Perfect Timing (Intro): Well, it definitely sounds like a lot of NAV’s other songs, but I do have some fun with this one. It’s uptempo, catchy, I like NAV’s vocals, the hook is really earworm-y, and overall, it’s definitely fun. NAV also luckily doesn’t enter cringe territory with his lyrics on this one. Sure, it’s nothing deep and it’s not reinventing the wheel for NAV or Metro, but it’s a good listen overall.
I Don’t Care: A much slower track, this one does have a few kinda silly lyrics, but as I said about quite a few of the tracks from NAV’s previous tape, the R&B vibes are working for me on this one. It’s fun, I like NAV’s vocals, and the hook feels a bit different from some of his other tracks, and it’s pretty good overall. I like this song.
Hit: Once again, the hook is really earworm-y on this one and, even if NAV himself is kind of monotone on this one, the beat is pretty fun and I still like his vocals. Sure, he does talk about a lot of the same things on this track, but it’s honestly a pretty fun track overall.
A$AP Ferg (ft. Lil Uzi Vert): Lil Uzi Vert comes in on this track to provide a pretty fun hook, but I imagine this is where things are going to start getting boring for me: Uzi’s verse is nothing special, NAV talks a bit more about sex on his pretty boring verse that does feature some kind of cringe-inducing lyrics, and while the instrumental is pretty fun, I feel like this is where the songs are gonna start meshing together. And seeing as how this song has far more Uzi than NAV, it makes me wonder why it’s on this tape and not on one of Uzi’s projects.
Held Me Down: I actually really like this one! I like the moody feel of the instrumentals, NAV’s kind of sad vocals on this one, and the all-around really sad feel of the song. It feels a lot more romantic than some of the earlier songs, and I actually like it quite a bit. I feel like I’m going to end up coming back to this track quite a bit.
Minute (ft. Playboi Cart and Offset): Unfortunately, things get really boring on this track. NAV’s hook is pretty boring on this one, and his flow on the hook probably would’ve been more fun if it didn’t feel so similar to “Hit.” The instrumental is pretty great on this one, but I’m not crazy about Offset or Playboy Carti’s verses on this one, because they have a bit more charisma than NAV on the track, but nothing about their verses are all that memorable to me.
Did You See NAV?: The hook on this one is really fun, but the lyrics throughout are in that “cringe-territory” I’ve been talking about. And while the hook is plenty of fun, the verses just feel a lot less inspired, consider they follow the same flow as the hook. It’s a shame because Metro’s beat on this one is great, and again, the hook is really good, but the verses are just a lot less memorable, and a lot more generic.
Bring It Back: While it’s nice to hear NAV sounding a little less monotone on this track, it’s still pretty boring overall. He follows the same flow as usual and the instrumental sound is nothing special compared to some of the other songs on this record. One of the weaker songs on the record.
Both Sides (ft. 21 Savage): Think NAV’s been pretty monotone on this record? Well, leave it to 21 Savage to fly in for the hook and…sound just as monotone, if not worse. NAV’s vocals on this one are actually pretty solid, but this honestly feels more like Savage’s song than his, which makes me wonder what it’s doing on this tape. And again, there’s a pretty solid instrumental on this one, but seeing as neither performance is all that great, it feels like a waste of an instrumental for Metro, unfortunately.
Call Me: A song I just can’t get out of my head, no matter how much I try. It’s definitely a more moody, sad track, but I really like NAV’s vocals on this one, the flow changes he takes on throughout several points on the track, and the earworm-y hook on this one. I like this track a lot, it’s definitely stuck with me and I’ll probably end up listening to it even more from here.
You Know (ft. Belly): Unfortunately, we follow up a standout track with a pretty boring one. NAV’s flow is really boring on this one, even though his vocals are a bit less monotone, and the song was saved entirely by Belly’s verse. If not for him, this song would’ve fallen under my “worst tracks” list. As it is, it’s not great, but it’s not one of the worst on the mixtape.
Rich: Oh look, it’s NAV once again talking about his rags-to-riches story over an admittedly good instrumental! Where have I seen this before? Oh right, the many other tracks on this mixtape! In all seriousness, I actually like NAV’s vocals on this one, but it’s just that his flow and lyrics really feel repetitive twelve tracks in. Not one of the mixtape’s worst, and I feel like it’s a track that might even get stuck in my head, but as of right now, it’s not a great track.
Need Some (ft. Gucci Mane): I feel like I’m repeating myself at this point, but if NAV wants to repeat himself, I’ll do the same: I like the instrumental on this, but it feels like NAV following the same flow and rapping about the same thing once again, even if I do kind of like his vocals once again. The only real difference to me is that the track features Gucci Mane for a pretty forgettable verse. All in all, a really forgettable track.
I Am: I actually like the hook on this one, but my problem is that he follows the flow of the hook on the verses, thus making the song feel kind of repetitive. I once again love Metro’s production on the track, but hearing NAV repeat his kind of boring flow and talk about the same things again and again just makes the song feel boring to me. It’s far from the mixtape’s worst, but it’s nothing special overall.
NAVUZIMETRO#PT2 (ft. Lil Uzi Vert): Lil Uzi Vert returns for one more track, and I like the way it starts out, in that it sounds kind of sad and moody, and I like Uzi’s vocals on the hook on this one. His performance on this track is really fun overall. NAV’s performance is a bit of a mixed bag: sometimes I think he sounds pretty good, other times he gets a bit overly-repetitive. Some of his lyrics also feel almost the exact same as “Did You See NAV?” on this one, too. I’m not sure how to feel about this one, it’s not bad but it’s not good. It’s just whatever, honestly.
Overall, this mixtape actually started out pretty strong, and I liked the first few tracks on this thing. Unfortunately, outside of “Call Me,” everything just kind of meshed together after “Held Me Down” and the tape as a whole just ended up feeling pretty boring to me. It felt like NAV just kind of did exactly what he did on his last tape, just with the assistance of Metro Boomin, who does come through with some pretty strong beats on this mixtape for most of the songs. It’s just that NAV’s monotone delivery does start to wear thin as the tape wears on, and where his last tape actually had some very slightly different subject matters, this one just felt like an entire victory lap around NAV’s success without taking any interesting angles. At least NAV’s fellow XO boy The Weeknd can talk about similar subject matters across his albums while taking interesting routes to make them feel fresh. It just feels like NAV is repeating himself on a lot of these tracks, and unfortunately wasting both his own talents and the talents of Metro Boomin. It’s not terrible and there were definitely a few solid tracks that’ll get some repeat listens, but I feel like NAV has a lot of work to do before he can become one of the best in the business.
I hate to say that, but it’s just how I feel.
Favorite tracks: Perfect Timing (Intro), I Don’t Care, Hit, Held Me Down, Call Me
Least favorite tracks: A$AP Ferg, Minute, Bring It Back, Both Sides, Need Some
Rating: Bad
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