Their group name is a parody of Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G., with "MSG" referring to monosodium glutamate, a sodium additive commonly used in East Asian cuisines.

The fictional backstory says that they all met in the kitchen of the New York Chinatown restaurant in which they worked, but the group members are all Asian-American artists and film-makers.

[citation needed] In 2003 and 2004 Notorious MSG started to give small, organized concerts, generally to a few hundred people at any given time.

[citation needed] Their first West Coast performance, given in February 2005, just outside Los Angeles, was part of a night of Asian-themed stand up comedy.

In recent years, the Notorious MSG has also performed in various music venues in New York City, such as Bowery Ballroom, CBGB's (just before it closed), Santos Party House and Brooklyn Bowl.