A short while ago, Shysty Red & Marly G were being courted by several major labels. Before their dream was realized they were caught up in the lifestyle depicted in their music. The LP “O.T.F.: Official Thug Franchize” is the collection of music that led one record executive to call Shysty Red & Marly G “the best New York rap group since Wu-Tang Clan and The LOX” and another exec to call them the best act out of The Bronx since Big Pun. Shysty Red and Marly G are not only brothers by blood but also leaders of a street movement they call the Official Thugz Franchize. OTF is a collection of family and friends from The Bronx that came up together hustling, scrapping and later spitting battle raps, writing songs and recording freestyles. For a couple years they would record here and there, sometimes in studio sessions they payed for and sometimes not. Then one day, through a mutual acquaintance they were introduced to another duo of brothers making music in The Bronx by the name of Watts Ink. Their first collaboration produced by Watts Ink and written by Shysty Red & Marly G “All Out” appeared on the Watts Ink & B-Stro Entertainment compilation “The Monster” (available on CDBABY & iTunes). As they say the rest is history. Shysty and Marly found a home with Watts Ink and over the next three years recorded 100+ songs. They each have recorded solo projects and two full length LP’s featuring the other members of OTF. “Honor my brother” is the code that Shysty Red, Marly G and the Official Thugz Franchize live by from the corner to the studio to the stage.