The first song I ever heard by NF was Wait but I didn't fall in love with his music until I heard Mansion which seemed to speak to me on another level. Over the past few weeks, I have been listening to all of his music on repeat because I love how raw he is when he raps. He speaks of his experiences in life and that's what makes him so relatable. His raps are filled with allusions to his past and innuendos calling out other artists. He may not rhyme in every rap but when he does, his words are magical. Regardless, his voice is beautiful and what he raps speaks volumes.
These are some of the lyrics that I find powerful:
1. “And the problem and the reason you could never move forward in life/ Is because you were never awake” – Wake Up
2. “If this was all for money, I’d have quit years ago” – Hands Up
3. “I’d rather spend a minute with love in my life/ Than go a million years without knowing what it’s like” – Thing Called Love
4. “Love is like a privilege, a lot of us abuse it” – Thing Called Love
5. “The world wants to tell us who we are and who we ain’t/ But the person that I am is somethin’ you can never change” – Just Being Me
6. “The moment you blink is the moment you lost” – Intro
7. "See, my problem is I don't fix things, I just try to repaint/ Cover ‘em up, like it never happened" – Mansion
8. “’Cause I don’t want you to have the opportunity to hurt me/ And I’ll be the only person I can blame when you desert me” – Mansion
9. “Life is something you don’t wanna play with” – Face It
10. “I’m my own worst critic” – Motivated
11. “I’m scared to live but I’m scared to die” – Paralyzed
12. “I’m tired of all the talkin’ to be honest I would rather see a difference” – I Just Wanna Know
13. “I don’t need a picture of my mom, I need the real thing” – How Could You Leave Us
14. “Apologies don’t mean a thing if you don’t ever fix it” – Breathe
15. “Sometimes the closest people to you make you feel protected/ But those are the same people that hurt you most and leave you guessing” – Breathe
16. “In 10 minutes, I still couldn’t explain what’s inside my brain, don’t mess with it” – Real
17. “Everybody wants change/ Don’t nobody wanna change though” – Oh Lord
18. “You see the same God that you saying might not even exist/ Becomes real to us, but only when we dying in bed” – Oh Lord
19. “The older you get, the more family is everything” – I Can Feel It
20. “I’m doing me, I don’t live for you” – Gridin’
21. “I heard that pictures don’t change/ Just the people inside of ‘em do” – Lost in The Moment
22. “They told us that time flies, didn’t know what it means/ Now I feel like we’re just running around tryna/ Catch it and hoping to cut up its wings” – Lost in The Moment
23. “’Cause I thought you had me in prison this whole time, but I’m the one holding the keys” – Intro III
24. “If ima die, ima die givin’ everything that I have” – Outcast
25. “It’s like we throw away the things in life that really matter/ Just so that we can make it to the top, and wonder what we’re even climbing after” – 10 Feet Down
26. “I ask you a question, I want answers, not the run-around” – Green Lights
27. “Can’t nobody think for me, I got my own thoughts” – Dreams
28. “Sometimes you don’t know what you had until it falls apart” – Dreams
29. “Doubt put his hands around my throat, so I cut ‘em off” – Destiny
30. “Pain will always find its way to the surface/ No matter how deep you bury him” – My Life
31. “Life’s about taking chances, making moves/ Not about what you did, it’s what you do” – My Life
32. "Surround yourself with people that challenge how you think/ Not people that nod their head and act like they agree" - Remember This
33. "The cure to pain isn't something you buy at liquor stores" - Remember This
34. "We waste a lot of time crying over wasted time" - Remember This
35. "Grab your own glass and fill it, don't let your fear destroy you" - Remember This
36. "I am way more than people might think when they look on the surface " - No Name
If you haven't listened to NF before, I highly suggest it. He's a psychologist's wet dream and I wish I could see inside of his head.
