The Chicago-based wordsmith Noname has announced a North American tour this fall in support of her new album Sundial, which she shared on August 11th. The month-long tour will be the rapper’s first headlining tour in four years, as her new album marked her first full-length project since 2018’s Room 25. Noname will appear at The Fillmore in Philadelphia on Oct. 22nd.
Following standout features with artists such as Chance the Rapper and Mick Jenkins in the mid 2010s, Noname began to gain traction with her tight, jazzy arrangements and potent lyricism. Her 2016 breakthrough album Telefone contains her biggest tracks: “Diddy Bop (feat. Raury and Cam O’bi)” and “Shadow Man (feat. Smino and Saba).” Her sophomore project Room 25 gained massive critical praise, cementing her as a top-notch artist in hip-hop for her raw skill as a rapper, songwriter, storyteller, and charismatic activist.
In between 2018 and Sundial, Noname only released four singles, and at one point, claimed to be done releasing music. She made statements on Twitter in Nov. 2019 about her broken relationship with her fans as an artist, claiming “I have 2 shows on the books then after that I’m chilling on making music. If y’all don’t wanna leave the crib I feel it. I don’t want to dance on a stage for white people.” In late 2021, she publicly canceled the production of her album Factory Baby, which was reportedly set to include the popular 2021 single “Rainforest.” In the meantime, she created Noname Book Club, which focuses on BIPOC authors and distributing books to incarcerated people.
Sundial is a well-deserved comeback for Noname, as she has stated “I approached [Sundial] kind of like a mixtape. I didn’t want it to be overly serious. I wanted to have the freedom of really being able to say whatever I want” in an extensive interview with The TRiiBE. She seemed to have come to a healthier relationship with her image, fanbase, and creative process that has allowed her to continue creating music and performing again. However this does not mean that the vocal rapper strays from political opinion on Sundial, as certain tracks like “namesake,” “beauty supply,” and “hold me down” criticize the Super Bowl, beauty standards, the US government, and Noname herself.
In preparation for the tour, Noname performed at MIKE’s Young World III festival in Brooklyn, NY in July, and recently held a free block party in Bronzeville, Chicago on Aug. 17th. The Sundial Tour 2023 will visit The Fillmore in Philadelphia on Oct. 22nd; general tickets will be available Friday, Aug. 25th at 10 a.m., more information can be found at XPN’s Concerts and Events page. Noname’s new album Sundial is available on all streaming services now.