Noname Performs on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series

This past year, Chicago rapper Noname—born Fatimah Warner—appeared on NPR’s list of the top 50 albums of 2016 for her debut Telefone.  The album features fellow hip-hop artists Raury, Saba, Smino, and more. Telefone employs bright melodies and bouncy rhythms to ease the pain of Noname’s darker subject matter embedded in her lyrics. But what is overwhelmingly true about Noname’s Telefone is the love put into it. Love of rap, Noname’s community, her family, and the city of Chicago.

Noname has been on tour since the end of 2016. She will conclude her first ever tour this month in Asheville. In addition to stopping over to perform in D.C, Noname and her bandmates dropped by NPR to perform a Tiny Desk Concert, one which nearly didn’t happen because of tour sickness. But leave it to Noname to persevere, to put a smile on while her often melancholy lyrics dance and surf over bright, colorful production.

Noname is definitely one of the best new rappers we’ve seen from the past couple of years. It helps that she’s been a frequent collaborator with Chance the Rapper, who featured her on both Acid Rap and Coloring Book, not to mention bringing her up on stage for his SNL performance of “Finish Line”.  But her ascension to the top was due to her talent and wit. We’re excited for everything this incredible artist is going to do in her lifetime. And if you haven’t experienced the genius of Telefone, we suggest checking it out on Soundcloud or Spotify.

Here is the setlist for Noname’s lovely, heartfelt performance in NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series. Check out the video below.

1. “Diddy Bop”
2. Medley (“Reality Check,” “Casket Pretty,” “Bye Bye Baby”)
3. “Yesterday”