I remember discovering Navy Blue for the first time on The Mint back in 2018. Many already knew Navy Blue as Sage Elsesser through his incredible skateboarding and affiliation with Odd Future. I was too young at the time when Odd Future was a cultural staple, so The Mint was my first exposure to his art. I went into hearing his verse with no expectations and came away impressed. His verse is succinct but potent. In a way, you can describe a lot of his music in that way. He grips you in immediately. The verse gave many a good glimpse into Navy Blue as an artist. The intensely vulnerable way that he writes. The themes that a lot of his music covers like depression, anxiety, feeling the spirits of those gone before, and coping with losses of loved ones both in a literal and a figurative sense. Though I really enjoyed his verse, I didn’t check out his music further until my cousin, who was just beginning to become a big fan of the SLUms movement, sent me his verse on Mike’s Like My Mama. This is the verse that really put me onto how special of an artist Navy Blue is. He spins a web of familial trauma with a stunning autobiographical and direct verse. When you listen to Navy Blue, it’s very apparent that music is one of his forms of therapy. In turn, his radical vulnerability and openness help many cope, or at least, learn more about the human spirit. From that verse on, I checked out his breakthrough EP, from the Heart. The song that really turned me into a Navy Blue fan was never thought I’d be one to cry like this. If you have never checked out this song, please do. The instrumental is perfect and produced by Navy Blue himself. The samples are chopped beautifully. Navy Blue has a beautifully rough and raw melodic flow, especially on the chorus. Man, that chorus always has an effect on me. The chorus goes:
Never thought I'd be one to cry like this
Never thought I'd be one to cry like this
Papa took a deep breath and died real quick
Just like my father, I love me a spliff
Folks walk with a limp like it's something he'll hit
This is one of the most direct ways I’ve heard death described in music. Our loved ones really can be gone in an instant. However, they’re never truly gone as long as we remember them. Later in the song, Navy commits to living in his father’s honor. It’s a beautiful song that’s filled with pain but is able to retain a sense of hope. Exemplified with these lyrics at the tail end of the song:
When I sit down and veg on my deeper meaning
Reappear with the sun gleaming The whole
from the Heart is full of beautifully raw songs that are rough around the edges that is a great introduction to Navy Blue as an artist. Up until the album that I will get into later, this was my favorite project of his.
Along with releasing from the heart in 2018, Navy produced one of my favorite beats of all time, Azucar, off of Earl Sweatshirt’s Some Rap Songs. The sample chop is life-affirming. It’s truly one of the best chops that I have ever heard. It’s impossible to overstate what an amazing producer Navy Blue is. He has produced most of his solo songs and contributed many phenomenal sample-heavy beats to other underground artists like Mach-Hommy, Earl Sweatshirt, Mike, Armand Hammer, and Ankhlejohn, As his career has progressed, he’s only matured as a producer with incredibly textured and gorgeous loops.
It’s no secret that Navy Blue had a monster year in 2020. He released his mostly self-produced debut album, Ada Irin early in the year. It built upon the foundation that he laid out with his other projects. He continued with his poetic, mature, spiritually based lyricism. The project delves deep into mental health struggles, retaining hope through being grateful, persevering through pain and grief, and receiving guidance from loved ones both alive and who have left the physical plane. There is much to write about this album as I take more away from it each listen. I will try to keep it brief, due to the fact that I haven’t even gotten to the main album I’m writing about. The production is slightly psychedelic and always engaging. Ka features and, as always, contributes a great verse. It’s truly amazing that Navy Blue was able to secure a Ka feature on his debut album, but it’s not all that surprising. When you hear Navy’s music, you know it’s truthful and you can feel him bearing his soul. That can be a rare quality in music. He has been able to express that rare quality throughout his career, and, to my ears, that’s really what makes his music so great.
In the remaining months of 2020, Navy Blue had his biggest year in terms of collaborative output. He dropped a great guest appearance on Face by Ovrkast. I highly recommend watching the music video that accompanies that song, it’s gorgeously shot. Elsewhere, he dropped great verses on Mach-Hommy’s Count Chocula, Preservation’s North Bridge, and Moor Mother & Billy Wood’s Portrait to name just a few. On these guest verses, he gracefully adapted to the variety of beats, but never sacrificed his distinct way of writing or rapping. Production-wise this year, he really excelled. He produced many highlights on the best underground hip-hop albums of 2020. Including, solely producing and creating some of his best beats to date on Anklejhn’s As Above, So Below album. However, probably my favorite highlight he made this year, up until “Song of Sage: Post Panic!”, was the one-off single no foolin’ (post panic: prelude). I actually did not hear this song until a couple of weeks ago, though it was originally released on Soundcloud in April. This is one of those songs that stirred something deep within me on the first listen. The song overwhelms me with emotion and memories. I have cried many times, especially when Navy mentions his father, who passed away, not being able to see his grandchildren walk. That part stings. It reminds me that my grandmother, who was a second mother to me, will never be able to be a part of my kid’s lives if I choose to have kids. However, I can preserve and share her legacy by keeping her memory alive. Navy Blue reminds me of that. Back to the song. The beat is just one loop, but it’s impeccably chopped and gravely pretty. The bells shimmer and the vocal sample works in perfect harmony with the rest of the beat. The main vocal sample of the song, “don’t stop foolin’ yourself," perfectly fits how revealing the song is. I can’t really listen to the track without personal feelings or thoughts of certain loved ones bubbling to the surface when he raps these lyrics:
Like I ain’t want to live, the better me pursued life
Think twice before you really take your own life.
I know loved ones who have contemplated the exact ending that Navy Blue did. However, I thank whatever is out there that I can be in their presence. That I can see them preserve through what this hellish world throws at them. And most importantly, that they are alive. I am also grateful that Navy Blue decided to pursue this hell ridden journey. His presence and music make a difference in the lives of many, including my own.
