Navy Blue: The Truest - "Ways of Knowing" Album Review
“What, you tryna kick knowledge?” Since ears first heard those words uttered by Hov back in 2001, it has had a residual impact on the discourse among Hip-Hop fans. Being a steadfast opinion for some who partake in the music genre we all love. They don’t want to hear the lyrical miracle or personal self-reflection, and there's nothing wrong with that. We’ve all heard, and some of us live by the “there's a time and place for everything,” response to what type of music we want to hear from rappers today. We live in one of the best times to be a fan of the culture of hip-hop. The market is bursting at the seams, with rappers of every subgenre that people on the internet and Twitter threads want to add a label to. But one thing is true: Great artists, whether its potential, lyrics, ability, or style, are undeniable. This is where we meet Navy Blue, the Bicoastal Prince of Hip-Hop.
If you are from LA or New York, you may be familiar with Navy Blue. If not, he is someone you may have come across without even knowing, being more behind the scenes dating back to the early days of Odd Future. Born in LA, but based out of Brooklyn, his resume is lengthy: Artist, rapper, producer, skater, and model. Sage Elsesser has done things many can only dream of having the chance to do in one lane. He’s produced for the likes of Wiki, Mach-Hommy, MIKE, and Armand Hammond. Also produced for Earl Sweatshirt, including his incredible Some Rap Songs as well as featuring on the album's standout track “The Mint.” He even appeared on another great track with Earl, “Nobles” on the This Thing of Ours EP by legendary producer The Alchemist. Sponsored by and modeled for the likes of Supreme and Converse; he is even credited in the closing interview on the track “Futura Free,” off Frank Ocean’s classic album Blonde.
Now with all this amassed experience and background, having released 3 solid projects since 2020 (Àdá Irin, Song of Sage: Post Panic! and Navy’s Reprise respectively,) what comes next? That leads us to Navy’s most recent release, his Def Jam label debut album Ways of Knowing. It has been one of the most enjoyable and personal listening experiences of 2023 up to this point.
Released on March 23, with 13 tracks, this candid and personable album hits all the marks, and is a solid debut for the Brooklyn-based artist. Only 26, he exudes and displays on this album, better than any of his other projects, an incredibly strong sense of self-awareness, honesty, and knowledge, that those who are 10 years older than him may still not discover for a few more years. Topics like self-growth, pain, death, loss of feelings, and honest reflections about one’s self and love are all on display and discussed. All while leaving behind any sense of preachiness and cliché.
The album grabs my attention every time I hit play. Like Sage previously said himself on Àdá Irin’s “Heavenly Twin,” he is getting better and better at “painting the picture for the listener.” The potential in this album is scratching at the seems to fully burst through. Every project has been another step forward. This is partly due to the way Navy comes across on these tracks. It never comes across as conceited and that you must heed his every word. They feel like unbound streams of consciousness and have a sense of directness about him. The labors and journeys he has been on, are not hidden between fast flows and quadruple entendres that you have to dissect for days on end. Navy sounds like he gets up to the mic and is just talking everything out. I get a strong sense of how therapeutic it is for him to bare as much as he does on this album.
To say the man can’t rap would be a disservice, but he’s not here to display something that wouldn’t fit the concept he is going for. He does still have slick rhymes with the delivery to match on tracks “Chosen” and my personal favorite, “Kill Switch.” In terms of lyrics, all potential fat has been trimmed. Everything that he wanted to say is there without coming across like someone trying to reach a word count for an essay.
The production on this album is spotless and adds another level to the quality of the album. The executive producer, Budgie Beats, is someone who I didn’t realize I had come across before. He has credits on Ye’s “Every Hour,” from Jesus is King, on Action Bronson’s Only for Dolphins, and on, what is considered one of Earl Sweatshirt's best tracks, “quest/power.” In this project, the two artists joining forces is a match made in heaven. The instrumentals encapsulate what the songs set out to make you feel or help set the stage for the next layer of Navy Blue on display. The samples and melodies on the aforementioned “Chosen,” “The One,” and “Phases,” to name a few, showcase this cohesion the best.
One might think that Sage could have used the debut to bring some bigger names as features but the opposite approach results more positively and adds to the sincerity of the messaging throughout. Every track that progresses feels like following another step towards someone's journey of processing emotional turmoil and dealing with personal loss. One of the best tracks on the album to showcase this is “Shadow’s Shield.” It is also the perfect conclusion for the album, both sonically and conceptually. Whether it be the loss of family members or friends, you can feel the weight these things bear on him but owing to himself to maintain the process of appreciating all he has even if, potentially, not fully shedding all he has dealt with.
No song hangs around longer than it should. Some of them don’t even reach the 3-minute mark.
The features that are present: Zeroh, Kelly Moonstone, Liv.e & Venna brought exactly what was needed. Nothing felt forced or out of place. Tackling issues with pride and vanity, confronting dependency and addiction, while reflecting on what comes with being too comfortable with one’s situation in life just feels true. All adding to the art that Navy has put on display for anyone listening.
Personally, there was a lot I took away from this album. It made me want to do better and want better for myself in processing and dealing with conflict. Sometimes with good art, it can be something you walk away with whether it was the artist's intentions or not. When an album like this comes out, in my view, it either falls flat or hits its mark flawlessly, there's no real in-between. It has been in constant rotation since I first had the chance to hit play and is without question, one of the top releases of the year thus far. There is even more potential there than has already been showcased. New York is done no shame by having Navy Blue here to represent it.
Personal Favorite Tracks:
Shadow’s Shield
Chosen
Kill Switch
The One