Noname • Telefone

Executive Produced by Noname, Cam O’bi & Phoelix
 Artwork by Nikko Washington Mixed & Mastered by Elton “L10MixedIt” Chueng

Well, we may have waited ages for the release of Noname's Telefone, but it's finally here and it's well worth the time spent tweaking and perfecting. There was a moment when I honestly wasn't sure if we would ever hear this project, the Detox effect if you will, but unlike Dr. Dre, Noname decided to finally share her opus. Telefone is as dense as her name is straight to-the-point, presenting an ego-less story that finds more beauty in questions than answers. Wordsmith that she is, Noname has left us a novel of a project, giving us a piece of her mind, heart, and life. Each track feels like a journal entry with scribbles in the margins and meaning between the lines. Production is full and cheery, catered by Phoelix in a likely deliberate contrast with Noname's heady lyricism. The project is Chicago through and through, featuring artists such as theMind, Saba, Smino, Ravyn Lenae, Eryn Allen Kane, and the list goes on. Like thunder and lightning, this is a case of the longer the wait, brighter and more magnificent the impact. Noname strikes again.