Nathan John Feuerstein was born in Gladwin, Michigan, on March 30, 1991. His parents divorced, and he was raised by his mother until his father had to take him away when her boyfriend abused him. His mother died from an overdose in 2009 which led to him dedicating the song "How Could You Leave Us" to her. He graduated from Gladwin High School in 2009, and was on the basketball team. NF started his career at the Fine Arts Festival organized by Connection Church in Canton, Michigan.
Career
Feuerstein stated that, during his childhood, rap was an escape for him. He would record songs on a karaoke machine, recording instrumentals on one microphone and his raps on the other. On November 29, 2010, Feuerstein independently released his debut studio albumMoments under his real name. On August 2, 2011, he released his debut single "Alone". The song featured songwriter and producer Tommee Profitt and Brooke Griffith. In 2012, Feuerstein's work attracted the attention of Xist Music. On May 2, 2012, he released his debut extended play I'm Free with production work from Profitt. The tracklist consisted of nine songs including "Alone". The EP also included an exclusive version of "Alone" featuring Sean Simmonds. Xist teased for the release of the self-titled extended play, NF, but Feuerstein parted ways with the label after a dispute and the production of NF was postponed. Despite this, NF featured a song, "Only One", featuring Shuree Williams, in the label's compilation album, Move Vol 1. He released a single, "Beautiful Addiction", on November 4, 2013. The song again featured an appearance from Profitt, as well as vocals from Brady Schmitz and Danielle Swift. Feuerstein signed to Capitol Christian Music Group in 2014, before the release of the EP, NF. This project was his breakthrough release on the Billboard, as it charted on the Christian Albums chart at No. 12, on the Top Gospel Albums at No. 4, and on the Top Rap Albums at No. 15. This extended play was reviewed by Jesus Freak Hideout and New Release Tuesday, receiving two three-and-a-half-star reviews. CCM Magazine reviewed the EP and awarded it four stars. His first studio album, Mansion, was released on March 31, 2015 by Capitol CMG. His song "Intro" is included in the video gameMadden NFL 16. NF's songs have been played on ESPN, VH1, Showtime, NBC's Chicago P.D., Grimm, Shades of Blue, a trailer for an Apex Legends update and in the season finale trailer of Fox's Empire. His music video for "Intro" premiered on MTV.com's homepage, and the video has also appeared on MTVU, AbsolutePunk, 2DOPEBOYZ, Raps & Hustles and The College Dropouts. His second studio album, Therapy Session, was released on April 22, 2016. "I Just Wanna Know" was released as a single on April 8, 2016 and "Real" was released on April 22, 2016. "Warm Up" was released as a non-album single on September 8, 2016. His song "Destiny" is included in the video game MLB The Show 18. On October 6, 2017, NF released his third studio album, Perception. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making it his first chart-topping album and the second artist in 2017 to release a No. 1 album without having charted on the Hot 100. The next week, "Let You Down" became his first single to chart on the Hot 100, debuting at 87. It became a sleeper hit, taking 17 weeks to reach its peak at No. 12. After the success of Perception, he announced he would begin touring mid-2018 with rappers Logic and Kyle. It was certified platinum—selling over 1,000,000 units—by the RIAA on January 11, 2019. In 2018, NF released the non-album single "No Name" on January 19. On May 30, 2019, Feuerstein released the single "The Search", along with a music video. The single preceded the album of the same name, released on July 26, 2019. On December 3, 2019, Feuerstein released the single "Paid My Dues", as well as a music video for the song.
Style
Feuerstein has credited Eminem as his prime influence in hip hop, claiming that at one point that was all he listened to. NF's style has also been compared to Logic and Machine Gun Kelly. Although he found his musical upbringing in Christian hip-hop, Feuerstein has denied his label as a Christian rapper, saying "I'm a Christian, but I don't make Christian music. You're not going to reach everyone with just one point of view. I write about things I'm actually dealing with. You don't have to be Christian to relate to them." In 2013, Feuerstein appeared on Christian hip-hop artist Flame's album Royal Flushon the track "Start Over". In 2015, his feature on TobyMac's This Is Not a Test track "Til the Day I Die" gained him fame and recognition in the Christian hip-hop genre. Feuerstein's 2017 collaboration with Futuristic, "Epiphany", enhanced his career in the secular rap industry.
