Acclaimed rapper Navy Blue released his 8th studio album, “The Sword and the Soaring”, Nov. 11.

The 28 year old rapper, also a professional skateboarder, model, and visual artist, has steadily built a music career for himself throughout the past decade. He began releasing EPs and producing for other artists such as Earl Sweatshirt before founding his independent record label Freedom Sounds in 2020.

Now eight albums in, Navy has become a lauded figure in underground rap, following the wave of drumless beats and introspective lyricism that has defined the scene. After a brief stint with the Def-Jam label, Navy returned to his independent label, releasing “Memoirs in Armor” in 2024, an album that expanded his style more than anything prior.

“The Sword and the Soaring” continues this trend, with Navy carving a unique spot in the underground centered around worldbuilding and metaphor-filled lyricism that touches on themes of faith, family, and resilience. The title and album cover already hint at the fantasy world Navy creates in this album.

Before music even starts on the first track, “The Bloodletter,” Navy establishes the album’s symbolic story through the sound of wind blowing through the background, and the shink of a sword. Atmospheric sounds like this dominate the album, the spacey production making it seem as if Navy is alone, immersed in nature.

Other early songs like “God’s Kingdom” and “Sunlight of the Spirit” play around with these meditative soundscapes. Simple melodic loops strengthen Navy’s dense wordplay and flow throughout. His rhymes feel like inner ruminations rather than the boastful declarations so often synonymous with rap.

A combination of piano, string and wind instrument samples become commonplace on this album, creating a cohesive sound unique from Navy’s past offerings, and unlike most hip-hop production. On “Guardadas,” the quaint production as Navy raps about his faith and destiny creates something beautiful — a word that isn’t usually attested to rap music.

While tracks like “Guardadas” use these sounds to embrace tranquility, others lean into grandeur. Violins swell through “Orchards” as Navy describes his upbringing, feeling like a classical arrangement more than anything the rapper has made before. The blending of hip-hop with classic sounds creates a sense of grandiose that adds to Navy’s figurative language and worldbuilding.

The album becomes streamlined with these smooth melodies, but tracks with more jagged edges like the fast paced “Fight On” break it up so that no sound overstays its welcome. “My Heartbeat” also adds to the album’s variation with Navy fighting his “existential war” over pensive drums and audio chops.

Navy serves up meaningful symbolism throughout the album, but “Tale of Truth” stands out as the rapper talks about weighing his heart against a feather, contrasting it with the freedom of exodus.

In the string heavy “Illusions,” Navy tackles his struggles with faith and family, laying out hard-hitting lyricism and meaningful religious imagery. His visceral emotions are synchronous with the music, instruments holding out their last note as he pleads that he’s “just trying to be a good shepherd.”

With every self doubt in lyrics and waver in tone, Navy comes out stronger. In “Kindred Spirit,” he praises life itself atop a jazzy loop. The piano on “Here and Now” cycles up and down with Navy thanking the guidance of friends and family.

Earl Sweatshirt features on “24 Gospel,” where both rappers talk about their personal growth. The track is distinctively lighthearted and a highlight of the album as Sweatshirt’s wiry flow provides a great foil to Navy’s methodical rhythm.

After detours to other styles and paces, Navy returns to his fantastical world with “Sharing Life,” the penultimate song. He raps over a drumless arrangement of strings, wind and piano, not a loop. Being able to articulate his flow over such an elaborate song is a remarkable feat.

Throughout this album, Navy recontextualizes his relationships with family, struggle with faith and personal growth through the lens of a romanticized hero’s journey. “The Phoenix,” the final track, is a culmination of Navy’s complex emotional journey, where he, fittingly, drops the extended metaphor that defines “The Sword and the Soaring.”

“Put the sword down, and the shield… it’s time to heal,” Navy says at the end of the track, rejecting his intricate fantasy world, while learning to accept his failures, and his blessings.