Before NF Grew up, became a rapper, got a record deal and made a couple mill
Before NF captured the hearts of fans all over the world with the honesty in his lyrics
and ability to express his emotions in a way that not many artists can
Before NF Would have himself a number one song on Top 40 radio with “Let You Down,”
and a number one album on Billboard 200 with “Perception”
Before he would get cosigns from Logic, who took him on tour and even have a fan in Shawn
Mendes
Before he would, maybe possibly, but we can’t confirm if he actually was, dissed by Eminem
And Before he would have more than 400k on Twitter, over 1.3 million followers on Instagram
and more than 3.6 million subscribers on YouTube at the time of this recording.
NF has overcome A LOT in his life to get to the point that he’s at today, but even with
all of his massive success, he remains an incredibly humble guy.
Although NF probably wouldn’t be able to tell even if they were speaking Spanish.
Not sure about that one…
Although I didn’t do too well in my highschool French classes either…
Even though this is Before They Were Famous, like NF says on his song “Real”, he’s
not famous, he’s just Nathan.
I truly can’t say ENOUGH about this guy… get it, NF, en-eff, enough?
What’s going on good people in the comment section?
I hope you’re having one Hecht of a day, my name is Jeremy Hecht here for you on Before
They Were Famous.
If you’re new here, I’m the LA host for this channel and if you’ve been watching
then you know I’ve gotta give a shoutout to everyone watching after school, at the
bus stop, anybody watching lying down on their couch, and of course my toilet gang.
I’ve recently done updated versions on A Boogie and YG so be sure to check those out
after this one and as always let us know who to cover next in the comments down below.
Before we start I’ve got a trivia question for you:
“What is one of the biggest things that NF struggles with now that he’s successful?”
Alright, let’s get into the show!
Nathan John Feurstein (fire stine) was born in Gladwin, Michigan, on March 30th, 1991.
He grew up with two sisters and the three siblings were mostly raised by their father
after their parents divorced.
This was an escape from his mother’s abusive new boyfriend.
Nathan’s mother was dealing with her own problems, which included a dependence on prescription
pills.
She was so lost in her own world that she missed many key moments in Nathan’s life
like his school graduations and big events.
As you can imagine, seeing your parent go through that is probably extremely difficult,
and without knowing who to talk to, it can build up a weight on the shoulders of any
child no matter how strong they are.
Nathan used music as his therapy and wrote out all of his thoughts in the form of rhymes
beginning at age of 12.
Well, actually before he started rapping about his real life problems, NF was rapping about
the problems of other rappers:
Hey everybody who has ever rapped has at least one gun bar, it’s okay.
Nathan would spend hours in his parent’s van and in his basement writing down his thoughts,
before he decided to actually record his vocals using a karaoke machine microphone.
He would record the vocals in one mic and an instrumental using another mic.
Nathan’s grandfather was a pastor, so he attended church growing up but as he grew
older he began to question God and went on a journey of searching for what he believed
in.
Nathan attended Gladwin High School and around this time he found his faith.
Christianity became a guiding force in his life, that helped lead him on his path.
After working on mastering his craft for years, Nathan finally stepped onto a public stage
to perform his work in the 2008 Fine Arts Festival Rap competition.
And the work paid off, because he placed second nationwide.
The following year he one upped himself taking home the first place prize in Michigan.
Growing up, Eminem was a huge inspiration to NF and it’s crazy to look at how similar
their stories are.
Eminem’s mother was heavily criticized through his music for using drugs and not being there
for him.
The two are both from Michigan and both had their big breaks competing in rap competitions.
And of course they’re both white rappers, but I’m not going to sit and compare the
two just because of that.
In fact, I think the comparisons need to stop altogether because NF has carved out his own
lane in hip-hop, proving that he is here to stay.
But while his rap career was showing promise, his personal life was falling apart.
His mother died of a prescription medication overdose leaving Nathan to grieve and search
for answers.
It was during this time that he would pour his heart out into the music, writing songs
like “How Could You Leave Us” that he would later release.
Nathan decided to release some of his music using his real name, putting his debut 13
track album called “Moments” online in 2010.
His early work showed a lot of promise and it was enough for a lable named Xist Music
to sign Nate a couple of years later to a deal.
He changed his stage name to NF and began to work on his label debut EP.
But there were some label troubles and the EP never dropped.
NF eventually left the label and continued to work on his music independently.
But with no help from a label, he had to grind hard to make enough money for studio time.
He worked as an electrician to pay the bills while driving around an old Volvo.
That same car would constantly overheat, which meant that he couldn’t drive it until after
sun set.
He said half-jokingly:
“I wouldn’t even feel right selling that car to someone.
They’d probably die.”
NF met producer Tommee Profitt had worked on one song together a few years back but
while NF was in Grand Rapids Michigan, flying out the next day for a show, the two linked
up again and worked on a song called “Wake Up.”
That is the same song that would later impress a label head the most out of NF’s catalogue.
NF continued to put out music and work on his writing, and eventually he landed a meeting
with the head of Capital Christian Music Group named Brad O’Donnell.
NF rapped live for him and showed off his passion, lyricism and ability to portray his
emotions through song, and even though the entire thing was a freestyle, he showed what
he can do.
So much so, that Brad offered him a deal.
O’Donnell said:
“I couldn’t believe his intensity.
Some people just feel music—it literally comes out of every pore in their body.
It’s not an intellectual thing.
It comes straight from the heart.
And that’s what I felt when I watched that video.”
NF signed to Capital CMG in 2014 becoming the first hip-hop artist on the label.
But just because he is signed to a Christian label does not make him a Christian rapper
and I think we also need to stop with that label and narrative.
Finally, after the deal, he was able to buy a new car.
NF released his self-titled EP in 2014, which hit number 15 on the US rap charts.
The label believed in “Wake Up” so much that they put all of their marketing dollars
towards pushing the song.
And it worked.
The video for the song now has over 22 million views on YouTube.
Every release afterwards continued to beat industry expectations and top his previous
efforts.
Eventually, his single “Let You Down” hit number one on the Top 40 radio charts.
He continued to record with Tommy in his basement.
Tommy produced most of NF’s albums and the two have become an incredible duo.
NF’s albums “Mansion,” and “Therapy Session” helped grow his fan base to massive
numbers so that NF’s 2017 album “Perception” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 200 chart.
NF recently got married to the love of his life after 3 and a half years of dating.
I’m gonna start crying….
Give me a minute.
But for real, I’m so happy for this man, after everything he’s been through, to be
living out his dream with his dream girl and inspiring kids out there with
his words.
It’s incredible to watch.
And there you
have the answer to your question from the beginning of the video.
He struggles with wanting to be happy and grow while still making the same type of emotional
music that his fans love.
But NF, if you’re watching just know that your fans want you to be happy and continue
to grow and I don’t speak for everyone but I know I speak for people who genuinely mess
with you, that they will still be there with you on your journey no matter what.
But as for the rest of the story, well you know it, because this is Before They Were
Famous.
We listen to you guys here so you’ve got to let us know in the comments down below
who to cover next or you can follow me on Instagram and let me know there.
If nobody has told you yet today, I love you.
Dream Good, Live Better, and I’ll see you in another video