NF is the stage name of rapper and composer Nate Feuerstein, a hip-hop and pop rap artist from Gladwin, United States. Born in 1991, he grows up in a hardship-filled home environment, with his parents divorcing and other difficulties shaping his early life. Music becomes an escape for him, and he starts recording songs on a karaoke machine, using one microphone for instrumentals and another for his raps.

Early recognition and independent release

NF places second in a nationwide Fine Arts Festival rap competition in 2008 and first in Michigan the following year. He independently releases his debut album, Moments, in 2010. The album draws the attention of Xist Music, which signs him in 2012, by which time he has adopted the NF stage name.

Label changes and breakthrough

Xist Music announces an EP, but it does not appear, and NF parts ways with the label. He then spends two years looking for a new label and working with local producer Tommee Profitt in his studio. Together they create the song “Wake Up,” which leads to a signing with Capitol Christian Music Group. His self-titled EP, a six-song release that includes a Manny Marroquin remix of “Wake Up,” appears in 2014.

Studio albums

NF releases his debut album, Mansion, in 2015. It reaches number 62 on the Billboard 200 and tops the Christian Albums chart. Therapy Session follows in 2016, and it also tops the Christian Albums chart, with lyrics noted for their direct emotional content. In 2017, he releases the singles “Outro” and “Green Lights” ahead of Perception, which later becomes a major breakthrough. The album reaches number one in the United States, is certified platinum, and its third single, “Let You Down,” reaches number twelve on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and becomes a top-ten hit internationally. He later matches that commercial success with The Search in 2019. Hope is his most recent album and reaches number 2 on the US Billboard 200.

Labels and style

NF records with Capitol Christian Music Group and is associated with hip hop and pop rap. His work is marked by confessional writing and themes drawn from personal hardship.