The Musical Analysis of Intro III by NF
Intro III was released in 2017, in the U.S., by the rapper NF from his album Perception. Ironically the song starts with an intro of a melancholy cello melody that fades into the lone piano that accompanies the rest of the song. At the start of the piano we are introduced to the main antagonist of the song, Fear. Fear is a major character in this song and makes up a good majority of the lyrics. Fear starts off the song by taunting Nate about his inability to rid himself of his unwanted emotion. Fear continues to tell Nate that he is nothing without fear even saying that Nate without fear is like having blood with no veins. The music crescendos and the accompaniment grows more complex as Nate's anger rises to a peak. Nate was quiet for most of the song while Fear berated him until this peak when he finally tells Fear to keep his mouth shut but Fear continues. The dynamics of the song then change and the fortissimo changes to a surprisingly calm mezzo forte as Fear realizes that Nate is digging a grave. Fear asks “...you don’t really think for a second that you’re putting me in this?” to which Nate replies no and reassures Fear that they will return to the prison of Nate’s mind. Which leads us to my favorite lyrics of the song, Fear says “You had me scared for a second, I thought we were digging my grave” and Nate replies “We did, what, you don’t like being afraid?” which is the turning point in the song and Nate starts to fight back. Fear is silent for the rest of the song which gives me the impression that Fear has been locked out of Nate's mind and Nate is done with it. Intro III is beautifully haunting and I will sit and listen to it every time it plays. It is an enchanting story of a man overcoming his traumas and becoming a better person one step at a time.
NF is a rapper from Gladwin, Michigan who endured a harsh childhood. His parents divorced and his mother dated a man that physically abused him before she passed away from an accidental drug overdose. His music has beat Lil Pump, Chance the Rapper and many others from the number one spot on charts despite not being as well known. Though he doesn’t identify himself as a christian rapper he is influenced by his faith. In an interview with Idolator he stated “ I mean, I am a Christian, but I’m just an artist.” (Wass, 2016). NF, also known as Nate Feuerstein, says that he uses his music as a therapy even naming an album and a song Therapy session. He debuted his first album Moments as an independent artist but later joined the label Xist Music. However, this partnership did not last and his EP NF did not release on time because of a “label dispute with Xist Music that caused them to part ways.” and instead released the EP with CMG. He is an inspiration for many artists and sets a wonderful example on how music should be created.
I could talk for hours about this song and what it means to me but I will try to keep this reasonable. The dynamics starting out soft brings chills to my spine. It makes Fear sound dangerous and sets the tone of his character for the rest of the song. Fear is dangerous as an emotion and I agree wholeheartedly with how he is portrayed in this song. He makes it very clear that Nate will not be rid of him until he dies and is upset that Nate wants to get away from him. NF portrays the relationship between Nate and Fear as an abusive relationship, with Fear even admitting to being controlling. Nate however turns the tables and does kick Fear out of his mind however he hints that he is not completely better because he wants to keep anger. As someone who has lived with Fear before I can relate heavily with this song. I believe that the relationship between the two is an almost perfect reenactment of my own relationship with my Fear. Even the part when Nate says he has to keep anger. As a cellist I appreciate the heavy use of string instruments and the uniqueness of the almost operatic choir. As a fan of the artist I appreciate how he uses his music to better himself and let others, like myself, know that they are not alone. NF is an amazing lyricist and I cannot fathom how he manages to make his music so entrancing. I would encourage anyone and everyone to listen to the rapper because his music helped me through the darkest time in my life and I hope it can do the same for many others.
Wass, Mike. “NF Talks Breakthrough LP 'Therapy Session'.” Idolator, Idolator, 3 May 2016,
“NF Biography, Discography, Chart History.” Top40, top40-charts.com/artist.php?aid=17464.
“Pin by Wølf on NF: Nf Quotes, Nf Rapper, Nf Real Music.” Pinterest, Pintrest,
I can definitely agree that the start of song brings chills to my body and that it sets the tone for the rest of the song. Your description of his song fits perfectly. His words are clearly telling a story and the background sounds bring it all together
ReplyDeleteDude I love this song so much too. NF is amazing, and you did a really really good job of explaining him as a person. It's also cool how his latest releases are following into his struggles in his marriage, it's as if he's allowing us to see all of the struggles in his life as he grows. It's haunting, but also inspiring.
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