Noname released her debut mixtape, Telefone, on July 31, 2016. Her debut album, Room 25, was released on September 14, 2018. She is member of the trio Ghetto Sage, with Smino and Saba.
Noname's interest in poetry led her to compete in local open mics and slam poetry competitions; she placed third place in Chicago's annual Louder Than a Bomb competition. Noname then started to freestyle rap with friends, collaborating with local Chicago artists including Chance the Rapper, Saba, Mick Jenkins, and Ramaj Eroc.
In 2013, she appeared on Chance the Rapper's second mixtape, Acid Rap, contributing a verse to the track "Lost" where she sang the chorus to the song as well as her own verse. She later contributed a verse for the song "Finish Line/Drown" from Chance the Rapper's 2016 mixtape Coloring Book. In December 2016, she appeared with Chance the Rapper on Saturday Night Live. She announced her first tour on November 13, 2016.
In 2014, she was featured on Mick Jenkins' mixtape The Waters, contributing to the track "Comfortable". In 2015, she was featured on multiple tracks from Kirk Knight's album Late Knight Special.
Noname first used the stage name "Noname Gypsy", which she chose as a teenager when she was transitioning from poetry to music, believing "gypsies were very nomadic, just not about staying in one space for a long time". In March 2016, she removed "Gypsy" from her stage name after learning of its racial connotation, saying she was unaware of the negative connotations of the term "gypsy" and did not want to offend Romani people. In a 2016 interview with The Fader, she explained her current stage name, following the change:
"I try to exist without binding myself to labels. I’m not really into labels at all, even the way I dress; I usually don't wear anything with a name brand. For me, not having a name expands my creativity. I’m able to do anything. Noname could potentially be a nurse, Noname could be a screenwriter. I’m not limited to any one category of art or other existence, on a more existential level."
Noname released her first mixtape, Telefone, on July 31, 2016, after three years production. Telefone was Noname's method of publicizing her new stage name, through songs presented as open-ended telephone conversations. The album is centered around important telephone conversations that Noname has had. Her rap speaks of black women's pain and also highlights the struggles of growing up in Chicago. The album was originally released as a free download on Bandcamp, and then on vinyl in September 2017.
Rolling Stone wrote it was one of 2016's "most thought-provoking hip-hop." Stereogum wrote that Noname possessed "a potency and urgency in her complicated, spoken word-esque cadences and subdued delivery that escapes many of her more animated peers." Consequence of Sound wrote that "the louder her music is played, the brighter her cadence glows, giving her lyrics a type of 3D craft that makes Telefone a diary of lessons too relevant to keep to yourself."
In October 2016, Noname and fellow Chicago resident Saba collaborated to produce "Church/Liquor Store", a song that explores the Westside of Chicago where liquor stores sit directly next to places of worship. Noname critiques the gentrification of the neighborhood and the erasure of crime believed to accompany it.
In August 2018, Noname announced that her second album, Room 25, would be released in the fall of 2018. The album, which took approximately one month to record, chronicles the two years since the release of Telefone, during which she moved from Chicago to Los Angeles, and had a short romantic relationship.
Noname compared her maturity on Room 25 to Telefone, saying "Telefone was a very PG record because I was very PG. I just hadn't had sex." Unlike Telefone, Room 25 was created due to a financial obligation. Noname said in an interview, "It came to a point where it was, like, I needed to make an album because I need to pay my rent. I could've done another Telefone tour, but I can't play those songs anymore. Like, I could, but I physically hate it because I've just been playing them for so long." Noname paid for the entire album herself using money from touring and guest appearances on Chance the Rapper projects.
The album was released on September 14, 2018. El Hunt of NME described the album as "flawless" and "smartly constructed and laced with intricate subtlety." Rolling Stone said Noname was "One of the best rappers alive" and included her on a list of "Artists You Need to Know". Pitchfork designated Room 25 as "Best New Music" and wrote that it is "a transcendent coming-of-age tale built around cosmic jazz and neo-soul, delivered by a woman deeply invested in her interiority and that of the world around her." PopMatters said the album was "vintage neo-soul and future rap hand in hand; a soulful sanctuary for those turned off by the austerity of mainstream mumble rap". She performed a three-song medley of "Blaxploitation," "Prayer Song," and "Don't Forget About Me" from the album in her solo television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 17, 2018.
On May 15, 2019, Noname announced that her upcoming second studio album would be titled Factory Baby. In November of that year that she said she was quitting music, and expressed frustration with her predominantly white audience. She went on to say that the demographics of her fanbase made her want to quit music: "I refuse to keep making music and putting it online for free for people who won’t support me. If y'all don't wanna leave the crib I feel it. I don't want to dance on a stage for white people."
