Pictured: NAV during “Never Sleep”
I attended NAV’s show at the Masonic Theater in San Francisco on March 18, 2023, for his “Never Sleep” tour. Nav, who goes by NAV or the much more stylized ΠΔV is a Canadian rapper, producer, and singer. NAV rose to fame through co-producing the Drake single “Back to Back” in 2015, then went on to garner mainstream attention via his “Myself” which went viral the following year. When I heard that the Punjabi-Canadian rapper was the self-proclaimed “the first brown boy to get it poppin” (a lyric from his song “Some Way”) I had to see what his music was all about.
Part Indian and a self-proclaimed rap aficionado myself, I was tantalized by the idea of being able to see some representation take the stage in an industry that doesn’t reflect a huge space for Punjabi talent. In fact, I was first introduced to NAV’s music via a Punjabi friend who proclaimed that the singer was the inspiration for his own up-and-coming work, saying that the rapper “was the guy who made me go ‘Damn ok, maybe it’s possible for a guy like me to break into the scene.’” Considering this very heartfelt sentiment, It is clear that NAV and his work hits heavily for many who look up to him as a role model.
SoFaygo live during his set
On to the show. After bombastic performances by RealistK (whose tenor is practically unmatched) and Sofaygo (whose performance included hits like “Hell Yeah”, and who, by the end of his set, had the crowd practically buzzing with hysteria shouting “NAV, NAV, NAV” for what seemed like a good twenty minutes) the crowd got what it asked for in the form of the leather jacket-sporting, Cuban chain-wearing rapper.
The crowd waiting in anticipation for NAV’s entrance
Starting out strong with the tour’s namesake song “Never Sleep”, an original collaboration with Lil Baby and Travis Scott, the artist had the crowd bumping and banging from the beginning. NAV went on to perform “To My Grave”, “Dead Shot” and “Wanted You,” a collaboration with Lil Uzi Vert. Throughout the first part of the set, Nav did what needed to be done: jumping, dancing, shaking, and waving to keep the energy up and the crowd on a continuum in its frenzy. After shooting it straight out of the high-energy beat canon, Nav slowed it down performing “One Time” (with Don Toliver), giving us much-needed time to breathe before picking back up again with songs like “Good For It”.
After a phone flashlight-lit performance of “Myself”, in which there was a lot of swaying involved, Nav took some time to talk about his friend Yung Thug, who is currently being prosecuted for gang-related charges. Shouting to “free Young Thug”, NAV sang “No Debate” (featuring Yung Thug) as an homage to his friend.
NAV mid-show
Now it wouldn’t be a Bay area hip-hop show without some local representation, so leave it to 22nd Jim, a local favorite, to come and join the fun, performing “No Pressure”. NAV closed the show with the much anticipated “Turks”, his performance certainly delivered what it promised: not a single drowsy eye or sleepy head in the entire crowd.
Article and photos by Ava Aguiar