Noname

Bronzeville poet

Fatimah Nyeema Warner was born in Chicago on September 18, 1991, and grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. She began writing poetry in high school, competed in slam contests and open mics, and spent time in the YOUmedia teen arts program at the Chicago Public Library. She first performed as Noname Gypsy before shortening the name to Noname in 2016.

Early features

In 2013 she drew wide notice with guest verses on Chance the Rapper's “Acid Rap” and Mick Jenkins' “Trees & Truths.” She went on to appear on Jenkins' “The Waters,” Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's “Surf,” Chance's “Coloring Book” and Jamila Woods' “HEAVN,” becoming a key voice in Chicago's mid-2010s scene.

“Telefone” and “Room 25”

After roughly three years of work, she self-released the mixtape “Telefone” in July 2016, with production from Chicago's Cam O'bi, Phoelix, Saba and Monte Booker; its warm, neo-soul sound was widely acclaimed. Her debut album “Room 25,” recorded in about a month after a move to Los Angeles, followed in September 2018 to near-universal acclaim, scoring 93 on Metacritic, and “Blaxploitation” became the subject of her first music video that December.

“Sundial” and beyond

Frustrations with the music business led her to step back and focus on Noname's Book Club, a reading and community organization that later expanded to chapters in dozens of cities. She returned on August 11, 2023, with “Sundial,” led by “Balloons” with Jay Electronica and Eryn Allen Kane and featuring Common and Billy Woods, released without major-label support. In 2025 she announced the project “Cartoon Radio” with the single “Hundred Acres.”

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