Noname (rapper)

Fatimah Warner, better known by her stage name Noname,^[1] is an American hip hop recording artist and poet from the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. She has been rapping and performing slam poetry in Chicago since 2010.^[2] In 2013 she gained wider recognition and acclaim following her appearance on the track "Lost" from Chance the Rapper's mixtape Acid Rap.^[3]

Noname released her first mixtape, Telefone, on July 31, 2016.

Biography and career

Noname grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago, listening to blues musicians Buddy Guy and Howlin' Wolf from an early age.^[4] As a teen she spent time in the YOUMedia project - a space for young artists to create and network, then based in the Harold Washington Library. Here she befriended many local talents, including a young Chance the Rapper. Her interest in poetry led her to compete in local open mics and slam poetry competitions; she placed third in Chicago's annual Louder than a Bomb competition.

Noname gradually turned her talents to freestyle rapping with friends. In 2013 she appeared on Chance the Rapper's second mixtape, Acid Rap, contributing a verse to the track "Lost".^[5] The following year she was featured on Mick Jenkins' mixtape The Water[s], contributing to the track Comfortable.^[6] She is featured on amateur rapper Wonderkind's mixtape 'Write Brain' and multiple tracks on Kirk Knight's album Late Knight Special.

Noname originally took the stage name "Noname Gypsy," but on March 18, 2016, she officially dropped "Gypsy," making it solely "Noname". She took to Twitter to explain her reasoning for this, saying: "When i first decided what my stage name would be I was unaware of how racially inappropriate and offensive it was to Romani people".^[7]

Noname released her first mixtape, Telefone, on July 31, 2016, which she announced nearly three years prior.

Discography

Mixtapes

• Telefone (2016)

References

External links

• Official website