NF JOURNEY: PAID MY DUES

Song: Paid My Dues

Artist: NF

Wow...what a week it's been. After a mentally draining and awful day yesterday, I had an equally draining and difficult night (not only for emotional reasons but because my cold decided to get 10x's worse). Now I think I may have a mild case of pink eye...😒 I'm congested to the point that I can only breathe through my mouth and the taste of food is muted, I can't seem to stop coughing, my voice sounds nasty and now my eye is red and gunky. Yay. On the bright side, I can spend a lot of the day listening to more NF! 🎉 

On to one of the FINAL songs on the journey...so far. He does have a *BRAND NEW* album dropping in EXACTLY TWO WEEKS from today! The "journey" will continue...hopefully for years to come!

THIS SONG IS 🔥🔥 And also a much needed change of pace from yesterdays...I think this is the fastest I've heard him rap yet! I can't keep up, he's going a mile a minute! 😵 There's a really interesting story behind this song...he released it as a single not long after The Search came out in response to articles and reviews trash talking his NUMBER ONE album! I think this is the article....I was LIVID reading it! 😡 This is soooo typical of Hollywood! They can't stand that a clean, white, Christian guy's album could beat out all of their favorite profanity laced rappers they love to place on a pedestal. It's one (of many) reasons why I love it when NF goes OFF on the industry on tracks like Outcast, Grindin', Returns, etc!! And why I love it when he gets "cocky" in some of his songs...HE DESERVES TO BE COCKY! Since he gets literally ZERO respect in "mainstream" rap. Not that he cares but...he DESERVES it! For more information (and how I came to find out about all of this myself) check out my favorite NF reactors break it down in their video here. I seriously LOVE these guys! They are so well-spoken and have so much love and respect for NF. I agree with everything they have to say...they can express their thoughts and opinions so perfectly! I wish I could steal everything they said in that video and use them as my own thoughts...but that wouldn't be honest. My favorite comment is when they said this was NF's "gentlemanly diss track." 😂👊 It TOTALLY is! And the fact that is slaps so hard, he doesn't use a SINGLE cuss word or gets disrespectful, even acknowledging his own inadequacies, is a testament to his character and other-worldly talent! WE STAN A HUMBLE AND TALENTED KING!! 👑🙇 The whole song is a total "screw you" mic drop and I'm 👏here 👏 for 👏 it! ✋🎤 

THE MUSIC VIDEO IS 🔥🔥🔥😱 THE FREAKING COOLEST!! Gives me Why music video vibes...just amped up! He keeps getting BETTER! Everything he does is just another "level up" from the last one, which was already phenomenal!! The video is a mix of so many throwbacks and Easter eggs I've had to watch it a few times to catch everything (and of course consult the comments section).

HIGHLIGHTS:

• NF SWINGING UPSIDE DOWN BY HIS FEET! So creepy but so cool!
• HE IS LEVITATING... "Wrote this whole record while I was levitating" 🤯OUTRO REFRENCE from Perception album!
• The painted smile from Outcast
• The black balloons from, Why, The Search and Leave Me Alone
• MINUTE MARK 1:05..."Hello" 😂 BUT...DID YOU SEE HIM DRESSED IN WHITE?? WHY?? IS HE WEARING THE WHITE CLOTHING SOMEONE LEFT IN HIS CART AT THE END OF THE SEARCH?? DID HE FINALLY GIVE UP SOME OF HIS BURDENS AFTER ALL AT THE END OF LEAVE ME ALONE?? As you can see, that part 🤯 has me MIND BLOWN!! 
• THE FREAKIN' HAND SHOOTING UP FROM OUT OF THE TOILET HOLDING HIS ALBUM...WHAT?? Is it like, "You're not gonna flush me away! I'm here to stay suckers!" 👊
• MINUTE MARK 1:34 and again at 1:41 😂 WHOO! WHOO! WHOO! All the Nate's poppin' out! All the "WHOO! WHOO! WHOO!" parts are great let's be real 😉 His facial expressions are top notch in this video 👌 He's having fun I'm here for it!
• I don't know why but I really like the part where he's bench pressing his balloons...aka his burdens...that was good metaphor/imagery for me. Those burdens are heavy. 
• I love his delivery and the flow of this entire song...HE'S SO COOL!
• MINUTE MARK 2:24...aggressively smacking his head is so relatable somehow...and then he really takes off!! How can someone say so many words so quickly! 😲😵 He's just showin' off. Also...is he really sitting on top of that telephone pole?? Yikes! 
• MINUTE MARK 3:17-3:30...LOST??? I have a feeling that's a hint for another upcoming song...❗❗ 
• All I wanna say is that I'm SO GLAD I went on this journey so I could make all of these CRAZY COOL connections! Thank you little brother for the advice! I understand it ALL now!! 💕

