NF is Nathan Feuerstein, the Gladwin, Michigan rapper born in 1991 whose unflinching, mental-health-focused writing has sent three albums — Perception, The Search, and HOPE — to number one on the Billboard 200. The Search (2019) is the best place to start, with HOPE (2023) right behind. Find NF vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Nathan John Feuerstein, performing as NF (his initials), was born in Gladwin, Michigan on March 30, 1991. He has been open about his difficult childhood - including childhood abuse from his stepfather and his mother's substance abuse problems and 2009 death. His distinctive emotionally direct, mental-health-focused lyrical approach (comparable to Eminem in flow style) and his Christian faith (though he has distanced from being labeled a Christian rapper) have positioned him as a distinctive figure in contemporary hip hop. His albums Perception (2017), The Search (2019), and HOPE (2023) all debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with his commercial breakthrough across the late 2010s. He launched his own NF Real Music label and has been independent for his contemporary material.
NF's sound combines hip hop, Christian hip hop, alternative hip hop, conscious hip hop, and contemporary hip hop with his distinctive flow (comparable to Eminem in technical approach), direct lyrical content addressing mental health, family trauma, faith, and personal experience, and arrangements drawing on contemporary mainstream hip hop production aesthetics.
Capitol CMG and NF Real Music pressings of the NF catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings.
Listeners new to NF typically start with The Search (2019) or HOPE (2023).
