Noname: Shared Stories

Noname w/ Ravyn Lenae and Nyles Davis
Crocodile, Seattle, WA
02.15.17

25-year-old Chicago rapper, Noname – née Fatimah Warner and formerly Noname Gypsy – has gone from slam poetry open mics to a sold out tour in just a few short years. She stopped at Seattle’s Crocodile in support of her debut mixtape, Telefone, released in July, 2016, which has garnered her critical acclaim, and delivered a short but mighty performance that had the crowd singing back every word.

After the block-circling line of people made it into the venue, the show kicked off with local Seattle rappers Nyles Davis, and guest Mo Money. They brought plenty of energy – and their entire crew – to the stage, with heavy bass beats. Then classically-trained singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae took the stage, with her brother lending a hand on the beats. Her impressionistic soul music and vocal abilities blew the crowd away as they sang and danced along with her.

Lenae began each track with a short intro delving into what the song was about, a trait that endeared her to the room. With themes like “having someone take away your spring and reclaiming it and saying I’m beautiful and colorful,” Lenae showed her depth of thought. But really, every track showed her talent.

There was a half-hour break between Lenae and Noname, despite there being no need to rearrange stage equipment, which left plenty of time for the packed room to get antsy and start a Noname chant. Finally around 10:45 PM, the room went quiet and her 7-piece band delivered a sold instrumental that led into opening track “All I Need.” Live, Noname’s delivery is as unpretentious as her album.

Her intricately-woven rhymes – based on transformative telephone conversations she’s had – were like a stream of consciousness over a solid soundtrack R&B, gospel, soul, and jazz. Aside from her prominent verses for Mick Jenkins’ “Comfortable” and Chance the Rapper’s “Lost,” the rest of the show was basically Telefone in its entireity. Opener Ravyn Lenae came back and joined her on stage for “Forever,” and the entire set lasted about 30 minutes.

While she might have run out of material to deliver, what she did perform packed a punch. Noname’s balance of joy and devastation, and ruminations on the black woman’s experience in her hometown Chicago, felt incredibly personal and showed major promise. One can only hope we continue to get new stories from her end of the spectrum.

Review by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Zach Etahiri

Noname