Clicks, clicks, clicks, they'll do anything to get a few  

Tick, tick, tick, that's the sound before my head explodes

Quit, quit, quit, look at you up on your pedestals

Quick, quick, quick, here the critics come, it's time to go  👊🔥 DESTROY THEM 😈

I read your article, it kinda hurt me

I don't know who hired you

Or what your friends say in your circle

But the fact that you released it

Tells me two things are for certain

They get paid for trashing people

I get paid 'cause I stay working  🔥🔥👊✊💣💥

Drop 'The Search' and

They emerge up outta nowhere

To the surface, just to peep behind the curtain

Throwing salt at all my burdens  🔥🔥

I'm aware I shouldn't give this my attention

Life's a journey, I should just stay on my path

And learn to laugh, you think they heard me?

Ears are burning, put em out

Quiet, quiet, look around

Why don't they find someone way more

Interesting to write about?

Us, we're kinda boring, aren't we?

All we do is whine and pout

It's confusing, so amusing

How I argue with myself

Hello  😂

I spit it with ease so leave it to me

You doubt it, but you better believe

I'm on a rampage, hit 'em, with the record release

Depending the week, I'm probably gonna have to achieve

Another goal, let me go when I'm over the beat

I go into beast mode like I'm ready to feast

I'm fed up with these thieves tryna get me to bleed

They wanna see me take an L, yep, see what I mean?  🔥🔥👊

How many records I gotta give you to get with the program?

Take it for granted, I'm 'bout to give you the whole plan

Open your mind up but take a look at the blueprint

Debate if you gotta, but gotta hold it with both hands

Pick at the bars, you gotta be smart

You really gotta dig in your heart

If you wanna get to the root of an issue

Pursuin' the mental can be dark and be difficult

But the pay off at the end of it can help you to get through it, ay  🔥🙌😭 PREACH

Paid my dues, made it through (woo woo woo)

Spread the news, I'm on the loose (woo woo woo)

Making moves, I need some room (woo woo woo)

Thought we's cool, well, don't assume, don't assume, ay

I'm the truth, oh, they want some proof

Here, don't be rude, something new

Even when I lose, I make it look cool  🔥🔥

Do the show, then we hit the room

Wife is looking, oh

What to do? I don't need the shades up to like the view

It's time to get back in the swing of things

When my life crashes, I'm not the guy that'll flee the scene  🔥👊

I'll take ownership and own it and raise my hand if it's me  🔥

Just remember though, I'm only a man, I'm a human being  😭🙌 YAS

Don't they see, shoot the breeze, I'd rather just stay discrete

People claim they're in your corner but leave you in times of need

They don't listen, do they? (What?) They don't listen to anything

I'll accept advice if it's not presented ignorantly  🔥🔥💣💥✋🎤

Look, costs are high, they multiply

Then cause divides, I'm forced to fight

The poison I've been sipping on has quite the bite

It killed me twice, they rigged the lights

So y'all could see the parts of mine that aren't too bright  

See, often I apologize and authorize the awful times

That pop up (Nate) like I'm right behind you

I'd advise you not to try to climb inside the mind like I do

Keep the rhyme book, expedite it, over-night it

Hold it tight and hope the time is on my side

'Cause if it's not then I'll decide to override my own demise

I tow the line too close and I can improvise and empathize  🔥🔥

But recognize the fact that I could jeopardize and wreck our lives

You better give me your attention, the undivided  👌

Paid my dues, made it through (woo woo woo)

Spread the news, I'm on the loose (woo woo woo)

Making moves, I need some room (woo woo woo)

Thought we's cool, well, don't assume, don't assume, ay

Paid my dues, made it through (woo woo woo)

Spread the news, I'm on the loose (woo woo woo)

Making moves, I need some room (woo woo woo)

Thought we's cool, well, don't assume, don't assume, ay