Noname (born Fatima Warner) hails from Chicago, IL. She is a poet and hip-hop recording artist. While she has been performing since 2010, it was in 2013 when she appeared on Chance the Rapper’s mixtape Acid Rap, that brought her into the limelight.
Full disclosure, I was not hip to Noname until she was booked for MPMF. That is the beauty of MPMF, discovering new favorites. Once I got acquainted, I was hooked. Her lyrics are often bleak and sad, but placed over a light production. She is a force that commands respect in the hip-hop community and beyond.
Noname has described her performance as, “I kind of talk in like, scramble-think, so hopefully you guys follow it.” Noname released her first mixtape Telefone in July of 2016. The album centers on conversations she has had over the telephone over the years. Her rap speaks to black woman’s pain and the struggles of growing up in Chicago.
Noname is playing MidPoint Music Festival on Sunday, September 24th on the Central Park YMCA Stage (Taft Theatre) at 8:15.