Yesterday, my husband and I had a date at our office, during which he explained the origin story of NF, a rap artist who has vulnerably shared his struggle with mental health for the past eight years through world-building over a series of albums. I was blown away by the courage of this creative man, who has used his gift of music and his pursuit of authenticity to give a voice to the hurting.

Below is a video journey through his last five (?) albums, which show the progression of his mental health. It starts out very angry, but over time, he gets on a trajectory towards wholeness because somewhere after album three, he began pursuing healing! I hope that his creativity gives my audiences insight into the torment of trauma as well as the journey to wholeness. If you know someone who can benefit from this insight, please share.

Original Trauma

Ever since his mother overdosed from pain pills when he was a small child, he has struggled with mental health. Being a child of an addict is traumatizing enough, but losing that parent to overdose as a small child is doubly so!

Self-awareness

He gained awareness of and gave a voice to the anger and fear with which he struggled every day. This is an important step on the path to healing.

His vulnerable sharing of his personal struggles led to the building of a fan base full of similarly hurting people. Below, he raps about how difficult it is to meet so many kids whose pain is the same as his own—especially because his pain is not yet healed.

Ultimately, he shows himself rotating through several scenes (most likely traumatized child parts stuck in memories). His message is that he is overwhelmed by the anger and rage inside that don’t seem to dissipate no matter what he does.

Taking Responsibility

In the next album, he begins taking his power back by realizing that although he did not cause his core traumas, he is still responsible for healing them. He is in his own jail cell, and he has the cell keys.

He imagines what life without healing might be like. (And this son goes viral.)

He asks the question that all hurting people ask: why?

Mental Breakdown

He has a mental breakdown, where he is diagnosed with OCD. He launches into his healing journey and begins getting therapy.

He struggles with fame plus vulnerability plus trying to get better.

He acknowledges he doesn’t have a way out of his predicament.

Breakthrough

Seven days ago, he released this video and song and—as of tonight—it has garnered 7.3 million views because it is his first message of hope!!! He has finally found the map to getting out of the pain in his life and is choosing to give Hope the reigns instead of fear.

I hope that this series of videos can illuminate what it can be like to be stuck in the victimhood of trauma, then gain personal power over the responsibility to heal yourself with God, which gives you enough strength to have a breakdown, which launches you into your healing journey, ultimately towards a breakthrough!

May we all create art, music, products, services, and communities with the courage of NF.