NF beats Chance the Rapper with No. 1 album on Billboard chart
Chance the Rapper’s “The New Day” comes second to little-known rapper, NF on Billboard 200’s top rap albums.
Fox News reports that the 28-year-old Michigan native accomplished this feat while making mental health and his struggle with self-acceptance the focal point of the new release.
Billboard indicates that NF earned 130,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. over the past week compared to Chance’s 108,000. Equivalent album units is a measurement used to normalize the streaming and downloading of songs to equal the purchase of one traditional album.
Despite beginning his career in the Christian rap scene -- he signed with Capitol Christian Music Group in 2014 -- NF does not describe himself as a “Christian rapper." The artist told Idolator in 2016 that “I don’t make music for Christians. I make music for everyone.”
He told the outlet his influences include hip-hop artist T-Bone, who he started listening to in his early teens, and later rap superstar Eminem.
"I started listening to Eminem, which you can hear the influence obviously, when I was like 13 or 14," NF, whose real name is Nathan Feuerstein, said. "I pretty much just listened to Eminem for six years. It was pretty much all I listened to and I’m not exaggerating. Every once in awhile I would listen to other artists, but he was such a huge influence."