Navy Blue Gets Introspective in New Video for ‘Take Heed’: Watch
Navy Blue, born Sage Elsesser, released a surprise album earlier this month.
Memoirs In Armour comes on the heels of the professional model and skateboarder-turned-rapper being unceremoniously dropped from Def Jam, where he had released the project Ways of Knowing in 2023.
Fans were surprised to see that an underground darling such as himself would even sign to a major label, but Navy told Rolling Stone recently that he was “grateful” for the experience. “And I think naturally as a human, you look back on situations and you go, ‘I wish things could be different,’ but I think that the universe or God or whatever people want to call it — I choose to call it God — it just had a different plan for me and there was just something to learn from this experience.”
He also told the publication his situation at the label inspired him to make and release this tape, telling them, “Memoirs in Armour is in response to the fact that I got dropped from Def Jam kind of in a way that had me frustrated, to say the least.”
“Take Heed” is the intro track and was produced by Budgie, who also handled the bulk of production on Navy’s only Def Jam release. The video, directed by Ryosuke Tanzawa, features Navy opening the curtains as he lets the light in and starts to reflect as he raps, “Another baby born, another stolen life/ To claim the day as yours, to see through open eyes/ He say he know the truth, I know who told him lies.”
A couple of weeks ago, Navy released the lead single “Low Threshold” produced by Child Actor, with the video also being directed by Tanzawa. You can check that out below.
And always remember: Navy Blue is the truest.
Angel Diaz
Billboard