Whenever I introduce someone new to Noname, they all have the same reaction. A slow head bop, a foot tap, and a series of words that follow something along the lines of, “This is gooood,”.
Noname, hip-hop artist and rapper came out with her new album Sundial on august 11th 2023. “Sundial is a call to a casual renaissance of revolution-driven storytelling on hip-hop albums, sonic upheavals that use the comeback narrative for momentum.” says Harmony Holiday, a writer for NPR music.
She, although having nearly one million monthly listeners, didn’t grow up listening to hip hop or rap. “ I listened to some things like I listened to Kanye just because of Chicago. But I grew up with my grandparents, so I ended up listening to a lot of what they listened to.” said Noname in an interview.
Sundial pushes against social norms in a fun and creative way. The Pitchfork says “With her loopy, shapeshifting flow and gentle, dynamic voice, Noname uses her sense of humor to seamlessly thread together everyday reflections with anti-imperial ideology.” I couldn’t agree more. In her music she addresses Eurocentric beauty standards, plus, how they affect the black community.
#4 “gospel?(feat. $ilkmoney, billy woods, &STOUT)” This upbeat blend of voices talks about the power of fighting for what you belive in, and the joy of seeing that change happening. I loved this one for a variety of reasons. Noname always comes in clutch when it comes to making amazing beats. The music of this song is so good it continues to shock me every time I listen to it.
#3 “toxic” `When I heard this song for the first time I had to hit the replay button at least 3 times. One of her lyrics read, “My house illuminates, I done cleared out the past tense I don’t need your bad, bad I can do bad all by my lonely,”Oh my god. Words can’t describe how much I love the words she speaks but these might just be my favorite.
#1”black mirror” Being the first in the album and the first song I played, I might be biased when someone asked me about black mirror. The light and almost mystical rhythm immediately caught my attention. Amazing music aside, Noname explores not only self and identity, but also societal pressures in this song that translate in such a beautiful way.
Each one of Nonames albums are amazing in their own, funky and beautiful way. I love how Sundial reaches beyond music itself and uses rap to start conversations about a variety of topics. Noname’s music isn’t just music, it’s a whole new way of blending hip hop, r & b and instrumentals. I highly recommend listening to it!
