The First Brown Boy To Get It Popping.
XO Artist, Canadian Rapper / Singer / Songwriter & Producer Nav closes out his Never Sleep Tour finale with a sold out show in Toronto's Scotia Bank Arena
It’s been some time since I’ve jumped back into the concert photo pits, but If there was one concert I had to get back in the mix for, it had to be this.
This was a moment to witness for Canadian popular culture and for XO Artist & Rapper Nav as he closed his Never Sleep Tour, bringing a sold-out show to Toronto’s Scotia Bank Arena.
If you’ve heard “Some Way,” one of Nav’s breakthrough songs with the Weeknd, then you probably know about his infamous line, “I’m the first brown boy to get it popping.”
Growing up in an era before hip-hop became mainstream and being an advocate for the culture, I saw tons of South Asian rappers & singers fight the cultural barriers of being an artist to grace all kinds of stages across the city.
Convincing family members that a career in hip hop or the arts was worth pursuing instead of the more cherished engineer, doctor or lawyer was part of almost every immigrant family narrative growing up.
Seeing the meteoric rise of Nav as a South Asian artist signed to the Weeknd’s XO label and selling out Toronto’s Scotia Bank Arena helps paves yet another path for brown artists who have the passion and see themselves contributing to the Canadian cultural scene and hip-hop movement.
You could feel that energy was alive in Scotiabank Arena for this sold-out show as we got to work documenting moments of the night. Playing to the crowd and performing some of his favourites, Nav brought the energy to keep his day one fanbase singing along across the arena.
Of the many highlights from the night, the Canadian hometown hero brought out rap legends Meek Mill & Travis Scott to give fans a special show that closes out his tour.
As I went through the thousands of images I shot from the tour finale, I can say that Nav is the king of the current South Asian wave and the future of what culture and hip-hop have always looked to embody; A movement that gives people from different walks of life a stage to perform.
As we see more South Asian artists stake their own claim in the world, Nav is someone who has truly earned his well-deserved lyrical rep of being
“The First Brown Boy To Get It Popping.”
After having the opportunity to capture this iconic Canadian cultural moment, you can also expect this brown boy 👋🏾 to get back to documenting more moments to highlight pop culture from Canada to the world.
Images shot by Sid Naidu for Complex Canada
Read the full Complex Canada concert recap article by Erik Leijon: Nav Gets His Flowers at Hometown Never Sleep Tour Closer w/Travis Scott & Meek Mill.