Fernando Calvillo-Morales
NF's "HOPE" is the artist's latest rap album, released at the end of 2023.
Starting from nobody to becoming somebody, NF released his fifth Studio Album “HOPE” this past April, garnering attention after seeing a massive rise in rankings and viewerships.
NF first teased “HOPE ” early in 2023, four years after “The Search ” (released in 2019) and the “Clouds” mixtape (released in 2021). The album reached the number two spot on the Billboard 200 charts, just behind Morgan Wallen’s album “One Thing At a Time”, back in April.
The project additionally reached number 1 in Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop category, making “HOPE”, NF’s third album to do so.
NF does not see himself as a typical Christian; his music does not end with a happy ending, and he most music sites declare his music is similar to that of Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and J Cole. Despite this, NF never fails to mention God all throughout his music. His faith leads him to often rap about serious topics, such as his mother’s drug overdose, suicide, mental issues, trauma, the trials and tribulations that he actually endured.
“HOPE” is heavily recommended to those who enjoy rappers such as Eminem, Logic, Joyner Lucas, and J. Cole, even those who may listen to Hopsin.
NF’s conscious thought to rap without swearing or using vulgar language to get his message across is something that the rap industry has hardly (if ever) seen from a modern rapper.
With his aggressive raps, and his rapid fire flow, along with his ability to squeeze dense rhymes in such a short time frame is unique, NF himself feels like his music is “real”: he raps about topics that are most sensitive to him.
“HOPE” features three singles: the title track, “Motto”, and “Happy”, all with beats that smash most of the competition and a flow that rivals rivers. The album showcases how much NF has grown since his debut album “Moments”.
“HOPE” is an album that deserves a Grammy Award, even if NF does not want one. The album not only suggests his personal growth, with NF escaping label and industry expectations, but it also displays his trust in faith, asking God to hear him out after not calling out to Him in years. NF really outdid himself this year, with “HOPE” being the most powerful, beautiful, and realest album to drop in the 21st century.