So far this year has been very good for classy, dreamy Jazz Rap. Now, Noname has always sounded very confident and known exactly what her sound should be. But if that’s how she’s been in the past, “Self” is a ridiculous step up. This is an album for Noname, this is her coming out party after she was put on the map last year. I love how Noname spends most of her intro just silencing every last one of her haters. It’s a fantastic, short intro that just gets you in the mood for listening to the rest of this. On the other hand, “Blaxpoitation” throws out Jazz Rap or some funky licks. But Noname here breaks out some of her more upbeat verses here. They’re a lot to take in, but if you look into some of these lyrics, her word-play is on another level entirely. Not to mention, there are moments in Noname’s discography where she takes off on some beat Poetry that things go from interesting and introspective to truly flooring. She’s been talented for years but this is something else entirely. Then we have “Prayer Song” featuring Adam Ness. This one brings in these very funky and Spacey beats. I absolutely love Noname’s practically whispered, intense verses here. I feel like here, she’s taking everything that was sort of interesting about “telefone” and magnified it by so much. This also dives into a lot of sexualized topics, which is magnified if you know what Noname has been through the last few years. This is especially for when she gets into some topics later in the track about what turns people on. It’s moody, dreary and incredibly memorable. These aren’t first listen tunes though, they’re tracks that make you notice new details with each listens. However “Window” featuring Phoelix is the most elegant and dreary tune yet. You really have to sit back and give the production a mighty nod. It’s just so lush and well thought out. Not I personally didn’t think I was going to be into this much more laid back, chilled out track from Noname. But her performance remains so likable and charismatic. I love hist how incredibly personal this all is as well, and the sung hook is absolutely heart-melting. It’s positive and shows Noname looking forward to better days, all while reflecting on her past.
Noname also goes massively down the Neo Soul route on here, which shouldn’t be too shocking as she’s done plenty of that in the past. “telefone” may have been her breakout, but this album is leaps and bounds bigger. Now, I do really gif this tracks little details, like the dreary production and the moody beat, as well as the D’Angelo references. But I’m not as wowed by Noname’s performance here. The Neo Soul stylings are great, the backing vocals actually give me chills, but some of the verses are just ok. I mean if this is the worst thing about this album, this album is still so ahead of the curve. Now, “Regal” is a very appropriate track title. This is one hell of an elegant tune, with Noname sounding so much more back in control of her performance. I love the Jazzy, Beat Poet feel to this that Noname pulls off so well> For someone so young, she has such a strong vocabulary and such wild ideas. In a really weird way, lyrically this almost reminds me of some of the early days of Aesop Rock, the way her vocabulary and wordplay is simply stunning. But everything else about this track is just as flooring, from the whimsical feel to the jazzy beat to the soaring instrumental. It’s just so fresh, even if this style is far from new, Noname makes it sound it. Then we get “Montego Bae” featuring Ravyn Lenae which is something we haven’t heard in a while. And that my friends, is a much more artsy, elaborate and practically wild tune. Noname’s performance alongside Ravyn is so much more eclectic and never stays put for long. But in Noname’s world, this comes off as a sharp left turn, a truly wild and intriguing switch up. Even her lyrics here are sharp as hell, even fiesty at points. I say, give me more of this. Oh boy, but man of man does “Ace” featuring Smino & Saba stand out. Like, in the worst way. This is a really weird tune. Like, here I am wondering what Noname would sound like on a more modern beat. Well here, this is about as close to that as you’re going to get. And honestly, it’s seriously underwhelming. She sounds fine and all, even oddly aggressive. That’s all great. But Smino and Saba’s performances all around are just as awful and awkward as the rest of their discography. Yes, even “Care For Me”, it’s garbage I’m sorry. Even the beat and the production is just so average. In a very tight album filled with tons of sharp, modern Jazz Rap, this isn’t what I showed up for.
“Part Of Me” featuring Phoelix and Benjamin Earl Turner, however, is seriously classy and damn soulful. I love just how steamy and funky this is, Noname and Phoelix have a whole lot of chemistry here. And I love the acoustic guitar sample, hell I would love to hear more live instrumentation. Also, just how up front and agitated Noname comes off is fantastic. These may be lighter Rap tunes, but Noname makes up for that with just how much she has to say. This is a rap tune with a hell of a message, we need more of this these days. And hey, we get even more live instrumentation with “With You”. But this one doesn’t hit me as hard. This beat is a little off kilter and hard to place. Which usually would be really exciting. But here, Noname just comes off hard to take in. Hell, she practically sounds unfocused. Her performance is fine, but not alongside the rest of what’s going on here, this is tough to swallow. But Noname ends this album off on a glorious note with “No Name” featuring Yaw and Adam Ness. This track gives me the chills. I love the sort of retro, funky bass licks here that seem to compliment her style so much, as well as the emotional and truly stunning piano bit. This is one hell of a hopeful tune if you’re into that sort of thing. Hell, I wouldn’t have even minded if this was a straight up instrumental. But Noname comes through with yet another stunning performance going into her rap Pseudonym, which is pretty mind-boggling. It’s beautiful and hopeful for dark times, which is absolutely necessary this year.
Rating: 8.5/10
Give A Listen To: “Self”, “Prayer Song”, “Window”, “Regal”
Least Favorite Track: “Ace”
Genre: Jazz Rap / Conscious Hip Hop / Neo Soul
Overall Thoughts: Noname may not be reinventing the wheel with her blend of Jazzy beats, elegant production, and Beat Poetry lyricism. But all around, she’s upgraded her sound and modernized it for this generation and put together a hopeful, positive sound that’s very much needed right now. The beats are solid, and for the most part, the guests she brings on have some serious chemistry with her. It’s a personal sound, it’s short and intense, incredibly smart and even more likable.
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