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Noname: Tiny Desk Concert

Here's a fun fact about Noname's Tiny Desk Concert: It almost didn't happen. Around the time of their D.C. stop, she (born Fatimah Warner) and her bandmates got their first dose of tour sickness. Thanks to rest, medicine and our mutual excitement, she made her way into the NPR offices the following day. If there ever was a 'Noname' way of doing things, this is definitely her signature method. It's in the way she's able to muster a smile while performing a heartbreaking tale of abortion. It's those sometimes bleak, melancholy lyrics over brilliant, colorful production.

These intriguing juxtapositions are what propelled Telefone to ourtop 50 albums of 2016. She prefaced her performance of "Reality Check" by saying: "I kind of talk in like, scramble-think, so hopefully you guys follow it." "Scramble-think" refers to the clever metaphors she weaves in detailing the many ways she's dodged destiny. On "Bye Bye Baby," she raps:

Somebody let the yellow in

Bye bye blue

I'm gonna fall in love again

These lyrics, their colors, represent the sector she commands in hip-hop today. The yellow: The bright side. (Of course, there's plenty of gloom and doom to rap about — especially coming from Chicago — but there's also plenty of light.)

There's an appropriate moment of silence in the office, before the applause, following her emotional medley. She asked us if we liked it. We loved it — and you likely will too.

Telefone is available now. (iTunes) (Spotify)

Set List

  • "Diddy Bop"
  • Medley ("Reality Check," "Casket Pretty," "Bye Bye Baby")
  • "Yesterday"

  • Musicians

    Noname (vox); Connor Baker (drums); Brian Sanborn (guitar); Phoelix (bass, vox); Akenya Seymour (keys, vox)

    Credits

    Producers: Bobby Carter, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Morgan Noelle Smith, Bronson Arcuri; Production Assistant: A Noah Harrison; Photo: Claire Harbage/NPR.

    For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast.

    Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Bobby Carter is a leader on the Tiny Desk Concerts team for NPR Music. He's brought an ever growing roster of big names and emerging artists through NPR's HQ to squeeze behind the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen and record standout performances, including Usher, Mac Miller, Noname, Anderson.Paak and H.E.R.