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."
Song 31
NoName Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All my terrible sense of humor and critical interviews
All my pearly gated redemption and casual afternoons
All this money and law-makin', like racin' against the moon, but
I sell pain for profit and I feel profit watching
Everything is for everything, rhymin' with casualty
I know labels is backing me, but my tickets be selling out
And I'm steady raising my fetus, another hit from the fee
With a bubble coat, turtleneck underneath
Rolling up on the beach, smoking a holy leaf
Laughing, baking, my homie T, hoping joking is all we need
When I sell pain for profit
Now I binge-watch Atlanta
No more TV representation from a Kelsey Grammer
Let's toast to niggas getting checks to work behind the camera
Somebody raise their nana
Truth be told
I wear my heart on my sleeve
Watch you sit it on the shelf
Now my body got cold
I swear we'll never leave
Had to do it for myself
To find my praise
Go, get your weapons out
Real recognize real feeling like real prove
Real buddy-buddy after the trip to the Cancun
Million dollar baby bet you can get to the hands too
Got a pack of wolves ready to damage a full moon
The only bitch actually rapping, it look like me now
A meow, kitty just reimagined a freestyle
Damn flood of niggas still waitin' for me to reach out
We shadowboxing government, hoping they put the leash down
I sell pain for profit, not propaganda
I know cancer's origin linked to Santa
I know Santa's origins linked to money
Mass production of cattle, the slaughtering for the yummy
These niggas is clever, the prison no better
The ghost of the living
We ain't talking about Reggie on Christmas, we almost forget him
What's a casket to a holdin' cell if a nigga ain't in it?
Only reason why I'm steady fadin' and still independent
Truth be told
I wear my heart on my sleeve
Watch you sit it on the shelf
Now my body got cold
I swear we'll never leave
Had to do it for myself
To find my praise
Go, get your weapons out
The first part of the song is about NoName's willingness to dedicate everything to the love of her life. She mentions her sense of humor, interviews, redemption, and other things she holds dear. However, she also acknowledges her role as a profit-making artist, who sells pain as music. She understands the balance between her personal life and her career in music, which is backed by labels, and her concerts sell out.
NoName contrasts her life with the entertainment industry as opposed to the real world. She describes watching television shows and movies, hoping that they will someday accurately represent the world, especially with TV shows like Atlanta that showcase diversity. She also mentions empowering women in the music industry, like herself, who are independent and successful. She addresses the prison-industrial complex and how it affects black people. She concludes with an assertion of her independent spirit and how she will continue to make music that people relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
All my everything is for you
I dedicate my entire being to you
All my terrible sense of humor and critical interviews
Even the parts of me that are flawed, like my bad sense of humor and interviews which have received criticism, are for you
All my pearly gated redemption and casual afternoons
I offer both my religious redemption and my simple everyday moments to you
All this money and law-makin', like racin' against the moon, but
I work hard with both my wealth and legislation, but it feels like an impossible task like racing against the moon
I sell pain for profit and I feel profit watching
I make a profit by selling my own pain and I feel satisfied by the profit I make
Everything is for everything, rhymin' with casualty
Everything I do is meaningful and comes with consequences, even when I write songs effortlessly
I know labels is backing me, but my tickets be selling out
Although record labels support me, my success is proven by how my show tickets constantly sell out
And I'm steady raising my fetus, another hit from the fee
I am consistently nurturing and developing my unborn child, and producing another hit song from the money I earn
Hundred and ten degrees, in the desert heat
With the temperature being very hot, reaching 110 degrees, in the scorching desert heat
With a bubble coat, turtleneck underneath
Wearing warm clothes like a bubble coat and a turtleneck despite the heat
Rolling up on the beach, smoking a holy leaf
I am smoking a joint on the beach, feeling spiritually connected
Laughing, baking, my homie T, hoping joking is all we need
Together with my friend T, we laugh and bake, hoping that laughter and jokes are sufficient for a good time
When I sell pain for profit
I make a profit by selling music that reflects my painful experiences
Now I binge-watch Atlanta
Lately, I’ve been watching the TV show Atlanta for long periods of time
No more TV representation from a Kelsey Grammer
I am no longer interested in TV shows produced and represented by Kelsey Grammer
Let's toast to niggas getting checks to work behind the camera
Let's celebrate Black people earning success by working behind the scenes in the entertainment industry
Somebody raise their nana
Someone please cheer and celebrate their grandmother
Truth be told
To be honest
I wear my heart on my sleeve
I am openly expressive of my emotions
Watch you sit it on the shelf
I see you disregard and ignore my emotions
Now my body got cold
I am feeling emotionally distant and neglected, leaving me feeling ‘cold’
I swear we'll never leave
I promise to never abandon my own emotional well-being again
Had to do it for myself
I had to take care of myself first
To find my praise
In order to receive recognition for my music
Go, get your weapons out
Get ready for the moment that requires initiation or confrontation
Real recognize real feeling like real prove
People with similar experiences understand each other very well
Real buddy-buddy after the trip to the Cancun
Becoming close friends after taking a trip to Cancun together
Million dollar baby bet you can get to the hands too
Even a disadvantaged person has the potential to succeed and earn a substantial income
Got a pack of wolves ready to damage a full moon
I have a group of capable supporters who are prepared to overcome any challenge together
The only bitch actually rapping, it look like me now
I'm the only female rapper who is being taken seriously, and I'm taking the spotlight now
A meow, kitty just reimagined a freestyle
A woman, who was initially seen as harmless, just created an amazing freestyle performance
Damn flood of niggas still waitin' for me to reach out
A lot of people hope to work with me but just expect me initiate the collaboration
We shadowboxing government, hoping they put the leash down
We're discouraged by the government's oversight and hoping for less strict regulations, while feeling like we're in a never-ending battle
I sell pain for profit, not propaganda
I use my painful experiences to create art, without trying to purposely manipulate anyone’s emotions
I know cancer's origin linked to Santa
I understand that cancer likely originates from a particular region of the body, despite it being linked to a character like Santa in popular culture
I know Santa's origins linked to money
The creation of the character Santa Claus was in part motivated by commercial interests
Mass production of cattle, the slaughtering for the yummy
A lot of cows are being bred and killed for food products
These niggas is clever, the prison no better
The complex trap of being jailed disproportionately affects Black communities, as a result of a corrupt justice system
The ghost of the living
The lingering, haunting effects of past injustices on the present
We ain't talking about Reggie on Christmas, we almost forget him
We forget about people like Reggie, who may not have enough money or food to enjoy a proper Christmas, and it becomes an afterthought
What's a casket to a holdin' cell if a nigga ain't in it?
Symbolic death through stigmatization within prison, is no different than actual death.
Only reason why I'm steady fadin' and still independent
Despite the challenges I face, I'm still progressing and staying true to myself as an independent artist.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Fatimah Warner, Michael Anthony Neil
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind