What Would Nav Do? – Good Intentions (Album Review)
Good Intentions is arguably Nav’s best project to date, although a case can definitely be made for the self-titled NAV, or even Perfect Timing, which he made with Metro Boomin. What makes this album special however, is how much hate he’s gotten leading up to its release.
Nav came into the rap scene out of nowhere with dope SoundCloud releases like “Myself”, “I’m The Man” and my personal favourite, “Fell in Love With LA”. Since then, he’s probably released 100 songs, but only like five of them have made my rotation. Songs like “Champion”, “Bring It Back”, and “Go To Hell” are a some of my favourite songs all time, but still, I couldn’t help but notice he had been missing with a lot of songs since signing to XO. Although he didn’t necessarily live up to the hype in my mind, I wasn’t one to hate – even though I noticed the same things everyone else was noticing: stale sounds, lazy bars, boring flows.
All of that changed with his latest release, Good Intentions. This is some of the best production I’ve heard on a “trap” project. I had to preface it by saying “trap” because guys like Travis and Kanye, I think, are in a different lane. Lil Baby and Roddy Ricch are two other guys who I think have incredible sounds that I love listening to, but neither of them makes anything that sounds like Good Intentions. The production on Nav’s project is just different. It’s trappy and dark, but it’s also playful and kinda weird at the same time. I guess there can be comparisons made to Future and Thug, or maybe even Lil Durk, but realistically, I don’t know if anyone makes anything similar to what we heard on Good Intentions.
We talk about it in this episode of FRAGMENT RADIO.
“Fuck it, I rap about drugs all the time, cause I do them too”
“Coast To Coast” - Nav
The production on this album is top tier. Some of the best beats I’ve heard in my life, no cap. The best part about it though, is how good every person sounds on each of the tracks. Every featured artist demolishes their verse, as if Nav brings out the best in them. Future, Gunna Pop Smoke and Lil Durk have some of my favourite verses. On “My Business”, “Codeine”, “Run It Up” and “No Ice” respectively. I think a major part of what these guys were able to skate so hard on these tracks is because of the beats that Nav picked, that’s a valuable skill that not a lot of people talk about. Now it’s time for the discussion, could Nav be the best beat-picker in the game? Maybe.
I’m excited for Nav. I’ve been one of the doubters. I’ve had conversations with the guys about how Nav should stop rapping and just focusing on producing. My reasoning was simple, even early his production was the best part of his music. It was melodic and vibey, but it also hit. It was perfect late-night driving music, and because he was responsible for most of the production early on his career, I thought that he was clearly musically inclined. As the releases kept coming, his sound started to become stagnant, and on top of this, Nav sounded the exact same, rapping about the exact same thing on every beat, in the exact same way. It sucked LOL.
“My Comments be full of hate, I’m just tryna fufill my dreams”
“Proud Of Me” - Nav
But after listening to this album, and hearing songs like the ones I mentioned earlier, as well as songs like “Coast To Cost”, “Did You Wrong”, “My Space” and the album closer, “Proud of Me?”, I’m assured that Nav is on the upward slope. I’m not going to sit here and say he became an incredible rapper, but man, I was severely impressed by the diversity in flows that he sounded dope using. I don’t think he sounded better than any of his features, THOSE guys are incredible, but I do believe Nav held his own.
This project exciting because it lets me know that Nav is getting better. I can’t wait to hear what’s next.