Navy Blue Breaks Down Each Track From ‘Sir Render’
The West Coast rapper and producer closes out a trilogy with a prequel. Check out what he had to say about every song from his latest project.
California native Sage Elsesser, also known as Navy Blue, is a multifaceted artist who is also a rapper, producer, pro skater, and model. He has a unique connection to James Earl Jones, as they are cousins and Jones' iconic narration of Richard Wright's Native Son is featured throughout Navy's tenth studio album, Sir Render. During a lengthy conversation at Billboard's Manhattan office, Navy explained that it was not the book itself that inspired the album, but rather his fascination with Jones' narration and its gravitas.
The 15-track tape, Sir Render, serves as a prequel to his previous albums, Memoirs of Armour and The Sword & The Soaring. To illustrate this unique storytelling method, Navy used the Game of Thrones universe as an example, comparing it to the main series, House of Dragons, and the latest A Knight in the Seven Kingdoms. The album features talented artists such as Mike Shabb, Armand Hammer, Earl Sweatshirt, and Navy's late mentor Ka.
The production credits are also a family affair, including Jason Wool, The Alchemist, Vertiqua, Shabb, Mario Luciano, QThree, Bori, Malik Abdul-Rahmaan, and Shungu, with Navy Blue as the lead producer. Navy's Sir Render offers layers of storytelling, with listeners experiencing knights in battle and the sound of swords sheathing, while enjoying some of his best raps and storytelling.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
