Tag: nav

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Music

Deluxe albums are not a risk worth taking

Adding a few more tracks and repackaging an album is often a gamble

The deluxe album trend has seen an increase in popularity in popular music over the last couple of years. It’s a way for artists to extend an album’s length by adding some tracks later after the initial release. Some artists have profited from releasing a deluxe album while others have seen their record affected negatively, but at the end of the day it’s more of a gamble than people think.

When deluxe albums were first around, artists were releasing special editions of their albums, which contained other recordings and live versions of songs. Nowadays, you have artists, especially in the hip hop field, that have been re-releasing full records just days or weeks after the initial release, calling them deluxe albums. Usually, a deluxe album contains two to four bonus tracks, which is a reasonable amount of added songs. However, artists like Lil Uzi Vert and NAV have both released 14-track deluxe albums following up the release of their 18 track album.

An argument can be made that this is just too much music. For example, listening to a NAV record on its own is painful, but he should be locked up in jail for dropping another horrible album a couple of days after the release of Good Intentions. Unless you’re a stan of the artist, I don’t understand why someone would release another project right after dropping a long-awaited album.

A reason as to why artists are leaning towards dropping deluxe albums is that releasing more tracks equals more money in their pockets. By releasing a deluxe album, it creates an opportunity for artists to have two album-release sale weeks instead of one, which can be a good way for them to generate more money off of streams and to give more visibility to the initial record as well. With shows being cancelled due to COVID-19, artists have struggled a bit more with making money since performing live is usually their main source of income. The solution to this is to release additional tracks to their records in order to make a little bit more money. Whether it’s Pop Smoke with Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon and Faith, Lil Baby with My Turn or even Aminé with Limbo, they all benefited financially by releasing longer deluxe albums.

An important point to keep in mind about deluxe albums is that when an artist releases one, it will likely have a negative influence on the overall quality of the record. Some songs don’t make the final product for a reason. They might not have been as strong as other tracks or maybe didn’t fit the overall aesthetic or theme of the album; other times the tracklist was already bloated. If the bonus songs added to the record don’t add much to the overall experience, it will sadly drag the quality of the project down.

While it is fun for fans to have additional music from artists they enjoy, it is also fun for artists to financially profit even more from their music. Releasing a deluxe version of your album is always a gamble since it can severely alter your record’s perception and drag the quality down by a fair amount. In the end, it’s not a risk worth taking for artists because overall, it will have little to no effect on how the album will be remembered.

 

Graphic by James Fay

Categories
Music

Navigating beyond rough waters

NAV and DJ T-Jizzle perform a sold out show at MTelus. Photo by Immanuel Matthews

Toronto rapper NAV has come a long way since his performance at Osheaga in Montreal a mere 10 months ago – and he knows it.

The XO signee took to MTelus last Tuesday night to a wildly enthusiastic crowd. Following a high energy performance from fellow Torontonian rapper Killy, there seemed to be a lull in the audience as fans grew impatient during intermission. As water bottles began to be tossed and “Let’s Go Raptors!” chants filled the room, NAV’s official DJ, DJ T-Jizzle, took to the stage.

With the task of warming up the crowd for the main act, T-Jizzle provided them with their appetizer – a medley of some of hip hop’s biggest hits. The first notes of “Suge (Yea Yea)” by North Carolina rapper DaBaby was enough to knock the fatigue out of everyone there, and the vibe surely did not die down as T-Jizzle played the obligatory “XO Tour Life” anthem by Lil Uzi Vert. As mosh pits broke out track after track, fans were already dripping sweat and removing layers of clothing when it was time for the main act to show face.

NAV adjusts his earpiece as fans take pictures and throw up their XO hand signs. Photo by Immanuel Matthews

Enter NAV, dressed in an all-black track jacket, black jeans and a thick XO diamond chain that glistened as it caught camera lights. However, the lights in the crowd died down as the seconds ticked on. Fans knew that it wouldn’t be wise to keep their phones out – the risk of dropping them was too high. Beginning his set with “To My Grave,” the opening track off his most recent album, Bad Habits, the crowd erupted into a frenzy unlike many before. Fans were not just pushing and dancing anymore; the standing crowd, as a whole, was swaying back and forth. As shoves came from behind and everyone squished like a can of sardines towards the stage, those who got there early enough to secure front-row spot retaliated by pushing back. From the balcony, this would look like an uncomfortable and non-consensual version of the wave that fans start at hockey games.

NAV did not lack any new material at his Montreal show. His most recent album, which debuted at #1 on Billboard album charts, is 24 tracks of new material to perform for his fans. Bad Habits became the artist’s first number one album, and you could see it in the way he carried himself. NAV stood with his shoulders high. He danced by getting low. Often times, he’d stop singing with a smile on his face as he soaked in the lyrics from the crowd that sang back at him.

The rapper’s newfound spotlight surely brought in new fans to the show but NAV nonetheless treated his day ones to older material. The artist’s debut in 2017 with his eponymous EP NAV generated a buzz for the auto-crooner early on in his career. However, mixed reviews of his debut album Reckless put the rapper’s fate in jeopardy with critics doubting his longevity. Now, after having bounced back with the reception of Bad Habits, NAV felt it necessary to thank his loyal fans with tunes that they would be most familiar with. Many were, perhaps, most ecstatic to hear the Travis Scott assisted song “Beibs in the Trap” whose bass was so loud that the floor felt like it was on the verge of caving in.

NAV teased his fans by telling them that it was time to go home, but the roars continued as strong as ever five songs later. The rapper paid homage to his label head, The Weeknd, by performing their single “Price on My Head,” and closed the night with the Meek Mill assisted track, “Tap.”

NAV exited the stage with his pearly whites shining as bright as his pendant, proud of the progress he has made in his neighbouring city.

Categories
Quickspins

QUICKSPINS: 88GLAM – 88GLAM2

88GLAM’s eponymous 88GLAM2 reminds the world of the Toronto hip hop duo’s role in solidifying Canada as a superpower in the hip hop world, alongside fellow Canadian artists such as Jazz Cartier, Killy, Nav and Drake.

The project comes one year after their successful debut mixtape 88GLAM, which unveiled the newly formed duo to the music scene.

88GLAM is the journey, and 88GLAM2 is the fame.

In 14 tracks, the project dives into the recent life events and success of 88 Camino and Derek Wise. “I can get used to the treatment, designer got bought every stop on the tour,” raps Wise on the opening track, “Blue Faces.”

While the tracks shift between moody and uplifting vibes, each song demonstrates the duo’s vocal capabilities—an aspect of their sound highlighted by the limited guests on the mixtape.

“Wet Dreams,” produced by superstar producer and fellow Canadian Sevn Thomas, demonstrates the duo’s uncertainty with their newfound fame. “Who did I become? I’m spending 80K on my wrist and that’s for fun,” sings Wise.

With only two features, Toronto rapper Nav and Atlanta rising star Gunna, 88GLAM2 is assertively carried by the project’s hosts. The two guests, with their melodic, slightly autotuned, and often melancholy mood can be compared to the similar, silky singing style of rap displayed by 88GLAM, as well as by many of today’s most popular hip hop artists. Their performances on “It’s a Flex” and “Racks,” respectively, add a spark to the project, while allowing 88GLAM’s talent to shine through.

88GLAM co-signed with one of Canada’s biggest superstars, The Weeknd, after he signed them to his record label, but it’s clear that they’re not stopping there.

8/10

Trial Track: “Purple Baguettes”

Star Bar: Rather be out on the road makin’ figures, ask me how / All the years I scraped the plate, can’t afford to fuck around – Wise on “Lil Boat”

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