- Navy Blue has signed with Josh Stern of Ground Control Touring for worldwide live music and touring representation.
- The rapper, born Sage Elsesser, continues with Something In Common for management.
- Navy Blue released his ninth studio album, The Sword & The Soaring, in November 2025 on Freedom Sounds, and recently completed an international run as direct support for Loyle Carner on his hopefully! world tour.
- Ground Control Touring has been on an active signing streak, recently adding Adult DVD and Mage Tears to their roster.
Navy Blue, the Los Angeles rapper and multi-hyphenate artist born Sage Elsesser, has signed with Ground Control Touring for worldwide live music and touring representation. Agent Josh Stern will handle his bookings. Navy Blue continues his management relationship with Something In Common.
The signing comes off a strong stretch of momentum for the artist. Navy Blue previously held touring representation with Guillaume Brevers at Hometown Talent. On the management side, he was formerly with Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua at Agency 78 before moving to his current team.
Musically, Navy Blue dropped his ninth solo album, The Sword & The Soaring, in November 2025 via his Freedom Sounds imprint, following the critically praised Memoirs in Armour (2024).
He also appeared on Loyle Carner’s album hopefully! and toured internationally as Carner’s direct support, including North America and Europe dates stretching into early 2026. His label history includes a stint at Def Jam Recordings for 2023’s Ways of Knowing before returning to full independence.
Ground Control Touring has been making moves. The boutique agency recently signed Adult DVD for representation in North and South America and brought on Mage Tears for worldwide representation.
Takeaways
This signing tells a clear story: Navy Blue is leveling up his live infrastructure at exactly the right time.
Coming off back-to-back album releases and a high-profile international tour run with Loyle Carner, this move positions him for a more aggressive touring push with a boutique agency known for developing independent artists with serious creative credibility.
Ground Control Touring and Josh Stern clearly have an eye for forward-thinking hip-hop acts, and Navy Blue fits that brief perfectly.
With Navy Blue operating independently via Freedom Sounds and now backed by Ground Control Touring, could we see his first proper headlining world tour on the horizon? Could Navy Blue’s prolific output (two albums in under 14 months) make him an even more attractive festival booking in 2026 and beyond?
