The Search (NF album)

The Search is the fourth studio album by American rapper NF. It was released on July 26, 2019, through NF Real Music and Caroline,[2] and was preceded by the singles "Why", "The Search", "When I Grow Up" and "Time".[3] It features a sole collaboration with Sasha Sloan. NF embarked on a North American tour in September and October 2019 in support of the album.[2] Despite receiving mixed reviews from music critics, the album debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming NF's second US No. 1 album. It serves as a follow-up to his 2017 album Perception (2017)

The Search
Studio album by
NF
ReleasedJuly 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
GenreHip hop[1]
Length72:12
Label
NF chronology
Perception
(2017)		 The Search
(2019)		 Clouds (The Mixtape)
(2021)
Singles from The Search
  1. "Why"
    Released: June 18, 2018
  2. "The Search"
    Released: May 30, 2019
  3. "When I Grow Up"
    Released: June 27, 2019
  4. "Time"
    Released: July 12, 2019

Promotion

The album was announced along with the second single and title track, which "express[es] the hard quest [NF has] been on lately in his life with the help of rapid fire rap verses".[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
HipHopDX4.0/5[7]
Pitchfork4.0/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 58 based on 6 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Writing for Pitchfork, Evan Rytlewski described the album as inducing a feeling of powerlessness and questioned how listeners "are supposed to respond to an album that often reads like a suicide note". Rytlewski wrote that NF "spends much of The Search darting in and out of an overbearing rappity-rap snarl-yell" and called his "struggles with mental illness [...] life-threatening", concluding that the album is an "unpleasant ride".[8] Jon Caramanica was more sympathetic in his assessment for The New York Times, considering NF an "objectively strong rapper". However, he described the record as "alternately thrilling and draining" as well as "sometimes vigorous, sometimes exhausting", likening the listening experience to "living inside a snare drum during a marching band's halftime performance", and was critical of the lack of musical and lyrical variation on it.[10][11] Chris DeVille of Stereogum wrote that while "the album's gothic heaviness sometimes suffocates its considerable pop acumen", its theme of struggle against mental health makes it "easy to see why legions of hurting kids gravitate to this music, especially those who reject the nihilism and hopelessness that defines many similar alternatives".[12]

Commercial performance

The Search was initially predicted to debut at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 with 95,000 album-equivalent units, 15,000 units behind Chance the Rapper's debut studio album The Big Day.[13] The Search instead debuted at No. 1 with a larger-than-expected 130,000 units, 22,000 more than Chance the Rapper's album despite its extensive promotion and advantage in the area of streaming. 84,000 of these came from album sales. Its commercial success was aided by strong sales through the iTunes Store, merchandise and bundles through the rapper's web store as well as concert ticket/album sale redemption offers.[14][15][16][17]

Track listing

The digital edition of the album features an edit of "Time" as the 20th track.[18] Credits adapted from Tidal.[19]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Search"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
4:08
2."Leave Me Alone"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Cole Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
5:08
3."Change"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
3:54
4."My Stress"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
4:12
5."Nate"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
5:02
6."Time"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
4:00
7."Returns"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
3:52
8."When I Grow Up"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
3:16
9."Only" (with Sasha Sloan)
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
3:45
10."Let Me Go"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
4:37
11."-Interlude-"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
0:49
12."Hate Myself"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
4:20
13."I Miss the Days"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
4:29
14."No Excuses"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
3:21
15."Like This"
  • Feuerstein
  • David Arthur Garcia
  • Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • David Garcia
  • Walowac
3:27
16."Options"
  • Feuerstein
  • Garcia
  • Cameron Doyle
  • Feuerstein
  • Garcia
  • Cameron Doyle
3:26
17."Why"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Walowac
3:07
18."Thinking"
  • Feuerstein
  • Walowac
  • Feuerstein
  • Walowac
3:12
19."Trauma"
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
4:07
Total length:72:12
Digital bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
20."Time" (edit)
  • Feuerstein
  • Profitt
3:50
Total length:76:02

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[55] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[56] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[57] Platinum 20,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[58] Gold 10,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[59] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 100,000‡
United States (RIAA)[61] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Craft, David (July 26, 2019). "NF "The Search" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  2. Magan, Valerie (June 27, 2019). "NF releases new single "When I Grow Up" off forthcoming LP 'The Search'". Substream Magazine. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  3. Darus, Alex (July 12, 2019). "NF turns back "Time" in heartbreaking new music video". Alternative Press. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  4. "NF Announces New Album & Tour 'The Search': Shares Title Song — Watch". HipHop-N-More. May 30, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  5. "The Search by NF Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  6. Z. Yeung, Neil. "The Search - NF | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  7. McKrell, Aaron (August 13, 2019). "Review: NF Finds Personal Excellence On "The Search"". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  8. Rytlewski, Evan (August 10, 2019). "NF: The Search Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  9. Schwartz, Danny (August 16, 2019). "NF's 'The Search' is a One-Note Depression Symphony". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  10. Caramanica, Jon (August 7, 2019). "NF Has the No. 1 Album in the Country, and He Sounds Miserable". The New York Times. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  11. Carmanica, Jon (August 7, 2019). "Jon Carmanica on Twitter. "will someone give..."". Retrieved August 11, 2019 – via Twitter.
  12. DeVille, Chris (August 8, 2019). "Everything's Coming Up Christian Rap". Stereogum. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
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