Mixing the attitude of old-school hip-hop with the experimentalism of new wave trip-hop, the latest single, If I Had a Lifeline, from Navy the General is enough to get anyone off the ennui hook.
The poetically sharp flow of the smooth and steady rap bars and the succinct melodicism of the downtempo instrumentals invite the listener to dip their toe into a cathartic pool of originated hip-hop that works its way deep into the psyche.
The reprise of “if I had a lifeline, I’d call on you” gives the track a soulful touch, but there’s no obliterating the grit that spilt into the soundscape as a courtesy of the up-and-coming artist’s Queens, NY roots. If I Had a Lifeline is a sign of even bigger things to come from Navy the General, it won’t be long before he makes a perpetual mark on the NY hip-hop map.
If I Had a Lifeline is now available to stream on Spotify; for more ways to listen, follow this link.
Review by Amelia Vandergast