Sage Gabriel Carlos Atreyu Elsesser is more than meets the eye. His world, filled with music and symbols of Black strength, gave him principles of purpose and understanding during his youth, always having his wheels spinning creatively. Elsesser’s ascension from just sharing his thoughts turned into verses, taking a calculated number of baby steps.
Skateboarding Roots
Sage first solidified his name in a totally different world at the age of 14 after frequently visiting the Supreme store.
Cherry And FA
With the brand being so heavily rooted in skateboarding culture and being one of the first globally recognized skateboarding brands, he would eventually display his raw, retro, and tactical skateboarding style, getting on the radar of Jason Dill, who needs no introduction as one of the pillars of street skateboarding.
Sage would solidify himself as a professional skateboarder, having a chance to represent Dill’s brand, FA (Fucking Awesome). Elsesser would eventually be a part of the Supreme skateboarding team, which is a very exclusive accolade within itself, being featured in their widely popular cult classic skate video Cherry.
Watch Supreme’s Cherry skate video on DailyMotion.
Roots Of Sound And Identity
While one part of his life and local stardom was taking off, he eased his way into finding his musical shoes.
Family & Early Influence
In a 2021 interview with Pitchfork, he expressed that his mother, a Black singer, and father, a musician from Chile, immersed his world with instruments and sound as early as he can remember, while also having a sister that would teach him about staple hip-hop artists and groups such as 2Pac and the Wu-Tang Clan, with his father gifting him a beat machine at just eight years of age.
Friendship And Community
One thing Navy Blue seemed to understand early on was the value of connection.
Odd Future Ties
As early as his elementary school days back in California, he forged a friendship with Thebe Kgositsile, who would later be known as Earl Sweatshirt, making music with the hip-hop collective Odd Future, a group that Elsesser would frequently hang around.
Creative Bond
Both Sage and Thebe would remain friends and collaborate creatively throughout the years with music. Earl Sweatshirt & Navy Blue “Nobles”
Facing Pain: “Song Of Sage: Post Panic!”
Navy Blue, like most artists, deals with self-reflection and searching through the messages of pain he has endured in his life.
Rehab, Honesty, And Resolve
He has been vocal about his usage and heavy dependency on marijuana, an issue that got so bad that he sought the help of a psychiatrist. Through this process of intervention, although fighting against it at first, he welcomed the idea of rehab, which in part was the inspiration for his 2020 album entitled Song of Sage: Post Panic!
Listen to Song of Sage: Post Panic! on Apple Music.
He is brutally honest about the role that he perceives himself playing in his own pain and misfortune, and how it relates to the overall struggles of a young Black artist in such a restrictive world. Tracks on the project that do this vivid imagery and portrayal perfectly are songs like “Breathe” featuring Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), “Dreams of a Distant Journey,” “Post Panic!,” and “1941.”
“Navy’s Reprise” And A Turning Point
Being a conscious-minded rapper is a double-edged sword because, as one can imagine, although your lyrics and honesty may have the ability to help your fan base understand their own vices and shortcomings, it can also magnify the ones that the songs are about for the artist.
Continuing The Puzzle
Navy Blue’s 2021 project, entitled Navy’s Reprise, continues to follow the theme of painting different pieces to the puzzle that make him who he is and the kind of art that he produces. The first five tracks, “Light Ritual,” “Code of Honor,” “My Whole Life,” and the track that stands out the most to me, “Peach Cobbler.”
Inside “Peach Cobbler”
In the song, Navy Blue interpolates the famous song by Memphis, Tennessee rap group Three 6 Mafia, Poppin’ My Collar, with the original line from the song being:
Interpolation & Memory
“Now ever since I can remember, I’ve been poppin’ my collar
Poppin’-poppin’ my collar, poppin’-poppin’ my collar.”
Navy Blue’s interpretation reads:
“Ever since I could remember, I been poppin’ my collar (poppin’ my collar, pop, poppin’ my collar)
Yeah I still remember eating up the peach cobbler (peach cobbler, eatin’ up the peach cobbler).”
Samples, Reconciliation, And Home
Navy Blue’s production knowledge and experience definitely shine through within the body of the song, with him using a classic sample of the song I Love You by East of the Underground.
He takes the time to reflect on his success, the wisdom he’s gained from his youthful mistakes, and his ability to make amends with his father, possibly for his shortcomings and the tension between the two generations, understanding each other’s point of view and way of life.
