Two years of radio silence from Nathan Feuerstein and now we’re getting FEAR. The Michigan rapper announced his new six-track EP drops 14th November through NF Real Music LLC and Capitol Music Group, his first body of work since HOPE sent shockwaves through the Billboard 200 back in April 2023.
Here’s what we’re getting: “FEAR” (the title track), “HOME”, “WHO I WAS” featuring mgk, “GIVE ME A REASON”, “SORRY” with James Arthur, and “WASHED UP”. Worth noting if you’re a vinyl head or CD collector, the mgk feature won’t be on physical copies. Digital-only. Weird choice but there it is.
The teaser dropped and it’s heavy. That bag-over-head visual from HOPE is back, except this time the mansion’s on fire in the artwork.
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Anyone who’s been following NF since Mansion in 2015 knows he’s been building this mental universe across every project.
The mansion was his mind, those black balloons in The Search were his doubts floating around, and now? Now he’s torching the whole thing.
You don’t need a degree in symbolism to work out what’s happening here. Ten years of living inside that haunted house of a headspace and finally setting it ablaze feels like the logical next step.
Whether the bag represents what’s trapping him or what he’s ready to rip off, we’ll find out soon enough.
HOPE shifted 123,000 equivalent units first week and landed at number two on the Billboard 200 with 80,500 pure sales.
It was NF’s third album to debut at number one on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, also topping the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
The guy’s pulled over 55 billion streams globally, sold more than 1.25 million tickets, and stacked up 62 RIAA certifications (28 Platinum, 34 Gold if you’re counting).
“Let You Down” went eight-times Platinum and still gets played at every house party where someone’s going through it.
What’s wild is NF barely uses social media. No constant posting, no thirst traps, no manufactured beef for streams.
His music does the talking and fans show up regardless. That’s either refreshing or mental depending on how you look at the industry right now.
The mgk collab on “WHO I WAS” is going to split opinion before anyone even hears it. Back in July, mgk was commenting on NF’s posts about new music and people started connecting dots.
Now here we are. Two artists who’ve both been called Eminem knockoffs at some point, both built massive followings outside the traditional system, both get proper defensive about their artistic choices.
Could be brilliant, could be a mess. The thing about NF is he doesn’t really miss though, his ear for production is too good and he’s too paranoid about putting out anything half-arsed.
James Arthur featuring on “SORRY” makes sense when you think about it. Arthur’s built his career on emotionally raw ballads and NF’s been unpacking therapy sessions over beats for years now.
Put them together on a track called “SORRY” and you’re either getting something genuinely affecting or something that tries too hard. There’s no middle ground with a combination like that.
Fans started theorising the moment NF began teasing the 14th November date. Some thought it’d be a lead single, others a full album, maybe just a music video.
The speculation centred on NF continuing the story from HOPE, working through redemption and confrontation, freedom from all those doubts he carries around. That’s the thing with his fanbase, they’re invested in the narrative arc across albums like it’s a TV series.
This is NF’s first EP since his self-titled project in 2014 via Capitol CMG. Eleven years between EPs. When you’ve been dropping albums that consistently chart in the top three, going back to a six-track format is a statement.
Either he’s got exactly six things to say and nothing more, or he’s testing something before committing to another full-length. Knowing how he operates, it’s probably both.
The HOPE rollout was clever from a business standpoint. Virgin Music’s senior VP Cindy James talked about how they treated distribution as an actual partnership rather than just shifting units.
Signed CDs, Target exclusives with posters, deluxe boxed sets, white vinyl, black vinyl, the works. It sold 80,500 physical copies in week one which is basically unheard of in 2023 for a rapper who doesn’t get radio play. Expect the same approach for FEAR because why fix what isn’t broken.
Forbes said NF’s success proves what can happen outside traditional systems, which is nice language for “this dude did it without kissing anyone’s arse”.
No payola for radio spins, no playlist politics, no label showcases. Just music that connects with people who need it. That’s either the future of hip-hop or a complete anomaly depending on who you ask.
Pre-orders are live now at NF’s official store. Digital gets all six tracks, physical gets five. Signed copies are available but they’re limited so don’t sleep on it if that’s your thing.
Clash wrote about HOPE: “This is perhaps his most personal document yet, one that dares to deal with self-doubt and worthlessness in the public gaze”.
If that album was about finding light at the end of the tunnel, FEAR sounds like it might be about sitting in the dark for a bit and working out why you’re scared of your own shadow. The title isn’t subtle. NF’s never been subtle.
14th November. Six tracks. A mansion on fire. After two years and a sold-out global tour, NF’s back to doing what he does best, which is making people feel things they’ve been actively avoiding. No filler, no features for clout, just whatever’s been eating at him since HOPE dropped.
The bag might finally come off. Or maybe it stays on and burns with everything else. We’ll know in two weeks.
Stay locked to neonmusic.co.uk for more on NF’s FEAR EP and the latest hip-hop releases hitting your playlists.
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