Release Date: 11 November 2025
Song Count: 16
Duration: 43 minutes, 42 seconds
Rating: 7.0/10
Description:
Riding further aboard the hip-hop train, the station today is one that stylistically differs quite a lot to yesterday's bombastic entry, as we stumble across The Sword & The Soaring, the newest album from Brooklyn-born Sage Elsesser, commonly known as Navy Blue. A far more conscious and lower-tempo record than what is preceding it on this site, the rising rapper's sixth record tackles the topics of morality, connections to the divine, loss, and life struggles head-on, and radiates intent and authenticity from the moment it kicks off, whilst also firmly separating itself from most other hip-hop music out there from a stylistic standpoint.
A less voluminous soundscape and the common use of a variety of jazz instruments and samples, most notably the piano, defines the album's instrumentation as it serves less to take attention and more to emphasise the primary focus that is Elsesser's calm and collected yet still subtly passion-filled rapping and the words he vocalises. The tracks aim to make the listener absorb and think about what is being said and conveyed above all else, and the blend of hip-hop and jazz combined with the general slower and more indulgent pace sets the perfect musical setting to do so. This stylistic approach makes the project akin to a mixture of more popular experimental rap artists in the likes of Flying Lotus, as well as lesser known ones that like to lean into the jazz, feels and lyrical meanings of their work (one example I can think of being an act we've covered almost two months ago, that being Lausse the Cat).
In terms of general enjoyability, The Sword & The Soaring offers that plenty for particularly calm and introspective moods - it proves to be a great record to give a spin when wishing to think about life or simply wanting a moment with less stimulating yet nevertheless impactful music, so it truly has its place out there. For more conscious listens, though, the album ultimately is less remarkable, with instrumental repetition eventually driving the impact of some of the songs staler than they could have been. Still, this is a very thoughtfully made collection of tracks by Navy Blue and his collaborators, and it may be something worth checking out.