Noname

Born in Chicago in 1991 as Fatimah Warner, Noname first trained in open mics and slam on the local scene before moving into rap in the early 2010s. From the Bronzeville neighborhood, she developed a writing style closely tied to poetry, with flexible phrasing often close to spoken word, over productions that blend hip-hop, jazz rap and neo-soul. Her visibility expanded in 2013 with her appearance on “Lost” on Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap mixtape, and through collaborations with Chicago artists such as Saba, Mick Jenkins, Jamila Woods and Phoelix. Noname released the mixtape Telefone in 2016, focused on intimate, familial and urban narratives, and the album Room 25 in 2018, recorded after a stay in Los Angeles. After several standalone singles and the formation of the trio Ghetto Sage with Saba and Smino, Noname took a partial hiatus around the turn of the 2020s, alongside the Noname Book Club. She returned with Sundial in 2023. Throughout her career, precise lyricism, political grounding and a subdued musicality remain constant elements.