Multi-platinum rapper NF, whose full name is Nathan John Feuerstein, just dropped his brand new and inspirational single titled “HOPE.” The song is the lead single and title track for his upcoming album, which is due out in the spring.
The five-minute song, split up into two parts, finds NF touching on topics of fatherhood, faith, healing, and overcoming battles within oneself. He shares a message to trust your gut and rely on being authentic as well as holding onto the best parts of who you are.
The second part of “HOPE,” however, finds him at war with himself as he desperately tries to be a voice of reason without having to surrender to who he once was.
“I done did things that I regret / I done said things I can’t take back / Was a lost soul at a crossroad who had no hope, but I changed that / I spent years of my life holdin’ on to things I never should’ve kept, full of hatred / Years of my life carryin’ a lot of baggage that I should’ve walked away from,” the Michigan native explains in the first part of the song.
“Thirty years of running, thirty years of searching / Thirty years of hurting, thirty years of pain / Thirty years of fearful, thirty years of anger / Thirty years of empty, thirty years of shame,” he raps in the second half of the track. “You’ll never evolve, I know I can change / We are not enough, we are not the same / You don’t have the heart, you don’t have the strength / You don’t have the will, you don’t have the faith / You’ll never be loved, you’ll never be safe / Might as well give up, not running away / You don’t have the guts, you’re the one afraid / I’m the one in charge / I’m taking the— (No) / I’m taking the / Reins.”
Sonically, the track features a dramatic build beginning with plucky piano chords and segueing into staccato stringed instruments and a pulsing echo of voices in the background as NF uses his vocal talents to spit lyrics.
In celebration of his latest release, NF debuted the music video for the song. The opening scene of the clip directed by Feuerstein with collaborator Patrick Tohill, shows NF appearing on a wooden raft while surrounded by a large body of water. He appears to wrestle with his demons as he finds his way onto shore and later is pushed down into an abandoned home. He later appeared looking lost on the top of a mountain as he reflected on his past self.
The clip also features NF’s past as he wanders throughout a mansion and enters different rooms. Each room features a different version of himself in different eras of his musical career and life.
NF took to Instagram on Thursday (Feb.16) to unveil the artwork for his single, as well as the tracklisting for the project, and to announce the drop date of his forthcoming release.
“NEW ALBUM HOPE OUT APRIL 7,” he simply captioned alongside the cover artwork, which shows him positioned in the middle of an ocean while on a makeshift wooden raft.
Along with his latest message on social media, “Hope” finds NF taking an up-front approach to announce his next album, as he states in the rapid-fire lyrics, “So without further ado / I’d like to introduce my my album, my album, my album, my album, my album, my album / HOPE.”
HOPE will be NF’s fifth album following projects, The Search, Perception, Therapy Session, and Mansion. The new project, which also follows Clouds (The Mixtape), will feature 13 tracks as well as collaborations with Julia Michaels on a song called “GONE” and with rapper Cordae on a track called “CAREFUL”
See below to view the full track listing to NF’s upcoming album, HOPE.
- HOPE
- MOTTO
- CAREFUL (w/ Julia Michaels)
- MAMA
- HAPPY
- PANDEMONIUM
- SUFFICE
- GONE (w/CORDAE)
- BULLET
- TURN MY BACK
- MISTAKE
- LET EM PRAY
- RUNNING
