Nav - Bad Habits Album Review

Released by XO Records and Republic Records

NAV's second studio album release came as a surprise for fans of the Canadian rapper. It was first announced on March 14th when Cash XO randomly posted on Instagram a link to 'Brown Boy EP', that entailed five previously unheard NAV songs. Following Cash's post, NAV instantly announced he was coming out of 'retirement' and he was releasing 'Bad Habits'.

For a few months prior to the album release, NAV had vowed that as long as his best-friend Lil Uzi Vert wasn't allowed to release his album 'Eternal Atake', then he was following suit and not releasing any music either. 

Bad Habits is executively produced by the founder of XO Records, The Weeknd. NAV and Starboy have linked up on a track before - 'Some Way' from NAV's self-titled mixtape. 

Bad Habits is scattered with features, from Philly native Meek Mill, who can't stop winning right now, to Gunna, a frequent collaborator with NAV. NAV's unique style has brought him under some scrutiny in the past, mainly for using the 'n' word on tracks yet he descends from Indian origin. 

However, NAV acknowledged he was in the wrong, and his second studio album could possibly be his big breakthrough to the mainstream rap industry. 

The album kicks off with 'To My Grave', an energetic track that follows NAV's previous album releases of strong intro's that catch the listeners attention.

‘I’m Ready’ ensues the opening track, and to put it simply, it is easily the worst song on the album. His flow is dull, and doesn’t change once throughout, the ad-libs lack creativity and substance. It is a very poor song to follow what was a strong opening.

NAV co-produced Drake’s diss track ‘Back to Back’ which took shots at Meek Mill in 2015, and now that Meek and Drake are no longer beefing, this collaboration makes a lot of sense. On ‘Tap’ the two rappers detail the rich lives they live in contrast to how they lived before the money and the fame, with production from London on da Track.

The sixth track from the album ‘Price on my Head’ features The Weeknd. Perhaps the standout song from the album, due to Abel’s flow and his ability to emphasise certain words at the right times.

On his verse, Abel seemingly takes shots at Drizzy who he has had an on and off feud with since 2011. It would make sense that he is referencing Drake here, as he says, ‘with the crew’, possibly hinting at a previous collaboration between the pair – ‘Crew Love’

The Weeknd appeared to reference Drake’s child earlier this year on Gesaffelstein’s ‘Lost in the Fire’ when he said, “And I just want a baby with the right one/’Cause I could never be the one to hide one”.

Young Thug’s appearance on the album is a particular highlight, due to his ability to use his voice as an instrument. ‘Tussin’ is the eighth song on the album, and Thugger and NAV go back and forth describing their recreational use of the cold and cough medicine Robitussin. As the song comes to a close, Thug’s vocals are lowered, and you can hear him rap ‘I used to wanna fuck my auntie’ which may explain his signature style. Jeffrey often cross-dresses, and this may be a result of his aunt, or its possible he’s weird as fuck…which is why everyone loves him.

Whenever Gunna and NAV are on a track together, you can expect a lot of flexing about their riches. ‘Hold Your Breath’ is no different as NAV raps on the chorus ‘Diamonds water, you wear my chain, gotta hold your breath’ referring to how his diamonds are so cold that they will take your breath away. This track is their 5^th official collaboration after ‘Car Sick’, ‘EAT’, ‘YOSEMITE’ and ‘OFF-WHITE VLONE’.

The lead single of the album ‘Know Me’ concludes the album, where NAV boasts about his riches, and the desirable features of his fame caused by his success in the music industry.

Overall, ‘Bad Habits’ is a successful sequel to NAV’s debut album ‘Reckless’, due to the exceptional production by The Weeknd and NAV himself. NAV experiments with his flow on ‘Bad Habits’ more than he has done before, and his bars aren’t as cringeworthy as they have been in the past.