Concert Review: NF Is A Force To Be Reckoned With At Irving Plaza
Throughout a childhood riddled with tragedy, NF, found solace in music at an early age. Sitting in his parents’ van, he’d write songs for hours, recording freestyle raps on a karaoke machine. At such a young age, he discovered the catharsis and therapy one can undergo when they put their pain to pen. It is his emotional connection to music that gives him a performance prowess that makes him unstoppable.
Many, including myself, often describe people’s performances as “fire” to which NF certainly falls into the category. He brings a quick heat to his words that make him feel like someone has lit a match inside your mind and soul. Like fire, he burns down you attention until it is completely his for the next hour or so of his performance. This explains why NF is the first rapper to be represented by Capitol Records, which mean he must carry some sincere talent and a unique voice for them to find him a worthy venture. Seeing his rather rapid rise as an artist was completely justified after the riveting concert he gave at Irving Plaza on October 24. This Michigan native raps with his heart on his sleeve. While many rappers aim my for a lyrical flow, NF aims for lyrical transparency. You know every intention and emotion behind his words because his raps are not trying to be hit singles, although they are, and his performance is not about being an act. Again, NF sees music as soul’s form of expression, which makes him one of the best rappers to see live.
From his mother’s fatal drug addiction to internal wasteland that poverty can make you feel, NF’s music is a play by play of some of society’s biggest issues. Yet, they were all suffered by one young man whose ardent, artistic goal is to “keep it real”. That term may be “overused” and “undervalued”, but it a genuine motivation for NF, who wishes to convey to audiences the depths of both his pain and resilience. His sophomore album, rightfully titled Therapy Sessions, is a “no holds bar” confrontation with his sordid past decisions, relationships, and overall hurt. This explains why he sings each song with a ferocity and rabidness like a dog released from its chains. This may seem like a lowly, dark image but when you pin up pain for so long and finally release it, that hurt can come off like a dog bursting through to is newfound freedom but filled with confusion and angst over it. Thus, NF raps his tracks like a man that is discovering what it means to let go of a past that has defines you through its pain and challenges.
I walked out of Irving Plaza incredibly impressed by how raw and real NF’s verses are in describing the vast disappointments we can feel when we cannot afford a simple t-shirt or when a mom constantly chooses herself over her children. These scenarios can warp and fragment a mind. Yet, for NF, they formed his talent and initiative to remind the world that Hip Hop, and in musical in general, stems and stimulates the spirit. Click here for more information on NF.
