#15 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Noname

January 17, 2024 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

Sundial by Noname

Five years can feel very long, or very short. For a kindergartner, five years is a literal lifetime, having gone from an immobile blob to a living, breathing, interacting and fast-moving person. But for the parents of that five-year-old, those first five years can feel like they flew by. Every parent who sends their child off to their first day of kindergarten thinks “Where did my baby go and how did this happen so fast?”

For Fatimah Nyeema Warner, aka Noname, the five years since she released her debut album, Room 25, must have felt extremely long. A lot has happened in that time: She announced a second album, to be named Factory Baby, a year after Room 25 came out, only to formally cancel it a year later;¹ She threatened to retire from music and the spotlight, and started a black- and queer-focused book club; She formed a rap supergroup with Smino and Saba (the latter of whom she collaborated with early on in her career); And she ultimately rededicated herself to her solo career, assembling a fantastic, confrontational, and welcoming second full-length, Sundial.

Noname got her start by falling in love with writing poetry and attending open mics and poetry slams. From there she made the natural movement into freestyle rapping with friends, including Chance the Rapper. Her first recorded appearance was on his second mixtape, Acid Rap, in 2013, and she contributed a verse to a song on his third, the timeless Coloring Book (which I sadly overlooked in 2016). Her first collected solo work was the mixtape Telefone, which came out immediately following that Chance collaboration.

Warner has a command of rhythm and verse unlike no other. While she doesn’t have any music videos I can point you to, you should hit play on her Tiny Desk Concert above. You can also hear a bit of her skill in the short film created about her Sundial Block Party from earlier this year. And then go and put on the full album. I wouldn’t be surprised if you find yourself having listened to it on repeat for the rest of the day.

^{1. She’d grown weary of her fame and frustrated with the (mostly white) demographic that followed her, saying on Twitter, “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.”↩}

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#24 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Noname

January 08, 2019 by Royal Stuart

Room 25 by Noname

I’ve spoken before about the distinct lack of gender parity within my musical tastes; I’ve never had more than ten woman-led acts on any Top 31. And gender is not the only place where the Bacon Review lacks diversity. Without doing a formal count, it looks like I’ve not had more than 20 non-white acts within the entire 10-year run of the Bacon Top 31. Not just in one year, but in all years, combined. The Venn diagram between those two minority representations within the Top 31 is consequently miniscule: I count six women of color across all past Top 31s — Sharon Jones (R.I.P.), Mitski, Grace Love, Beyoncé, FKA Twigs, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes.

For the last few years, I’ve been pushing my musical boundaries, embracing albums that might never have made it into my purview 10, 15, 20 years ago. Enter Chicago’s Fatimah Nyeema Warner, better known by her stage name Noname. Female, African-American, jazz and neo-soul fueled rap is nowhere near my comfort zone. And yet, here we are.

While Room 25 is Warner’s debut, the word “debut” is dubious here. She’s been on the scene since 2013, when she appeared on the second mixtape from Chance the Rapper (whose own 2016 mixtape, Coloring Book, would definitely have been on the Top 31 that year had I only heard it in time — when listening outside of my comfort zone, it can take a little bit longer for the music to reach my ears). Since then, Warner made guest appearances on many people’s own albums, and released her own mixtape in 2016 that I have yet to hear.

Regardless of your musical proclivities, there’s something for everyone on this album. If you’re reading this and you’re a friend of mine, then it’s probably not something you’d normally listen to. But give it a shot — I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

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25. WARM by Jeff Tweedy
26. God's Favorite Customer by Father John Misty
27. Vessel by Frankie Cosmos
28. For Ever by Jungle
29. Twerp Verse by Speedy Ortiz
30. Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo
31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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Regretfully Overlooked in 2016: Chance the Rapper

March 08, 2017 by Royal Stuart

Not only did Chance the Rapper create an amazing album last year (it’s called Coloring Book, and I recommend you go find it and listen to it right now), but he also won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2016. And I didn’t hear the album until January of this year. Whomp whomp.