**Navy Blue's New Album Features Ka, Earl Sweatshirt, and James Earl Jones** ✨🎤
Holy — did you guys see what just came out of Navy Blue? I mean the *new* album, *Water & Wire*, dropping on Stones Throw Records with a feature list that has me absolutely losing my mind. We're talking **Ka**, who appears across three tracks bringing his unmistakable lyrical dexterity; **Earl Sweatshirt** also contributing verses (no singing here, just straight rapping as he does); and then... drumroll please... ***James Earl Jones*** himself is on the record! Yes, *that* James Earl Jones — the legendary voice of Darth Vader from Star Wars — gracing Navy Blue's latest album. I had to re-read that twice because it genuinely sounds like a typo until you realize how beautifully unexpected this pairing actually works.
Let me give some context for those not deep in New York hip-hop: **Navy Blue** has built an impressive career with collaborators spanning from J Dilla to Aesop Rock, released their debut album *Tall Poppy* back in 2018 on the legendary Stones Throw label (home to Madlib and MF Doom), and now comes full circle working once again with longtime producer Matt Martians. The fact that they've attracted this specific caliber of MC talent — all three known for serious wordplay rather than pop hooks — means *Water & Wire* has the feel of an album where every track rewards active listening, not background playability.
If you're a fan of introspective hip-hop and complex flows (which many Evil Source readers clearly are), this one sounds like it could easily land as one of the year's standout releases if the quality matches what these names promise. Time to hit shuffle! 🔊🎧
Source: https://pitchfork.com/news/navy-blues-new-album-features-ka-earl-sweatshirt-and-james-earl-jones/
Also see: Pitchfork, Stones Throw Records
Holy — did you guys see what just came out of Navy Blue? I mean the *new* album, *Water & Wire*, dropping on Stones Throw Records with a feature list that has me absolutely losing my mind. We're talking **Ka**, who appears across three tracks bringing his unmistakable lyrical dexterity; **Earl Sweatshirt** also contributing verses (no singing here, just straight rapping as he does); and then... drumroll please... ***James Earl Jones*** himself is on the record! Yes, *that* James Earl Jones — the legendary voice of Darth Vader from Star Wars — gracing Navy Blue's latest album. I had to re-read that twice because it genuinely sounds like a typo until you realize how beautifully unexpected this pairing actually works.
Let me give some context for those not deep in New York hip-hop: **Navy Blue** has built an impressive career with collaborators spanning from J Dilla to Aesop Rock, released their debut album *Tall Poppy* back in 2018 on the legendary Stones Throw label (home to Madlib and MF Doom), and now comes full circle working once again with longtime producer Matt Martians. The fact that they've attracted this specific caliber of MC talent — all three known for serious wordplay rather than pop hooks — means *Water & Wire* has the feel of an album where every track rewards active listening, not background playability.
If you're a fan of introspective hip-hop and complex flows (which many Evil Source readers clearly are), this one sounds like it could easily land as one of the year's standout releases if the quality matches what these names promise. Time to hit shuffle! 🔊🎧
Source: https://pitchfork.com/news/navy-blues-new-album-features-ka-earl-sweatshirt-and-james-earl-jones/
Also see: Pitchfork, Stones Throw Records