NF Is a Rapper Counselors Can Get Behind

As parents, you might find yourself frequently worrying about the way popular media affects the mental health of your children as they move into their teenage years. Negative messaging isn’t hard to find, but it can be specifically concerning in music. The popular tunes of today’s younger generation are heavily saturated with rap music that doesn’t always express the kinds of thoughts and goals we want our children to have. However, there is one rapper that might be easier for parents to get behind.

Nathan John Feuerstein (better known as NF) is rapper, but he’s not the stereotype you might immediately think of. One of the biggest things that sets him apart from others in the genre is that he speaks openly about his struggles with mental health and attending therapy. And despite not identifying himself as a Christian artist, he talks openly about his faith and the role it plays in managing his mental health. This isn’t something you usually find in rap songs, and the positive response to his music shows that it’s something teens and adults alike crave more of.

Why I Love NF and His Music

What has always impressed me about NF is the raw emotion in his songs. He admits that everything is not okay, which is something that many people struggle to accomplish. NF does not brag about how cool he is or how much money he has, and I believe this is one of the reasons that people respond to his messages. Another band who has experienced success writing songs that talk about raw emotion, humility and honesty is Twenty One Pilots. I wrote an article about the song Car Radio, and how I was impressed with the way they faced and moved through their emotions.

As counselors, we want to help people move through and face their emotions. In “The Search” NF raps about OCD, struggle, the difficulty that fame has brought, a lack of “me time” and even admits to having a breakdown. He fully admits to the fact that he goes to therapy. This is one reason that so many teenagers today are connecting with him. Many teenagers are under pressure and are struggling, and they connect with his honesty and realness. When I was growing up, music was either happy, sappy or bragging about their lives. I love how real NF is in his music.

How NF Can Help You as a Parent

Parents can be scared of music like NF’s for a variety of reasons. Parents are often scared of addressing uncomfortable emotions with their children. As a parent, the best thing that you can do is to become comfortable with your kid being uncomfortable. We do our children a disservice when they are having a rough time and we simply try to fix it.  We need to allow them to vent and share negative feelings such as fear, shame and pain. Creating a home where it is safe for them to come to you is important, because they will talk to you if you do. Simply trying to fix everything does not give them the image that you are a safe person to talk to. Let your kids listen to music, but do not be oblivious to what they are listening to. Show them that you are interested in what they are interested in. Invite conversations about the tough emotions everyone struggles with, and share times where you have felt those same emotions in your life.

It is important to look further than just the surface. While NF sounds like an angry rapper off the bat, looking deeper will show that he is a Christian who is trying to share his struggles with the world. That is how he is connecting with such a large audience. Looking at it from a mental health standpoint, there are many ways that he is facing and moving through his emotions. His music makes me think of Ecclesiastes 7:3 which says, “sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.”

Feeling your emotions is the way to heal. He has the humility to go in front of thousands and thousands of people and share his struggle. The more adults influence children by showing vulnerability and normalizing mental health, the better. I appreciate any artist who comes out and normalizes mental health issues. There are so many kids struggling with mental health, and hearing someone else dealing with those issues helps children feel normal and not like an outcast. If you are struggling with feeling like you are not normal, or want more tips on connecting with your children, we are here to help.