# Nav (rapper)
**Nav** (stylized NAV) is the stage name of Navraj Singh Goraya, a Punjabi-Canadian rapper and record producer from the Rexdale neighborhood of Toronto who rides hypnotic trap beats with a sing-rap flow[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nav-mn0003569704). He broke through in 2016 on [Travis Scott](https://www.edgepedia.org/travis-scott)'s "Beibs in the Trap," built a career on the Weeknd's XO imprint with [Republic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-records), and scored a Billboard 200 number-one album with 2019's *Bad Habits*[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nav-mn0003569704) • [2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birth name and origin | Navraj Singh Goraya, born in Toronto and raised in Rexdale; of Indian Punjabi descent[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nav-mn0003569704) • [3](https://www.thefader.com/2017/03/15/south-asian-artists-rapper-nav) |
| Labels | XO (the Weeknd's major-label-affiliated imprint) and Republic Records[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/) |
| Breakout feature | "Beibs in the Trap" on Travis Scott's *Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight* (2016); peaked at No. 90 on the Hot 100 and earned double-platinum certification[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/) |
| Chart peak | *Bad Habits* debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2019, edging out Ariana Grande's *Thank U, Next* and Juice WRLD's *Death Race For Love*[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/) |
| Dual role | Maintains a primary production role on his projects; his social handle is BeatsByNav[4](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/nav-nav) • [5](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/55679-navs-nav-review-news) |
| Albums | NAV (2017), Reckless (2018), Bad Habits (2019), Good Intentions (2020), Demons Protected by Angels (2022), OMW2 REXDALE (2025)[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/nav-mw0003023602) |
## Rise from SoundCloud to XO
Nav built an early audience through [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) releases with million-plus plays and features on OVO Sound Radio, while keeping a deliberately mysterious public profile[5](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/55679-navs-nav-review-news) • [7](https://www.rapreviews.com/2017/03/nav-nav/). His first taste of fame came when reality television star [Kylie Jenner](https://www.edgepedia.org/kylie-jenner) posted a Snapchat video of herself singing along to his song "Myself"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nav-mn0003569704).
**Co-signs followed quickly.** He appeared on Travis Scott's "Beibs in the Trap" in 2016, a highlight of *Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight*[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/). He then signed to the Weeknd's XO imprint, and his self-titled commercial mixtape arrived on February 24, 2017, running 33:52 with the label boss as its only vocal guest on "Some Way"[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/nav-mw0003023602) • [2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/). Five months later came *Perfect Timing*, a co-billed collaboration with Atlanta producer [Metro Boomin](https://www.edgepedia.org/metro-boomin) featuring [Gucci Mane](https://www.edgepedia.org/gucci-mane), Lil Uzi Vert, and Offset; it peaked at No. 13 on the [Billboard](https://www.edgepedia.org/billboard-magazine) album chart in its opening week[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/).
## Career and releases
His debut studio album, *Reckless*, was released on XO and Republic in May 2018[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nav-mn0003569704). Nav later conceded the record fell short of his own standards: "I handed in the album like an assignment... I cared about money, I cared about girls, I cared about all the wrong things—not about the music"[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/).
The follow-up, *Bad Habits* (2019), took about a year to complete and benefited from a deliberate change of approach. He rented a mansion in Vancouver for a nearly two-week intensive, of whose 15 songs only "Why You Crying Mama" made the final cut, and studied the working methods of featured guests such as Future and [Young Thug](https://www.edgepedia.org/young-thug)[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/). The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/).
A run of releases followed at close intervals: *Good Intentions* in 2020, with a deluxe titled *Brown Boy 2*; *Emergency Tsunami* the same year; *Demons Protected by Angels* in 2022; and *OMW2 REXDALE* in 2025[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/nav-mw0003023602) • [8](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nav/1200089113?uo=4). Among his most-streamed songs are "Myself," "Lemonade," and "Wanted You" with [Lil Uzi Vert](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-uzi-vert)[8](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nav/1200089113?uo=4).
## Production identity
Nav is a producer as much as a rapper, maintaining a primary role in his projects' production, and his long-standing handle BeatsByNav reflects that origin[4](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/nav-nav) • [5](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/55679-navs-nav-review-news). Critics have generally treated the beats as his stronger side; even harsh reviews of his vocals and lyrics frequently credit his production, and after the tepid response to *Reckless* he deliberately sought to be seen as "a producer, engineer, a musician" rather than only a rapper[9](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/lunch-with-nav/). His sound combines spacey synths, 808s, and trap drums in the XO vein[10](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/navs_blandness_is_unparalleled_on_good_intentions).
## Reception and controversy
Critical response to Nav's albums has been largely negative to mixed. His debut received a Metascore of 45 on Metacritic, with zero of five critic reviews positive, and reviewers have repeatedly singled out his Auto-Tuned delivery and lyricism, with Pitchfork calling his verses unsubstantial and likening him to a "rap simulator"[11](https://www.metacritic.com/music/nav/nav/critic-reviews) • [12](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/nav-minute/). Even so, his commercial reach has been substantial, sustained by a dense roster of high-profile features including Travis Scott, Future, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, Don Toliver, and Gunna[13](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nav-good-intentions/).
He has also drawn criticism for cultural positioning. A 2017 FADER essay argued that his open use of the N-word on "Beibs In The Trap," "My Mind," and "TTD" reflected a broader problem of South Asian artists claiming proximity to Black experience[3](https://www.thefader.com/2017/03/15/south-asian-artists-rapper-nav). He has since stopped using the word in his music[9](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/lunch-with-nav/), and has described the reception difficulty plainly: "It's tough for someone to see me from the outside, the way I look, to take me seriously"[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/). He has also repeatedly denied being an "industry plant," citing ten years of battle rap before his break[2](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/).
## References
1. [NAV – Biography, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nav-mn0003569704)
2. [Nav Is Finally Self-Aware, VICE (2019)](https://www.vice.com/en/article/nav-interview-bad-habits-2019/)
3. [Why We Can't Give South Asian Artists Who Say The N-Word A Pass, The FADER (2017)](https://www.thefader.com/2017/03/15/south-asian-artists-rapper-nav)
4. [NAV, Exclaim! (2017)](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/nav-nav)
5. [NAV's "NAV" (Review), HotNewHipHop](https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/55679-navs-nav-review-news)
6. [NAV: NAV Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/nav-mw0003023602)
7. [NAV :: NAV, RapReviews (2017)](https://www.rapreviews.com/2017/03/nav-nav/)
8. [NAV – Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/nav/1200089113?uo=4)
9. [Lunch With Nav, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/lunch-with-nav/)
10. [NAV's Blandness Is Unparalleled on 'Good Intentions', Exclaim!](https://exclaim.ca/music/article/navs_blandness_is_unparalleled_on_good_intentions)
11. [Critic Reviews for NAV – Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/nav/nav/critic-reviews)
12. [NAV / Metro Boomin: "Minute" Track Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/nav-minute/)
13. [NAV: Good Intentions Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/nav-good-intentions/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › Canadian rap*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license