My favorite music artist to listen to is a rapper by the stage name "NF". NF is his initials. His real name is Nathan Feuerstein. NF is a rapper that I started listening to in 2016 and since then I've absolutely enjoyed his music. NF is a Christian and has shared his faith within his music, however the main focus of his music is his emotions and how he uses music as a way to vent and cope with personal life struggles such as depression and the loss of his mother. NF gets extremely personal with his music and allows the listeners to see his vulnerability and raw emotions. NF himself has stated that he uses music as a coping mechanism for things that he's dealt with in life. NF was born on march 30th 1991 in Gladwin, Michigan. His parents divorced at a very young age and he stayed with his mom for most of his childhood. At some point after his mother divorced his father, she found a boyfriend who would end up being abusive towards NF. He references this in the song "Mansion" where he says the following "Physically abused, now that's a room that I don't wanna be in. That picture ain't blurry at all, I just don't wanna see it and These walls aint blank, I just think I don't wanna see 'em. But why not? I'm in here, so I might as well read 'em. I gotta thank you for this anger that I carry around
Wish I could take a match and burn this whole room to the ground. Matter of fact I think Ima burn this room right now ,So how this memory for some reason just won't come down. You used to put me in the corner, so you could see the fear in my eyes. Then took me downstairs and beat me 'til I screamed and I cried. Congratulations, you'll always have a room in my mind, But Ima keep the door shut and lock the lyrics inside." His mother would later go on to pass away due to a pill overdose which is something he talks about heavily in the song "How Could You Leave Us". After her death NF stayed with his father, but their relationship wasn't a healthy one either which is referenced in the song "Let You Down", as he felt like his father never treated him with respect and that his father made him feel like a disappointment. He grew up feeling like he never had a true connection with his parents and in the song "Intro 2" he says that "music has raised me more than my parents did". At some point later, he would end up moving in with his grandparents which were the people that introduced him to Christianity and he would later convert. In 2009, NF started making music under his real name while performing in many Christian music festivals and released his "Moments" album in 2010 around the time his mother passed away. 2 years later he made his "I'm Free" EP and in 2014 he finally got his big break. In 2014, NF signed to Capitol CMG which is a division of Capitol Records. He would later go to release a self-titled EP that year called "NF EP". This is when he first started seeing success and slowly started gaining a fan base. In 2015 he released an album called "Mansion". The overall theme of the album was his struggles with depression which is evident when listening to songs like "Mansion" (which is also the name of the album), "Can You Hold Me" and "Paralyzed". In 2016 he would release his second album called "Therapy session" which also featured a song by the same name. This album was about how he has used music as therapy and a way to cope with everything that has happened in his life. In the song "Therapy Session" he states in the end that despite being a Christian, he uses music as a therapy for himself and acknowledges that he wouldn't have anything without God. Even though the majority of his music isn't "Christian" per say, he still has a message to spread that I think everyone can agree with. Even though his faith isn't the main focus of his music, he still makes it evident that he is and always will be a Christian and he includes many references to his faith within his music. His third album under Capitol CMG is called "Perception". This album focuses on the fact that even though he has his struggles and dark moments with depression, he is hopeful for the future and that one day these struggles will pass. He makes this point clear in the song "Green Lights" when he says "if I'm being honest last year I was in a bad place. Wouldn't say I'm out of it but don't feel like I can't be". In my eyes, "Perception" is a really important album, especially because NF accomplishes a lot in it. Not only did the album change his status in Hip Hop from an underground artist to a now mainstream artist, but it also takes a look into the psyche of NF. In the opening track "Intro III" he is able to conquer and dominate his fear which is something he had struggled with for years. He also talks about letting go of his fears in "Outro" when he says "My biggest fear writing this record wasn't putting out trash, it was disappointing myself and the fanbase". In the song "Mansion" from his first Album he talks about how fear moved in to his "House" and in "Intro III" he is having a conversation with his fear, who starts off the song dominating the conversation but at the end NF is able to conquer it and move on in his life. Another theme I see in his music often besides depression is how critical he is of rap nowadays. Examples of this include when he says "Whatever happened to music that meant something 'cause nowadays I look around and music don't mean nothing and to be honest what's really making me sick to my stomach is everybody's running around screaming they love it" in the song "Just Being Me" and "I guess I don't fit the mold of rap 'cause I'm respecting women. I heard your record I was laughing at it. Maybe they would like me more if I got a little Graphic with it. Nah, I don't wanna blend in with you rapping idiots I'd rather be the outcast. I aint never putting out trash. I take one hundred and staple right my mouth, I always put my money where my mouth is" in the song "Outcast". In 2014-2015 NF met a woman by the name of Bridgette Doremus and soon began dating her. Like NF, Bridgette had also lost a loved one, however, the circumstances were different. NF had lost his mom due drug addiction where as Bridgette had lost her dad to suicide. NF references this in the song "Got you on my mind" where he says "Started with phone conversations and I flew out to see you, it's raining outside. We sat by the water and talked about life. Oh, said you lost your dad, girl I know how that feels. I lost my mom, tryna deal with that still. I guess we connect on our hatred for pills." The full story of Bridgette's father can be watched on her YouTube channel where she explains her story. The couple have been dating for about 4 years now and on September 1st, they got married. Recently NF has been touring around the country and has been teasing his fourth album on twitter. I am extremely excited for this album to drop and will do a full review of the album when it does drop. For me personally, I like NF's music because he is one of the realest artists I've heard in a long time. His message is something that a lot of people can relate to and find comfort in. To see what he has gone through in his life and to see what his life is like now is something absolutely incredible. The main thing I always take away from his music is inspiration. Inspiration that no matter how dark life gets, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, there is always hope. He had an extremely tough childhood and upbringing but he was able to turn his life around and make something of himself. He never lost hope and neither should you. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.
If anyone wants to check out his music just go to YouTube and type "NF Vevo"
