Michigan rapper Nathan Feuerstein, also known as NF, recently released his third album, “Perception.” NF’s music is always an intense mix of meaningful lyrics and bone-chilling beats that enhance his all around work, and “Perception” is no different. He never leaves his bars on the surface, but instead dives deeper into his mindset with each and every album.
NF teased his followers on Facebook as the release of “Perception” came closer on Oct. 6. He posted one letter at a time, foreshadowing the title of the three singles he would release from the album before the whole project came out. It drove everyone in the comments wild with theories of what these random letters could mean.
What drove fans even more wild was when the whole album dropped. NF once again proved that he doesn’t hold anything back when he writes — instead he leaves his heart out on each and every track. His slogan, “Real Music,” exemplifies this in that he always tries to be real and raw with his emotions.
“Perception” climbed to No. 1 on the iTunes album chart overnight. Almost a month after the release date, “Perception” got No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums, on the week of Oct. 28. With the recent heartbreaking passing of Tom Petty (whose Greatest Hits album got No. 2 on the same list), this was a staggering feat. With only about 700,000 followers on Youtube, his music videos average well over 2 million viewers.
One popular critique that has been present throughout all of NF’s career as a rapper is his lack of happier songs. Personally, right now, I think the closest we’re going to get to hope is the evidence of his progress. While he may not have songs filled with complete and upbeat positivity, NF does have songs filled with wit, sarcasm and egotistical humbleness. To demand a forced song of absolute happiness would be to attempt to order NF to betray his absolute honesty of where he is mentally.
With “Perception,” people are clearly seeing the improvement in terms of skill as he continues to create. In regard to beats and the music industry, NF says in “Outro,” “I just sit at the keys feeling the music/Got me thinking I’m Beethoven/The game needs a makeover.” His beats mesh well with the lyrics, leaving bass drops or extended periods of a key in the face of important points he wants people to pay special attention to. On top of this, NF’s beats set the scene and tone for what the song will talk about lyrically.
In this album he does most of his own vocals whether that includes rapping or singing. One song, “10 Feet Down,” features the beautiful and haunting voice of Ruelle. Ruelle is the only artist besides NF that is presented in “Perception.” She injects a powerful chorus and bridge into the song. Ruelle, or Maggie Eckford, added a lot to “10 Feet Down” both in terms of her voice and the lyrics she belted out.
The lyrics talk about everything in NF’s life. He talks about his mother overdosing on pills, problems with relationships, trying to make it as an artist who is a Christian in the music industry, how much he appreciates the fans and everything in between. NF is normalizing vulnerability in everyday conversation. He can take topics that might seem cliche and twist them into his own version that still leaves a crowd in awe.
NF also takes overarching themes for his albums. The new album’s theme is a jail cell in which NF realizes he’s not trapped and is actually the one that holds the keys. It’s particularly refreshing that he doesn’t hide behind a mask. Instead, NF puts his opinions out there on subjects people might not approve of. He is brave enough to address the problems in his own character and acknowledges he needs to work on them.
All of this combines to show why NF’s work is consistently rising to the top of charts, setting the rapping bar higher with each album and pushing hundreds of thousands of people to have important discussions and come face to face with their own problems.
To perfectly sum up “Perception,” I believe NF says it best in “Outro,” “What, you don’t know the brand by now? You better get educated.”
Katie Piper can be reached at [email protected]