Nav is the debut commercial mixtape by Canadian rapper and record producer Nav. It was released through XO and Republic Records on February 24, 2017.[8] The mixtape features a sole guest appearance from Canadian singer-songwriter and XO label boss the Weeknd, who appears on the lead single of the project, "Some Way". Nav handled most of the production himself, with some tracks featuring co-production from other record producers such as Metro Boomin, Rex Kudo, Frost, and DannyBoyStyles.[9] The mixtape received generally mixed to negative reviews from critics, with a 42% score on Metacritic.
Background
On February 16, 2017, Nav officially announced that he signed a deal to the Weeknd's record label XO and Republic Records. Prior to this, he made appearances in music videos for The Weeknd; as well as fellow XO signee Belly sparking rumors that he is also been signed to XO. Nav also announced that he would be releasing the mixtape on February 24, 2017.[9] Several tracks on the mixtape had already been released on Nav's SoundCloud account prior to the release, including "Myself" and "Up"; both of these songs garnered millions of plays on the platform.[10] On February 22, 2017, Nav revealed the mixtape's track listing on his Instagram account.[11]
Singles
The debut and lead single, called "Some Way" featuring Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd, was released as a digital download on February 25, 2017. The song gained traction due to the content of the Weeknd's lyrics, which were widely interpreted as being aimed at prepped Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber, regarding their ongoing feud.[12]
"Myself" was originally posted to SoundCloud on January 12, 2016, but not to streaming services as a single.[13] It was serviced to rhythmic radio on April 11, 2017 as the second single.[1]
Though not released as singles, "Ten Toes Down (TTD)" and "Up" were previously released on SoundCloud in 2015 and 2016, respectively. A deleted 2014 track titled "She Know", while not included on the album, is heavily sampled on "Interlude".[14]