Henry Nickerson | Co-Editor-in-Chief
If you are a modern hip hop fan and you don’t know who Noname is, it is time to pay attention. Noname has come out with one of the most compelling rap records of the year, and it isn’t the first time she’s done so. Fatimah Warner’s , A.K.A Noname, debut album “Telefone” dropped in 2016 with critical and fan praise; it has since rose to cult status. Before her relevancy, Noname honed her craft in the Chicago spoken-word scene and slowly began transitioning to rap at the age of 16. It wasn’t until her breakout feature on Chance the Rapper’s debut album “Acid Rap” that she started making her debut album, “Telefone”. The Chicago native’s unique flow stood out on the LP, along with her nostalgic and often deeply personal lyricism backed by spacey jazz instrumentals. An extremely Lo-fi project, “Telefone” had an endearing amateurish quality, all the while bringing expert word play and compelling instrumentals. “Telefone” has only grown in popularity since its release. Before this new LP, Noname was still booking festivals and tours for “Telefone”. That is unheard of; most modern hip-hop artists must be prolific to stay relevant. However, “Telefone” provided audience members with an album that could be continually dissected. As “Telefone” slowly obtained cult status, Noname made the decision to return to her hometown to record “Room 25”. Employing the same producer (Pheolix) and the same backing band responsible for “Telefone”, Noname doubled down on her Chicago jazz-rap sound by creating more dense instrumentals and even more personal lyrics all the while retaining her charm.
Noname opens the album with the track “Self”, an ode to critics who suggested “Telefone” was a fluke, “Y’all really thought a b***h couldn’t rap, huh?” Featuring a glimmering jazz instrumental with driving capella vocals, “Self” finds Noname returning to her distinctive flow,
“Mr. Money Man, Mr. Every Day He Got Me
Mr. Wifing Me Down, Mr. Me-Love, Mr. Miyagi
Miscellaneous, Mr. Molly Inside My Sake,”.
Although there were glimpses of political commentary on “Telefone”, there really wasn’t a song that got down to the nitty gritty; “Blaxploitation” takes that role in “Room 25”. “Blaxploitation” is an incredibly dense and dark track that begins with a disturbing sketch about a thieving husband and an emotionally abused wife. Noname drops quotable line after line on this one, touching primarily on the coupling of idolization of black culture and ignorance to the black experience,
“Traded hoodie for hipster, infatuated the minstrel
When we cool, they cool, we die as coon”.
Noname is very selective with her features on “Room 25”, with almost every musician coming from Chicago. Among her most trusted and talented compatriots is Phoelix, who delivers memorable hooks on the tracks “Window” and “Part of Me”. Smino and Saba follow up their “Shadow Man” feature on “Telefone” with banger-slow jam, “Ace”. Smino comes through with one of the best hooks on the album and Saba drops the most relentless and dizzying flow I have heard in some time. “Montego Bae” heavily features Ravyn Lenae in an island-jazz groove, including jumping scat vocals over verses about Noname’s Jamaican lover. Ravyn Lenae carries the beginning half of the song with playful vocal lines and bright delivery.
“Don’t Forget About Me” is a definite highlight on “Room 25”. On the track, Noname raps over a bouncing, stripped down synth instrumental about receiving a fan letter which claims her “Telefone saves lives”. Noname goes on to openly name her vices, suggesting that she couldn’t possibly save lives if she, too, is broken,
“Tell ‘em Noname still don’t got no money
Tell ’em Noname almost passed out drinking
Secret is, she really think it saves lives,”.
The self-aware lyricism which made “Telefone” so endearing shines through in spades on “Don’t Forget About Me”.
A few cuts in the track list, such as “Part of Me”, seriously lack song structure. The lack of any real structure on “Part of Me” and “Noname” can leave some to be desired. However, in tracks such as “Blaxploitation”, Noname delivers a verse so dense and hard-hitting that one can easily overlook its structure.
“Room 25” has made what most people already knew, evident— Noname isn’t going anywhere. Having built off of the seminal “Telefone”, Noname has delivered an intimate and ambitious project that has cemented her place in the genre. Although one gets the sense that she couldn’t care less, Noname will certainly be a household name in the coming months/years in the hip-hop genre.
4.5/5
