Sage Elsesser is a skateboarder, artist, and model, but this is a music blog, so around here he's known for rapping. As Navy Blue, Elsesser has carved out a space within the heady, abstract underground hip-hop landscape. In March he guested on a track with Cavalier, Quelle Chris, and Denmark Vessey, and he's since followed that with "Ocean Light (Phase 1: Prelude)," which seemed to be a warning shot for a project to come. Indeed, there's a new Navy Blue record called Sir Render dropping this Friday, and its guest list is formidable.
Normally the most prominent features on an album like this one would be the appearances from Earl Sweatshirt and Armand Hammer, towering figures who seem to pop up on bleary indie rap records as often as Future and 21 Savage pop up on bleary major-label rap records. But Sir Render also has a posthumous feature from Ka, the Brooklyn underground rap cult hero who passed away two years ago. That's a huge deal. Also on the tracklist: Mike Shabb, who was nominated for Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize last year.
If you can't read Elsesser's ornate cursive, we typed out the tracklist for you below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "Commencement" (Prod. Jason Wool)
02 "Baron" (Prod. The Alchemist)
03 "Sir Render" (Prod. Vertiqua)
04 "Over" (Prod. Mike Shabb)
05 "Reflections" (Prod. Jason Wool & Mario Luciano)
06 "Residuum" (Feat. Armand Hammer) (Prod. Navy Blue)
07 "Crux Anasta" (Prod. QThree)
08 "Belladonna" (Feat. Earl Sweatshirt) (Prod. The Alchemist)
09 "Aegis" (Prod. Bori & Navy Blue)
10 "Circa" (Feat. Ka) (Prod. Malik Abdul-Rahmaan)
11 "If God Had Legs" (Prod. Jason Wool & Fahem Erfan)
12 "Rex Life" (Prod. Shungu)
13 "The Birth Of Medicine" (Prod. Shungu)
14 "Bleeding Scarlet" (Prod. Navy Blue)
15 "F.E.A.R." (Bonus Track) (Prod. Navy Blue)
Sir Render is out 6/5.
