Two rappers rooted deeply in the new-ish wave of ponderous Chicago music are Noname and Saba. Both came up around Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap-hovering orbit in 2013 with respective eye-opening verses. But the great find was that both of these artists are brilliant in their own right, no qualifiers needed. “Ace” isn’t an earth-shattering single, but it’s further proof that these are two of the better, more thoughtful writers in hip-hop.
“Ace” is very much in Noname’s loungy, neo-soul, jazz-rap wheelhouse. It rises and flows slowly, like a sleeping heart-rate. The left-field inclusion is the underrated R&B artist Smino, who provides a clicky hook and quickfire verse.
But the highlights here are the quietly braggy, showy verses from Noname and Saba. Of course, the 26-year-old rapper/poet Noname doesn’t brag like others do. This is considered writing that sounds like it comes from someone who doesn’t stray too far from the blunt (“and radio niggas sound like they wearin’ adult diapers/and globalisation’s scary and fuckin’ it’s fantastic/and frankly I find it funny that Morgan is still actin'”) – in fact, she struggles to even stay on the topic. Saba’s verse is more on-theme (“I ain’t been home in a minute, my landlord be gettin’ pissed/cause I barely count as a tenant, I’m overseas with the yen and shit”) and rolls smoothly off the tongue – his most underrated skill as a rapper is his ability to keep momentum going. Listen to the way he backs his own rapping up with soft yeahs to keep the verse light and airy.
The only problem with “Ace” might be that it’s a brief affair. With two rappers boasting such impressive penmanship, they could stand to pose over the mic for much longer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Uc0bTZYRaU
Noname’s Room 25 is out now!
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 