Tunesday: Noname NPR Tiny Desk
Photo by NPR Music
Happy Tunesday!
I’ve mentioned NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series a couple times before and I’m going to continue doing so because more often than not they’re amazing. Yesterday’s edition featuring Noname was no exception. She came to perform with her full band and they all sound phenomenal. What truly makes this concert special though is how personal it is. Granted they are all crammed into a small space, but Noname’s genuine and down-to-earth personality make you feel as though you’re in the room with them. She also provides insight into the songs she performs, which further engages listeners and makes you feel as if you truly know her. Watch the concert here.
If you’re just listening to the Chicago-based rapper, whose real name is Fatimah Warner, for the first time then here are a few spark notes about her:
- She grew up listening to blues musicians
- She was very interested in writing poetry and participated in various open mics and slam poetry competitions. This comes through in her work as it sounds a little more like artistic spoken-word then traditional rapping.
- She’s good friends with Chance the Rapper and was featured on the song ‘Lost’ off his Acid Rap mixtape – her verse on the track is what captured my attention and left me wanting more.
- She released her first mixtape, Telefone, last July.
- She’s also been featured on tracks with J. Cole, Jeremih, Smino, Saba and Mick Jenkins
Noname will also be performing at the 10th anniversary of San Francisco’s Outside Lands music festival this August. If you haven’t seen the lineup yet, check it out below. I was pretty impressed to be honest.
Photo by SF Outside Lands