Noname

Back in the summer of 2019, Noname launched her popular book club and more than two years later, the rapper has now opened a central location for the group. It took months of planning and construction, but now, the Radical Hood Library is open in Los Angeles. “We are so excited to finally open our Radical Hood Library!” a Twitter post from the Noname Book Club account read. “This is a black led organization that was created to service black/brown folks and the RSVP prioritization will reflect that. There will be music, free food, and more! Please bring a new or used book. See you there!!!”

According to Noname herself, the library includes books from a wide array of categories. The readings are organized by prison writings, the global Black resistance, imperialism, revolution, a section for kids called the “young homies” books, and more. The rapper even revealed that her favorite sections are F*ck The Police (abolish text) and the Black Capitalism Won’t Save Us. “More sections will be added as we grow,” she tweeted. “This is just the beginning.”

Smino, who has often collaborated with Noname, celebrated the opening in a tweet writing, “NONAME JUST OPENED A BOOK STORE INNA HOOD.” In response, Noname wrote, “even better, we a library so everything FREE.”

As the female rap renaissance continues, much of the discussion around the burgeoning explosion in female talent in rap has revolved around their reception by hip-hop’s perceived majority male fanbase. In July, Doja Cat pointed out how female rappers are viewed as “less than smart,” while Cardi B, Latto, and Megan Thee Stallion have all addressed a feeling that they’re disrespected more than men while being expected to do twice as much. Now, from another corner of hip-hop world, Noname joins the growing chorus of voices speaking out against this negative perception while defending her contemporaries’ content.

Noname’s comments came as she refuted a fan’s assertion that “most of the female rappers out now sucks [sic].” “We are currently in the most commercialized era of rap,” she began. “lyrical content + brand presentation will usually reflect what the consumer (majority white) finds the most titillating, violence and sex. most rappers regardless of gender (which is a construct) rap about the same things.”

She continued in a separate tweet in the thread, “this is what mainstream black art looks like under capitalism. either way most women rapping are technically just as skilled as their male contemporaries, if not better. and i would argue all of them are better entertainers.”

She was also forced to circle back on an old talking point when one fan pointed out their misunderstanding of Noname’s assertion that most rap consumers are white. “White consumption of black art and black bodies is largely why mainstream rap exists as it does, “she explained. “You all are the largest consumers of rap in this country. beyond that, white label executives and radio owners ultimately decide which rappers the masses are exposed to.” Noname previously made similar points when she said she didn’t want to perform for mostly white audiences anymore.

While Noname does her best to live up to her moniker, she’s not quite as adept at it as she’d like; while far from a household name, she’s made enough waves on social media to garner both fervent supporters of her book club and salty detractors for her online persona. Much of the Chicago rapper’s notoriety over the past year has come from critiquing her peers in entertainment like Beyonce and J. Cole, leading to bouts of backlash from fans of both and the songs “Snow On Tha Bluff” and “Song 33.”

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Noname explains why she so fervently avoids becoming what she calls a “real celebrity” in keeping with her radical philosophies and staunch anti-capitalist beliefs. “I don’t do brand deals, I don’t take advances, and I’m very much a hired, outside contractor,” she says. “A venue hires me to come and play a show, and then I go. I don’t really do photoshoots. They had to convince me to do this. I don’t like doing things that I know are going to build on my celebrity because that’s not ethical to me when I’m trying to be anti-capitalist and also trying to present myself in a specific way. It’s hard to do that, and then be like, ‘Let me do this photoshoot, let me be in Rolling Stone.’”

She also applies this view to her tiff with J. Cole. “The celebrity was bigger than the point I tried to make,” she laments. ‘The celebrity is always the biggest thing.” The problem with this, she thinks, is that it distracts from the civic work she does with the majority of her time. ” “Someone who doesn’t follow Noname, who randomly hears about it, it’s always something messy,” she says. “It’s always like, ‘She came for Beyoncé, she’s in a fight with whoever.’ So their opinion of me is formed around what goes viral, not this shit that I’m doing.”

However, this attention may soon pay off for her, as much of the interview is given to detailing the recording process for Factory Baby, her upcoming third album and first since 2018, as well as her progress on formalizing a space for her book club. Both are currently in the works and she expects them to be ready soon. She says that she could complete the album within two months, while she expects to make many more “revolutionary bops” like “Rainforest.”

You can read the full interview here.