TRUE SKY: ALBUM REVIEW
True Sky feels like a low-stakes affair at first. The beats feel lo-fi, unlike Navy Blue’s typical lush production style. The entire project is subdued and gentle, like a warm wind. It rocks you to sleep rather than shaking you awake. But even though the project is instrumentally gentle, the instrumental space that producer Navy Blue creates allows AKAI SOLO to really show out lyrically. On True Sky, AKAI has a message about how the world can change one day. It is an expansive and freeing project that asks questions without always having the answers.
True Sky is a collaboration between rapper AKAI SOLO, and producer (and occasional rapper) Navy Blue. Both artists have been known in the underground/indie hip-hop scene for years, and have taken off in the past year or so. Navy Blue has become a staple and his production style has infused the entire scene, while AKAI has been killing it on features and has crafted some of his most compact and contained projects in the last couple of years. True Sky is a true collaboration between both artists where they both work to accentuate each other’s strengths.
The first thing you’ll notice about True Sky is its fluidity. The beats and rhymes blend together, so it never really feels like one song is starting and one is ending. The entire project feels like a singular track—building, and building, but never quite reaching an end. This is especially true for the first three-song run on the project. “Ruin on My Watch,” “John Wick,” and “Red Waves” are all incredibly stripped back, but allow AKAI SOLO to play with his intonation, introducing us to the power he has to drive a song with only his voice.
The fluidity of this album means that it’s always searching for a new space to fill. AKAI SOLO spends the majority of this project reflecting on life and events in the past. Behind all of his bars, there is always a clear goal of liberation. For example, on the song “Ocean Hue Hours,” which features one of the most beautiful beats of this year, AKAI spits “I know more about mortality and racks / you a fern tryna wage an attack.” The entire track is just him sharing knowledge about the world as he knows it.
True Sky leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment. It takes you through a journey with AKAI SOLO as he begins to find answers for himself. He becomes your spiritual guide, but clarifies his intentions when he says, “I got a message but I’m not here to preach.” On True Sky, it never feels like AKAI is preaching, especially because he doesn’t act like he knows more than us. Every gem that he spits is him taking us along on his own journey of discovery. This creates a unique dynamic where the listener feels like they are in on the creative process. We get to discover the beauty of True Sky at the same time that AKAI and Navy Blue are finding it.