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Nav's second album Bad Habits is currently at the top of the U.S. chart, selling more copies this week than fellow superstars Ariana Grande, Post Malone and Drake.

How did this once elusive Toronto rapper strike big in the States?

Here's a quick rundown of his story so far...

He started out as a Soundcloud rapper

When Nav first released music, nobody knew anything about his identity or Punjabi descent.

After making beats for local Toronto rappers, in 2015 he put debut song Take Me Simple on his Soundcloud page; a track about seeking fame, success and a life away from the streets. It shared the murky, bass-heavy traits of fellow Soundcloud rappers at the time, but his fluid vocal delivery had a unique quality.

In January 2016, Drake gave the track huge prominence by playing it on his OVOSOUND radio show. It swiftly gained millions of plays.

He soon found himself working with U.S. and Canadian hip-hop royalty

After winning Drake's approval, Nav ended up working with Travis Scott and Belly, as well as Canadian star The Weeknd, who signed the then 27-year-old to his XO/Republic Records label.

They collaborated on the single Some Way, and Nav ended up making a cameo in The Weeknd's 2017 video for Reminder.

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He made the occasional Reckless decision

After a debut mixtape and a collaborative mixtape with producer Metro Boomin, Nav put out his debut studio album Reckless in 2018.

One year later, he looked back on the release with some regret, : "I handed in that last album like homework.

"I was caught up in the lifestyle, having new money," he said. "Some of the songs on that album I didn’t even touch like I normally would, no beats, no arranging the mixes. On Reckless I was just a rapper, but really I’m a producer, engineer, a musician, and needed to put that all into the music."

But Bad Habits took him to another level

11 months after releasing Reckless, follow-up Bad Habits feels like a big statement of intent – the full-length he wanted to put out from the start.

Executive-produced by The Weeknd and featuring guest spots from Future, Meek Mill and Gunna, it's a 16-track hip-hop heavyweight that's already topped charts in the U.S. and his native Canada.

It's a huge step forwards for Nav, who clearly isn't lacking confidence, : "I really took all the smoke for any Indian rapper after me."