Chicago rapper and poet Noname (formerly Noname Gypsy) releases her long awaited new album “Room 25”. The independent release features guest-appearances by Adam Ness, Phoelix, Ravyn Lenae, Smino, Saba, Benjamin Earl Turner, and Yaw.
Just like her 2016 critically acclaimed EP “Telefone”, Room 25 brings an observant eye and quiet patience to a soulful R&B-meets-hip-hop style influenced by Lauryn Hill, Andre 3000, and Buddy Guy. But where her 2016 debut, Telefone, felt introverted, her sophomore album, Room 25, opens up. Self-aware and surprisingly funny, it’s a document of Noname easing into herself over lush, live instrumentation that leaves her gentle delivery room to wander: on “Window,” swelling string arrangements back what feels like a free-spirited sexual awakening. “No, actually, this is for me,” she spits coolly on jazzy intro “Self.” She sounds sharper and more confident than ever—an official moment of arrival.
Stream “Room 25” above and get your copy here.