Who is the best rapper in the game?
That is a question that comes with a number of answers depending on who you ask, when you ask and even where you ask it.
Many different answers will be heard; some will say Drake, others will say J. Cole and some may even say Kendrick Lamar. The question isn’t which one is the best, it’s which one is the most liked.
While Drake is most well-known for representing the “6” that is known as Toronto, there is an up-and-coming rapper who has been taking the scene by storm. Yep, You guessed it: it’s NAV. Navraj Singh Goraya, better known by his stage name NAV, is a 30-year-old rapper from Toronto who has been gaining popularity within the rap scene.
NAV has recently put out a new album called “Bad Habits.” Although NAV is fairly new on the scene with his first album debuting in 2017, he has been producing fast. He has made four albums since 2017, each with many hits.
He has made music with a number of notable artists. His second album, titled “Perfect Timing,” was in collaboration with well-known producer Metro Boomin. On his latest album, he had a very popular song with Meek Mill titled “Tap.”
Beyond all of this, how is the music of the true 6 God? It’s both original and not. While the autotuned sound that NAV most often looks for in his music is nothing that we haven’t seen before, the spin that he puts on it is different than the other autotune rappers. For example, he puts variety into his albums. While he does use a lot of autotune in his music, he takes advantage of the different sounds that can be produced within it. This keeps his songs from feeling redundant and makes each one sound unique from the other. He has perfected the art of making his voice sound different throughout his songs.
His smooth style of rapping also allows him to be a very versatile artist and he performs in both the forefront and background of a song equally well. This ability also allows him to be a good chorus singer in many songs much like artists such as Quavo and Future.
While his music is technically sound and has a very present-day feel, NAV, like all artists, is not without flaws. His songs have a constant flow that is appealing to the ear, however, his lyrics do leave something to be desired. One main reason that people are such big fans of rappers like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole is they rap from experiences, their lyrics mean something. While this is not a criterion for a good rapper, it gives the listener a story to listen to and something to keep them captivated. However, this music style comes from their lives and the things that they have experienced, and this is not something that can be faked.
While NAV does not rap in this style, he has a good thing going right now. His beats always sound like they were the right choice and nearly always match his lyrics with perfection. He often has smooth beats with a solid base which allows him to freely rap throughout the track with his classic autotuned bars. NAV’s music has everything that you would want out of a rap artist today. He has good beats and his voice flows well throughout the tracks. All I would like to see out of him would be more lyrical songs.
So, is NAV the best rapper in the game? Maybe not, but his unique style and flow make him a great artist to listen to for any mood.
DISCLAIMER: This is the sole opinion of the Austin Smith.
Austin Smith can be contacted
at asmith@kscequinox.com
