Room 25

“Room 25” is the debut studio album by Chicago rapper and poet Noname, self-released through digital services on September 14, 2018.

The story

The album followed her 2016 mixtape “Telefone” and chronicles the changes in her life since then, including a move from Chicago to Los Angeles and her first serious romantic relationship. The title nods to a stretch of living out of hotel rooms at age 25. Noname paid for the project herself with income from touring and her guest work with Chance the Rapper, and said plainly that she made it in part to cover her rent. Most of it was recorded in roughly a month during the summer of 2018. Songs such as “Self,” “Blaxploitation” and “Regal” mix sharp social commentary with wry, personal humor.

Sound and production

Phoelix handled most of the production, with contributions from Luke Titus and Brian Sanborn. The arrangements lean on live-sounding jazz and neo-soul, with Noname’s conversational flow riding over them. Across a brisk 34 minutes, guests include Ravyn Lenae on “Montego Bae,” Smino and Saba on “Ace,” plus Phoelix, Adam Ness, Benjamin Earl Turner and Yaw.

Legacy

The album drew universal acclaim, scoring 93 on Metacritic. Pitchfork named it Best New Music and placed it at No. 15 on its best albums of 2018, and NPR ranked it fifth for the year. Robert Christgau later listed it among the best albums of the 2010s, and it remains a touchstone of independent Chicago rap.

Released September 14, 2018. More from hip hop in 2018.