Shadow Man
NoName Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How do you love me?
How to do you remember me?
Amaurotic nightingale
I hope that darkness keeps you well
When I can't fall asleep at night
I blindly taught myself to fight
Aw shadow man shadow box, please keep your hands up
Bless the nightingale
Darkness keep you well
Bless the nightingale (I pray it keep you well)
Darkness keep you well
Shadow man shadow box, dance in the dark with me
This resurrected agony there's apathy for caskets
Everything I ever loved I lost in the magic
I claim by the river, my body delivered
When I die there's 27 rappers at my funeral
Moses wrote my name in gold and Kanye did the eulogy
Remember all the bashfulness, understand the truancy
Here I stand in front of a college dropout
My music was a church when my spirit hopped out
Met a gypsy in LA and she reading my palm tree
Mysterious situation like kissing the concrete i.E getting money
I been close to heaven
Baby claim he love me, hold me down forever
I never should have bought this halo
He waiting for me at his table
My funeral a Disney fable
Cause the king bout to take me home
Preach, church, tabernacle, Tallahassee sunshine
Southern is my bloodline we know it'll come time to go
And though I leave like alumni
I'm lying like a lullaby and quiet like my tongue tied alone
Bury me in satin, tell the pastors say the
Sad shit same class with the whole first row
And if ashes turn to ashes then I'm back in my
First form with a dust storm with a corner and coke
Morbid or late, Lord give Lord take
Viva la muerte, mortal man
Less love, more hate
More like mortician, we meet our fate
Funeral home lookin like a home that I used to live in
You wasn't supposed to go so soon I took it for granted
Maybe we'll meet the next life, maybe another planet
Open my soul but then it'll end with an open casket
Uh ay
Tippy toe on a tightrope
Leaning on green and it gon be a dice roll
I'm feenin a feline who mindset Afeni
I got two packs for us
Gold on my gumline done got rich off my tongue
Sticky dro in the tight roll
Cleaning my grievances
As a lil' heathen I
Sat pledge allegiance out
Never believed in yall
System I needed more
And I done went Figaro with the finger roll
Landed wrong split my head, start leaking songs
And I'm worser than they worst, they make a nigga live forever
Flock with them birds, my heart stay lighter than a feather
It's gon be niggas boomin' at my funeral
Tell em play Metro Boomin' at my funeral
St. Louis taught me death could be your neighbor, stay away
Don't take the family for granted better days await
Bless the nightingale, darkness keep you well
The lyrics of "Shadow Man" by NoName are deep and introspective, with the artist reflecting on love, loss, and mortality. The opening lines "How do you see me? How do you love me? How do you remember me?" express a desire for connection and understanding, with NoName seeking validation and recognition from those around her. She then goes on to reference a "amaurotic nightingale," a bird that is blind or impaired in some way, symbolizing vulnerability and fragility. NoName hopes that this metaphorical darkness will keep the nightingale safe, as she herself struggles to fall asleep at night and fights her own inner demons.
The chorus of "Bless the nightingale, darkness keep you well" is a haunting refrain that reinforces this sense of vulnerability and protection. The second verse of the song delves deeper into NoName's musings on mortality, referencing her future funeral and the legacy she hopes to leave behind. She name-drops famous rappers like Kanye West and Tupac Shakur, imagining her own funeral as a larger-than-life event where her music and memory will be celebrated.
The final verse of the song returns to themes of loss and love, with NoName reflecting on the importance of cherishing those around us and not taking them for granted. The line "St. Louis taught me death could be your neighbor, stay away" is a poignant reminder that life is fragile and fleeting, and that we should value each moment we have with those we love.
Overall, "Shadow Man" is a deeply personal and introspective song that explores themes of love, loss, and mortality. Through powerful metaphors and evocative imagery, NoName crafts a poetic meditation on the human experience and the struggle to find meaning in the face of our own impermanence.
Line by Line Meaning
How do you see me?
Questioning how one is perceived by others.
How do you love me?
Questioning how one is loved by others.
How to do you remember me?
Questioning how one is remembered by others.
Amaurotic nightingale
A blind but beautiful bird symbolizing innocence.
I hope that darkness keeps you well
Wishing that one stays safe and protected during hard times.
When I can't fall asleep at night
When one is unable to rest or find peace.
I blindly taught myself to fight
Having to learn how to deal with struggles on one's own.
Aw shadow man shadow box, please keep your hands up
Encouraging oneself to keep fighting through difficulties.
And if you get knocked down don't forget to stand up
Encouraging oneself to persevere through challenges.
Bless the nightingale
Wishing safety and protection for innocence.
Darkness keep you well
Wishing safety and protection for one in times of darkness.
