NME Friends Like These: G-Eazy x Goody Grace

“It’s crazy because with certain people you meet in life, you almost feel as if you have known them much longer,” says chart-topping rapper G-Eazy of Canadian singer-songwriter Goody Grace. “Goody is one of those friends… I think that we’re just two people that have similar views and values, and similar creative approaches. That’s my brother, and he is one of the most talented people that I have ever seen at work.”

Introduced to one another by mutual friend and producer Jesse Ackerman, G-Eazy and Grace have spent the past few years forming a lifelong friendship based on “a chemistry that is organic and natural”. Having already recorded a wealth of unreleased material together, last year the frequent collaborators released ‘Years To Go’, an emo-rap ballad that is defined by its grittily honest depiction of a bitter, protracted break up.

“With anything that is a bit more vulnerable, especially when it comes to love and loss, I try to frame it in a way that is relatable,” G-Eazy offers. “The concept of ‘Years To Go’ is that it can take so much longer to let go of somebody than it does to get to know them.”

Grace elaborates: “We made that [song] at the end of a really long session in New York. We knew that we had something special… I am so happy that the world got to finally hear it.”

The poignant track features on the deluxe edition of G-Eazy’s ‘When It’s Dark Out’, which dropped in December 2020 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the platinum-selling album. He explains of the special release: “As a way to circle back on the anniversary, we decided to add on some extra bonus songs and drop a deluxe edition. Lyrically, the aim was to write songs from the perspective of the night time and its loneliness. While everyone else is asleep, you have the world to yourself; you have the keys to the castle. This song just fell perfectly in line with what the concept of the album originally was.”

“I think it’s kind of crazy too, that’s where this song found its home,” says Grace. “We made it in a room lit by a sign that says ‘When It’s Dark Out’ – and look where it ended up.”

For the latest edition of NME’s Friends Like These series, the pair also discussed their first live shows, the influence of Johnny Cash, and the inspiration behind ‘Years To Go’. Watch the full video above.

 – G-Eazy and Goody Grace’s ‘Years To Go’ is out now