I blessed myself inside your arms one day/Swear to God there I was when the dress/ And the silver buttons fade away/ Miss Mary Mattress geriatrics, f’*** me into open caskets/ I wanna die with this/ I wanna stop seeing my psychiatrist/ She said “pill pop, baby girl/ ‘cause I promise you, you tweaked/ The empty bottled loneliness, this happiness you seek/ The masochism that you preach.
Noname off the drugs/ Noname quit the weed/ Telefone delight, Love is all I need/ My honeybee red black and green, Majestic queen/ This for my homies; my umi [mother] say love/ This for my homies; my umi say love. /This for my homies; my umi say…
So go parts of Noname’s verses on “Lost” and “All I Need”, respectively. The first marks the artist’s debut on Chance the Rapper’s critically acclaimed mixtape Acid Rap while the second graces Noname’s long awaited debut, Telefone. Both are only hints the artist’s deeply personal and poetic style. The combination of silky delivery and multisyllabic soul-searching has become a hallmark of the rapper’s style and preview the talent Noname will bring to Middlebury.
This Friday, September 15th, WRMC, MCAB, and the Gamut Room will welcome Noname as the headliner of S.O.S fest. The annual festival marks an unofficial welcoming for the Middlebury community and Noname’s soulful and introspective compositions are sure to spread a spirit of goodwill for upcoming semester.
Coming from the musical wellspring of Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood, Noname has made a steady ascension through her hometown’s music scene and into the world at large. Time in the local YOUmedia program for Young Creators offered a chance to practice the poetic cadences that would later become her hallmark. Later, guest verses on projects with lyricists like Chance the Rapper and Mick Jenkins kept her in the public eye as she prepared for her solo debut. The three year time investment proved worthwhile. Telefone’s eventual release was met with critical acclaim, including recognition on Pitchfork’s 50 best albums of 2016 and Noisey’s 100 best albums of 2016. Noname represents a different side of Hip-Hop than some Middlebury students might be used to. One that is less male dominated and pleasure centric than what is currently popular noted concert organizer Jeremey Alben ‘18. While Noname shares a genre with high energy acts such as T-Pain or Lil Uzi Vert, her performance promises to be a more nuanced event. One that invites listeners to sit, relax, and be emotionally inspired by the beauty of the artist’s work.
Before Noname’s performs, Rubby Paulino ’18 will take serve as the opening act. Boosted by his singles “Confiesa” and “Know Me”, Rubby sets the stage for Noname’s soulful renditions with his own deeply personal works. While his compositions usually use electronic instrumentation, Rubby will be supported by live instruments along with a DJ during his perfomance, adding the intimacy of the night.
SOS Fest is scheduled for this Friday at 8PM on the CFA lawn after the all school barbecue. In the company of friends, food, and talented musicians, it promises to be a truly special beginning to the fall semester. After the concert, WRMC and Women of Color will be teaming up for an afterparty at 10:30 p.m. in the Coltrane Lounge.
