Noname Calls Out Capitalism With “Rainforest”

Written by Morgan Ciocca on March 2, 2021

Chicago rapper Fatimah Warner, better known as Noname, returned to the music scene February 26th with new single “Rainforest” and the promise of upcoming album Factory Baby.

“Rainforest,” produced by the Kount and featuring vocals from Adam Ness, is Noname’s first release since 2020’s “Song 33.” The single connects education-based political radicalization (like she’s promoted on social media and through Noname Book Club), with her knack for pointed lyricism and jazz-influenced instrumental tracks. Aptly described by Pitchfork as “a clear-eyed rejection of capitalism with a poetic yearning for love and vulnerability,” “Rainforest” incorporates explicitly anti-capitalist lyrics calling out the evils committed in pursuit of financial gain, such as colonization and mass rainforest destruction:

“Only animal that ravage everything in its path / They turned a natural resource into a bundle of cash.”

anyone who listened to my new song rainforest should read and share this https://t.co/tRsOpq8R3h
— . (@noname) March 1, 2021

About two years before releasing “Song 33,” Noname stepped back from making music, instead shifting focus onto radical education and promoting the Noname Book Club. The club launched in 2019 with intentions to uplift voices of Black and POC writers and to create a communal space for both education and conversation. Last year, the group began a Prison Program to send copies of selected books to incarcerated Book Club members around the country.

“Rainforest” is the first track released ahead of Noname’s upcoming album Factory Baby, which she previously implied would be her final album before taking a hiatus in a now-deleted 2019 Tweet. To help fund the album’s production, Noname asked fans to stream and share the single as much as possible, explaining streaming proceeds are her main source of income as an independent artist without the possibility of touring during the pandemic. A few weeks before releasing “Rainforest,” she also tweeted that there would be no merchandise to promote the single but encouraged listeners to show monetary support starting at $1 a month on the Book Club’s Patreon.

The official release date of Factory Baby has not yet been made public, but is projected to be sometime this year.

this is so nice! i won’t be selling anything but you can support our efforts to send more books to incarcerated members of @NonameBooks 🌱 subscription starts at $1/month https://t.co/AfAJhAUSSc
— . (@noname) February 1, 2021