After months of teasing, NAV has finally released his new album, Demons Protected By Angels. This time, the brown boy came through with a unique sound and did not disappoint. The record features 19 tracks with some of rap’s biggest heavyweights. It’s filled with stars like Travis Scott, Future, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi, and more. As per social media, people believe "DPBA" might be Nav’s greatest effort.
To find out if the conjecture is correct, we go deep into Nav's fourth studio album, "Demons Protected By Angels," in this week's FREEMAG review.
Is the album worth it?
If you still haven't heard the album, you’re missing out. His albums are more like compilations of songs that when combined, provide a certain mood or vibe. In this record, Nav talks about his real-life challenges and experiences. The vocals and bars draped in melody reveal some of his lingering doubts and fears. His musical talent is displayed in the record, which he independently produced and engineered. In an interview with Full Send Podcast, Nav says, "The first self-produced album is hard to top, but I think this one is very close to being as good as or better."
Our best advice? Listen to the album right away!
The best and worst tracks?
Our best selection includes a handful of tracks from the 19 available. The album is filled with bangers like “Dead Shot ft Lil Uzi Vert”, “Never Sleep ft Travis Scott & Lil Baby”, “Playa ft Gunna”, “One time ft Future”, and “Mismatch”. It is the same voice, but somehow his flow on each track works out. We hear addictive 808s and crisp snares on each track. His music proves that less is more.
On tracks like Wrong Decisions, Lost Me, Reset, and Loaded he addresses love, making errors, and his personal life. Production can be heard from the likes of Mike Dean, Wheezy, Tay Keith, and more. For the most part, the album hardly has any misses.
“I wanted to be real, you know. I wanted to stop holding back. I took notes on what was missing from the other albums. They wanted the OG Nav vibes, better lyrics, and stronger topics, so I made sure this album had it all. If you ask me what a song is about, I can tell you right away what it’s about.”
- NAV
What else is there to know, and what is the final verdict?
In the record, Nav pays tribute to Lil Keed and talks about how he misses his YSL friends who are currently serving time in jail. The rapper also revealed that he worked with Drake on a song, but that it was not good enough to be released.
Overall, it is evident that he has put a lot of work and thought into his projects, which is likely the reason he delayed the release in July. However, if you are a Nav or XO fan, do listen to the album and let us know your thoughts. Follow our Instagram for further updates.
Stream NAV’s Demon’s Protected By Angels on Spotify and Apple Music NOW!
