This is the 9th studio LP from Brooklyn, New York skateboarder, MC, producer, songwriter, visual artist & model Navy Blue. Breaking out a decade ago off his debut EP According to the Waterbearer, he would go on to drop 9 more EPs & 6 full-lengths preceding the Def Jam Recordings-backed Ways of Knowing produced by Budgie to critical acclaim. Coming off the Memoirs in Armour EP along with The Sword & The Soaring however, he’s refusing to slow down giving us Sir Render almost 7 months later.
“Commencement” opens up with this drumless intro talking about capsizing & turning his life over to God afterwards whereas “Baron” produced by The Alchemist embraces a boom bap vibe instrumentally hitting us with more poetically abstract penmanship. The title track strips the drums once again talking about there being lessons in every move made while “Over” featuring Mike Shabb finds the pair bringing their A-game over a heavenly drumless loop from Shabbo himself, who kicks off that song with his verse.
We get some bare pianos explaining that his “Reflections” are the evidence of God he chose to revel in & talking about how he used to be suicidal while the self-produced “Residuum” featuring Armand Hammer joins forces for a symphonic boom bap heater filled with abstract lyricism that’ve defined each of them firing off 3 deadly verses. “Crux Ansata” drumlessly talks about his broken wings needing to heal while “Belladonna” featuring Earl Sweatshirt boasts of their successes over a somberly dusty Uncle Al beat.
“Aegis” continues the 2nd half of Sir Render remembering when he was 5 looking at his older brother’s casket asking himself whether he’ll wither or ride above it & be what fills the void in his dad’s eyes over a subdued instrumental & after “Circa” featuring the late Ka talks about being healed when we no longer hear from them despite still being here spiritually, “If God Had Legs” brings the keys back in effect describing him overcoming Ka’s sudden death a year & a half ago.
To get the album’s final act going, “Next Life” hops over yet another drumless loops talking about letting the tree falling & his exposing his roots while “The Birth of Medicine” discusses him praying for the transpiration of his grief along with the assurance of who he is isn’t who he’s perceived to be. “Bleeding Scarlet” offers a calmer atmosphere with a powerful verse to begin & the other half serving as more of an outro while “F.E.A.R. (Forgetting Everything And Running)” explains what fear is to him.
Sir Render makes for a satisfying conclusion to the knighthood trilogy in which Memoirs in Armour began and The Sword & The Soaring bridged, picking up where both it’s predecessors left off & landing right behind the latter to become my 2nd favorite installment of this entire arc. Maybe surpassing it even. The production’s mostly drumless & jazzy like its counterparts other than a couple occasional moments, enlisting some of abstract hip hop’s finest past & present to make people grapple with their previous selves.
Score: 4.5/5
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