NF

Early life

Nathan John Feuerstein was born in Gladwin, Michigan, on March 30, 1991. He is the eldest of three and has two sisters. His parents divorced, and he was raised by his mother who was an opioid addict. Eventually his father took custody of him after his mother's boyfriend physically abused him and one of his sisters. To cope with his tumultuous childhood, Feuerstein used music as an escape. He started off by listening to music and then eventually began making music of his own. He would spend hours inside of his parents' van writing. He would also record songs on a karaoke machine, recording instrumentals on one microphone and his rhymes on the other. Feuerstein's mother died from an overdose of opioids in 2009, which led to him dedicating...

If You Want Love

"If You Want Love" is a song by American rapper NF from his third studio album Perception (2017). It was written and produced by NF himself and Tommee Profitt.

The song was released to mainstream radio on January 22, 2019 as the fifth single from the album.

Critical reception

Reviewing Perception for Jesus Freak Hideout, David Croft wrote: "'If You Want Love' is easily the second-best track on the album. Its honest, insightful lyrics can resonate with all listeners".

Music video

An official music video was released on December 7, 2018. It starts with a woman giving birth in a hospital and follows the couple raising the child, including her first steps, play time and her first date as a teenager. Eventually, she grows into an adult and marries.

The Search

"The Search" is a song by American rapper NF, released through Capitol Records on May 30, 2019, as the second single from the album of the same name. It was written and produced by NF alongside Tommee Profitt, and lyrically discusses the negative impact of fame and commercial success on NF's mental and physical health.

A music video was released the same day as the song. It debuted at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Composition and lyrics

"The Search" lasts for a duration of 4 minutes and 8 seconds, with NF rapping 777 words throughout the track. The song's production features "prickly strings, choral backing chants and an unforgiving beat drop" and its structure contains a 30 second intro and lacks a chorus. Lyrically, it discusses the impact on NF's mental health as a consequence of his mainstream success. While the rapper initially understates the negative impact of fame on his life, he soon escalates his criticisms of commercial accomplishments, stating that "The sales can rise/ Doesn't mean much though when your health declines."

Meaning

The main message in this song is one of doing well. He starts off his song by “honestly answering the casual and frequent question, “How’s life?” NF continues to answer the greeting throughout the track by discussing recent changes in life, depression and the world itself.”

Critical reception

Danielle Chelosky of Substream Magazine described "The Search" as "introspective and unapologetic," while Tyler Schmitt of Variance Magazine called it "blistering." Jon Caramanica, writing for The New York Times, commended NF's delivery, writing that he "raps tartly and with compelling angst." Andrew Unterberger of Billboard wrote that the track "proves that fame is one long anxiety attack" and added that its production gives "the meltdown overtaking his mind operatic grandeur.".