The American hip-hop scene is a gift that keeps on giving. It’s a rich tapestry of styles, influences, and rivalries, stretching from the East Coast to the West, developing over countless decades, and, in many cases, bridging the social, cultural, and ethnic gaps in this great nation. That’s why it comes as no surprise that a white kid from Michigan, known for his machine-gun fire delivery, has become such a phenomenon in such a short time. We’re talking, of course, about Nathan Feuerstein, better known as NF. Were you expecting Eminem?

The Voice of a New Generation

We’re not kidding about the comparison between NF and Eminem. Their styles are eerily similar, with the younger NF obviously finding Marshall Mathers a huge influence in his own work. But NF is an individual that’s still vastly different than the Real Slim Shady, making a name for himself, surprisingly, on a number of Christian music labels. Feuerstein says that while he’s a Christian, he doesn’t specifically write “Christian music,” though he’s won two Gospel Music Association Dove Awards both in 2016 and 2017 for best hip-hop album and best hip-hop song respectively. Still, NF insists he’s just writing songs about his own experiences, hoping that they resonate with others in ways that reach them.

Fast, Fierce, and On the Way Up

NF burst on the scene in 2014 to take the world of hip-hop by storm, and it’s not just because he’s got an attractive rhyming style. Feuerstein has achieved plenty of mainstream success, considering how you’ve probably heard his tracks laid down over Madden NFL 2016, a trailer for Apex Legends, and as part of the soundtrack for a bunch of network television shows. He’s poppin’, as the kids say, and that means you’ll be seeing him coming by on tour to your neighborhood before you know it.