Shadow man shadow box, dance in the dark with me
Inviting the darkness to dance and face difficulties together.
This resurrected agony there's apathy for caskets
Enduring pain that feels like being reborn, with no energy left for mourning.
Everything I ever loved I lost in the magic
Lamenting how the things that once made life magical are now gone.
I claim by the river, my body delivered
Finding peace and fulfillment in nature.
When I die there's 27 rappers at my funeral
Anticipating the number of people that will mourn one's passing.
Moses wrote my name in gold and Kanye did the eulogy
Humorous references to famous figures potentially being present and involved in the funeral.
Remember all the bashfulness, understand the truancy
Looking back on one's own shyness and absence in moments that mattered.
Here I stand in front of a college dropout
Acknowledging one's own success despite not following traditional paths.
My music was a church when my spirit hopped out
Describing how music has been a spiritual outlet for one.
Met a gypsy in LA and she reading my palm tree
Encountering someone mysterious who reads fortunes.
Mysterious situation like kissing the concrete i.E getting money
Comparing getting money to a difficult and unpredictable situation.
I been close to heaven
Feeling close to death or transcendence.
Baby claim he love me, hold me down forever
Trusting that one's partner will always be there to support them.
I never should have bought this halo
Feeling like one doesn't deserve good things and questioning their own worth.
He waiting for me at his table
Imagining a loved one waiting for one in an afterlife.
My funeral a Disney fable
Humorously imagining one's own funeral as a fairytale-like story.
Cause the king bout to take me home
Imagining being reunited with a royal figure in the afterlife.
Preach, church, tabernacle, Tallahassee sunshine
Listing off things that are important and meaningful to one.
Southern is my bloodline we know it'll come time to go
Acknowledging one's roots and the inevitability of death.
And though I leave like alumni
Leaving like those who came before and graduated.
I'm lying like a lullaby and quiet like my tongue tied alone
Being quiet and saying nothing when feeling alone.
Bury me in satin, tell the pastors say the
Imagining a glamorous funeral and being buried in luxurious fabric.
Sad shit same class with the whole first row
Expecting loved ones to mourn together in a front row.
And if ashes turn to ashes then I'm back in my
Imagining one's remains becoming one with nature.
First form with a dust storm with a corner and coke
Imagining one's remains being blown away in the wind.
Morbid or late, Lord give Lord take
Reflecting on the randomness and unpredictability of life.
Viva la muerte, mortal man
Celebrating death and one's own humanity.
Less love, more hate
Feeling overwhelmed by negative emotions.
More like mortician, we meet our fate
Feeling powerless in the face of death.
Funeral home lookin like a home that I used to live in
Finding discomfort in how familiar a funeral home feels.
You wasn't supposed to go so soon I took it for granted
Regretting not cherishing loved ones until it's too late.
Maybe we'll meet the next life, maybe another planet
Hoping for reunion in another life or place.
Open my soul but then it'll end with an open casket
Being vulnerable can lead to being hurt and potentially dying.
Tippy toe on a tightrope
Balancing precariously through life.
Leaning on green and it gon be a dice roll
Trusting luck to make it through difficult times.
I'm feenin a feline who mindset Afeni
Desiring a sense of power or control like the character 'Afeni'.
I got two packs for us
Having the resources to make it through hard times.
Gold on my gumline done got rich off my tongue
Making money through one's music.
Sticky dro in the tight roll
Describing smoking marijuana.
Cleaning my grievances
Coping with past grudges and resentments.
As a lil' heathen I
Describing oneself as mischievous or rebellious.
Sat pledge allegiance out
Questioning political loyalty and patriotism.
Never believed in yall
Feeling disillusioned and disconnected from others.
System I needed more
Feeling like a system is lacking.
And I done went Figaro with the finger roll
Exuding confidence and skill.
Landed wrong split my head, start leaking songs
Experiencing a traumatic injury and being inspired by the experience.
And I'm worser than they worst, they make a nigga live forever
Feeling like one's own struggles are never-ending while others continue on.
Flock with them birds, my heart stay lighter than a feather
Feeling free and unburdened despite being surrounded by difficult people.
It's gon be niggas boomin' at my funeral
Expecting a rowdy, wild funeral.
Tell em play Metro Boomin' at my funeral
Requesting a particular artist to be played at one's funeral.
St. Louis taught me death could be your neighbor, stay away
Recognizing and fearing death as a constant presence.
Don't take the family for granted better days await
Hoping for a better future and valuing family in the meantime.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: CAMERON DUANE OSTEEN, CHRISTOPHER JR SMITH, FATIMAH WARNER, MICHAEL ANTHONY NEIL, TAHJ CHANDLER, ZARIF WILDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind