Noname is doing things at her own pace and plotting her own path. Since the release of her breakout mixtape Telefone in July of 2016, the 27-year-old rapper has been a chief fixation of hipster indie-heads and rap junkies alike. Her vivid and emotional storytelling paired with poetic sensibility and technical dexterity quickly made her a critical darling. But unlike many suddenly placed on an artistic pedestal, the Chicago native didn’t rush to cash in on her new found social cache. She resisted major label backing and, like a certain one of her Midwestern peers, decided to go it on her own.
This choice, as she told Rawiya Kameir for The Fader, sometimes came at an appreciable financial cost. Despite all this, she has continued to produce great work. Her debut album Room 25 was one of our favorites of 2018.
She has the brought that heat with her into 2019. In January, she released her standalone single, the groovy “Song 31.” In it she puffs her chest out and reflects on what’s she’s done. “Ain’t no labels that’s backing me, but my tickets be sellin’ out / And I’m steady raising my fee, that’s another hit from my fee.” It’s a three-minute celebration of herself and all the other young, black creatives finding independent success.
Her latest single, “Song 32” is a continuation of the party. You can check it out below.
