Sage Elsesser, the rapper, producer, skater, and model, has lived a lot of life for someone under 30. He experienced a meteoric rise at a young age, first making his mark skating in the viral 2014 Supreme film “Cherry.” A year later, he started releasing music under the moniker Navy Blue, initially hoping to keep his identity under wraps. He’s produced beats for some of the biggest names in the underground rap scene, like Mach-Hommy, Earl Sweatshirt, and Armand Hammer. He’s since released six proper studio albums of his own, and he’s got a brilliant seventh on the way, Sir Render, that’s due out June 5.

“My upbringing was beautiful,” says Elsesser, 29, after I ask him about his childhood. “I feel really lucky to have had the kind of parents that I had. Very loving, supportive, free, and critical thinkers.” He grew up in Mid City in Los Angeles with three sisters (including supermodel Paloma) and an older brother who died when Sage was a child, a tragedy he says shaped his spirituality growing up, as well as his relationship to death. Existentiality is a frequent theme in Elsesser’s music. In eighth grade, he found himself at a boarding school in East Hampton, New York, which he characterizes as a complete culture shock, albeit one that he is grateful for. “I met some wonderful teachers that pushed me to paint and to write more.” He started posting music on SoundCloud not long after “Cherry,” and by his mid 20s—still riding the peak of his skateboarding stardom—he tucked into music around the same time he began distancing himself from the sport.

On the upcoming Sir Render, Navy Blue hews to his oeuvre of crisp production, a distinctly measured flow, emotional bars, and a few notable features, including one from his mentor, the late, great Brownsville Ka. By my estimation, Elsesser has found himself in an artistic groove where he can access the height of his powers. “Everything I ever did, everyone I ever knew, the tingling of every limb, my foot fit every shoe / Memories in every groove, lessons are in every mood, mama gift to me is soothing, stuck beneath this very moon,” he raps on the standout title track.

I caught up with Elsesser in New York City to discuss his upcoming album, his feelings on modern masculinity, and how his relationship with style—and skating—has evolved.