things done, and that doing things in certain ways leads to trouble with police and jail time. Do things the right way and life won’t be so hard. Vowing to leave the street life behind over a decade ago, BTG speaks from real life experience.
Two warriors who are closer than brothers, C Los and SOG (Soldier of God), make up the duo that took the Black Triad Gangstas acronym and gave their name a new meaning – “Belonging To God.” They insist that they are “not religious, they are spiritual,” but that it doesn’t imply weakness.
Their musical influences come from several genres and their tastes are diverse. Turned on to rock music later in life, C Los grew up listening to Tupac and he likes J. Cole’s positivity -something that is also portrayed in BTG’s music. SOG grew up on heavy metal and hard rock, and likes different artists for different reasons: the singing of Prince, Tupac’s rap, DJ Quik’s production and the attitudes of Chris Brown and Bruno Mars. As the duo’s main writer and producer, SOG combines characteristics of different people he has studied, from old school and new school artists, to make his own vibe and create music that people can relate to.
SOG cranks out all types of music and BTG gains attention from fans of many genres. In addition to “Top Dog,” BTG’s album, “PYROHYDRO” features a little something for everyone. The listener who does not typically listen to rap might dig the track “Angel” which is a rock song. “Dance All Night” has more of a pop, Euro club feel to it, and “Wait” was a rock ballad which SOG made into a Hip Hop track. By offering variety, followers of many music styles are lead to BTG’s other songs.
Their recently released mixtape served as an introduction to the BTG back story. Combined with the “PYROHYDRO” album, “The Art of Life and Death” video game, a CG animated series and the book “64 Levels of Power”, the massive multimedia undertaking will share their battles and is bound to turn some heads. “Everything is intertwined. It’s one big spiritual experience,” SOG emphasized.
From August 24, “The Art of Life and Death – PYROHYDRO Episode 1” begins the next stage of the project. Until the end of the year, BTG will be introducing segments of the video game along with the animated series. Afterwards, there will be an interactive app which allows followers to travel throughout BTG’s music video.
Having the power to spread the word keeps the two men positive, despite challenges. C Los believes that no one should settle and that it’s important to stay true to one’s self. “As long as you stay true to yourself, you’re gonna do what is right.” SOG believes in fully committing to your work. “If you’re gonna do something, make sure you put yourself in it and don’t half step.” When he started working with CG animation, he thought that everything would fall into place automatically. “I’ve had to literally bleed and sweat and cry to get what I have,” he said. “The more you put into it, the more you’re gonna get out of it. You’re gonna have to make sacrifices.”
