As a teenager, she listened to blues musicians Buddy Guy and Howlin' Wolf,[8] and spent time in her mother's bookstore.

[10] As a teen, she spent time in the YOUMedia project, a space for young artists to create and network then based at the Harold Washington Library.

Noname then started to freestyle rap with friends, collaborating with local Chicago artists including Chance the Rapper, Saba, and Mick Jenkins.

[citation needed] In 2013, she appeared on Chance the Rapper's second mixtape, Acid Rap, contributing a verse to the track "Lost" and singing the chorus.

[citation needed] That year, she also featured on fellow Chicago rapper Ramaj Eroc's single "I Love You More".

"[2] Stereogum wrote that Noname possessed "a potency and urgency in her complicated, spoken word-esque cadences and subdued delivery that escapes many of her more animated peers.

"[3] Consequence of Sound wrote that "the louder her music is played, the brighter her cadence glows, giving her lyrics a type of 3D craft that makes Telefone a diary of lessons too relevant to keep to yourself.

[27] The album, which took about a month to record, chronicles the two years since the release of Telefone, during which she moved from Chicago to Los Angeles and had a short romantic relationship.

"[29] Noname paid for the entire album herself using money from touring and guest appearances on Chance the Rapper projects.

El Hunt of NME called the album "flawless" and "smartly constructed and laced with intricate subtlety."

[28] Pitchfork designated Room 25 as "Best New Music" and wrote that it is "a transcendent coming-of-age tale built around cosmic jazz and neo-soul, delivered by a woman deeply invested in her interiority and that of the world around her."

Noname performed a three-song medley of "Blaxploitation," "Prayer Song," and "Don't Forget About Me" from the album in her solo television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on October 17, 2018.

[33] On June 18, 2020, two days after J. Cole had seemingly criticized her activism in his song "Snow on tha Bluff", Noname released the Madlib-produced "Song 33", in which she alluded to Cole and reflected on violence against black women, mainly the death of 19-year-old Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau.

[34][35] She expressed regret at responding to Cole, saying that although she had tried to "use it as a moment to draw attention back to the issues" she cares about, she apologized "for any further distraction this caused."

[38][39] On December 5, 2021, Noname announced on Instagram that her album Factory Baby, originally due to be released in 2021, had been canceled and that she would be taking an indefinite hiatus from music.

In response, Noname posted a series of tweets defending Electronica and her decision to collaborate with him before suggesting that Sundial may not be released.

[49] The album was released to positive reviews;[50] however, Electronica's verse, which was accused of antisemitism, was a source of continued controversy.

[52][53] After the album's release, she held a block party in Chicago on August 17, 2023, where she performed along with Navy Blue and Alex Vaughn.

[64] She called the day "basically an 'F you' to major corporations who have privatized the way we consume goods and services," specifically referencing how her mother's bookstore had closed due to Amazon.

"[67] Musically and stylistically, Noname has credited Avril Lavigne,[68] Nina Simone, André 3000, and Missy Elliott as her influences.

[1] She cites the author Toni Morrison and poet Patricia Smith as notable influences on her writing style.