This song may be a nod to a simpler time in his life, a time where being a kid was all that mattered — something that all humans can reminisce on. Also, titling the song Peach Cobbler, which is a dessert that is a historic staple during many Black gatherings, family outings, and holiday celebrations filled with syrupy cinnamon goodness nestled in a perfectly baked pie crust, most commonly served with ice cream. The title evokes home, comfort, and something familiar. Just like the dessert, this song may also show how active his mind is — and “eating up the peach cobbler” could also mean that his mind is consumed by recurring thoughts of home and memories, both joyous and traumatic.
Lines That Linger
“Racism probably hit ’em where it’s gonna hurt / Black car, I’ma need a white chauffeur.”
Lineage And Therapy
Sections of the song further reflect the lineage from which Navy Blue comes from and his strong cultural parents.
“Clarity the remedy, and therapy the hardest.”
These lyrics speak to the strong vulnerability riddled throughout many of his songs, but may also speak to the progress he has made in understanding that going through tough therapy sessions rewards you with the clarity to be a better person in the end and escape the trauma that one has been dealing with, especially Black men.
Strength And Guidance
“Couple screws loose, gotta tighten up, alter / Sister say be weary of the lonely nightcrawlers.”
This may signal that Navy Blue’s sister, who is older than him and maybe mentally stronger, reminds him not to let fear and doubt creep into his mind and disturb his peace and progress. Navy admits that he is mentally unstable at times, but this honesty is part of what makes his artistry so relatable and true.
Vulnerability Into Triumph
What makes Peach Cobbler so powerful is its ability to turn vulnerability into triumph. Navy Blue finds strength in the smallest details — a family recipe, a father’s advice, a sister’s reminder, a moment of silence — and transforms them into art that lives beyond confession. The song is a collage of his evolution, merging the innocence of childhood with the awareness of adulthood. It shows how art can serve as a mirror and a medicine, a place to revisit pain without being defined by it.
Mirrors And Bridges
Sage’s life mirrors his music in how both are marked by transformation. From the concrete schoolyards of Los Angeles to the art-soaked streets of New York, from the Supreme skate team to the underground hip-hop circuit, he embodies the duality of discipline and rebellion. His creativity is deliberate but never forced, rooted in rhythm, reflection, and truth. He understands that healing and art cannot exist separately. Every song becomes an extension of his therapy — an honest conversation between who he was and who he continues to become.
Becoming, Not Arrival
Peach Cobbler feels like a quiet talk between the past and present versions of himself, an attempt to find peace in the spaces between. His voice carries the honesty of a man who refuses to numb what he feels and instead writes it into existence.
In a world where most artists build walls, Navy Blue builds bridges between memory and reality, vulnerability and resilience. He reminds listeners that healing is not a linear process but a loop, much like a record that spins until it finds its rhythm again. Through all of this, Sage Elsesser continues to prove that the truest form of artistry lies in the courage to be open and the strength to turn reflection into legacy.
Patience And Poise
As his catalog continues to evolve, you can sense that Sage is no longer just documenting pain — he’s mastering the language of endurance. His verses have grown slower, more deliberate, and grounded in self-awareness.
The once restless spirit has found new patience. You can hear it in the way he bends his tone, how he lets a moment breathe before the next bar. There’s confidence in the quiet now, the kind that comes from someone who has seen both chaos and clarity and can tell the difference. Peach Cobbler is less about arrival and more about becoming — the ongoing process of learning that growth has no finish line.
Inheritance And Intention
Navy Blue’s music has become a space where stillness meets motion. He doesn’t chase validation from fame or popularity; instead, he allows his purpose to speak through his craft. His relationship with sound feels spiritual, almost ancestral — a continuation of the rhythm passed down from his parents and from the larger lineage of Black creativity that shaped him.
When you listen closely, you can feel that inheritance in his phrasing, in his sampling choices, and in his reverence for history. There’s something meditative about how he creates, as if each song is part prayer and part self-examination.
Compassion Over Repression
For listeners, his work provides comfort in its vulnerability and honesty. It becomes a reminder that healing is not found in perfection but in acceptance. Navy Blue’s story represents a generation of young Black artists learning to define manhood through compassion instead of repression, introspection instead of pride. His art encourages that same freedom in his audience — to reflect, to sit with discomfort, and to keep moving forward.
Legacy In Motion
Peach Cobbler stands as a celebration of that evolution — a song that proves healing, art, and memory can coexist without contradiction. Through each verse, Sage Elsesser finds the balance between the boy who once sought belonging and the man who now understands that peace has to be created from within.