Room 25

Hip-Hop · 2018 · 11 tracks · 34m

Room 25

A masterfully intimate blend of conversational jazz rap, warm live instrumentation, and sharp, self-reflective poetry that feels like a late-night confession.

Critical peak

A sudden, quiet shift from Chicago’s porch-front breezes to the claustrophobic glare of Los Angeles apartments transformed a brilliant slam-poet into a generational auteur. This record perfected the art of the conversational whisper, trading the sunny nostalgia of her early mixtape for a smoky, late-night chamber jazz that feels heavy with rent money and brief, bruising romances. Over live, elastic basslines, the delivery sharpens into a devastatingly precise instrument. You are pulled into a confession booth where the jokes are sharp, the grief is fresh, and the self-examination is utterly merciless. It remains her definitive, towering statement.

Room 25 · vs · Noname

Late Night+1.7σ

The record leans heavily into a warm, sun-dappled sunday morning atmosphere, wrapping its sharp-witted poetry in the gentle, awakening glow of a quiet weekend dawn.

Tracklist · 11 Tracks · 34m

01

Self

1:34

02

Blaxploitation

2:13

03

Prayer Song

4:17

04

Window

4:38

05

Don’t Forget About Me

3:39

06

Regal

2:48

07

Montego Bae

2:43

08

Ace

3:02

09

Part of Me

3:15

10

With You

2:29

11

no name

4:05

Moments Worth Waiting For

01SelfThe opening track 'Self' sets the album's confrontational yet playful tone, delivering a rapid-fire, self-referential verse over a sparse, walking bassline.

02BlaxploitationOn 'Blaxploitation', a fast-paced, funk-driven bassline and cinematic vocal samples create a frantic backdrop for sharp critiques of media stereotypes.

Producer Phoelix shapes the album's warm, cohesive sound, anchoring the live instrumentation and contributing guest vocals across multiple tracks.

Sits BesideSee all

Sundial

Shares conversational slam poetry cadence, spoken_word, live_recording, neo-soul (detail)

Black Ego

Shares abstract hip-hop, neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, spoken_word (signature)

From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID

From the Private Collection of Saba and No ID

Shares neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop, coffee_shop (subgenre)

undun

Shares neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, violin, cello (subgenre)

Caught Up In This Illusion

Caught Up In This Illusion

Shares conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop, spoken_word, coffee_shop (subgenre)

Pieces of a Man

Pieces of a Man

Shares neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop, spoken_word (subgenre)

Dark Times

Shares neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop, spoken_word (subgenre)

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Sometimes I Might Be Introvert

Shares spoken_word, neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, violin (signature)

Let Love

Shares live_recording, neo-soul, conscious hip-hop, spoken_word (signature)

HOUSE

Shares spoken_word, conscious hip-hop, abstract hip-hop, coffee_shop (signature)

Reviews

Critic Consensus

Critics warmly welcomed the album as a beautifully constructed fusion of neo-soul and jazz, praising its rich musicality and tight craftsmanship. Reviewers were particularly charmed by the songwriting, which gracefully balances deeply personal self-reflection with a lighthearted, subtle wit.

NME5/ 5 stars

“‘Room 25’ is not only smartly constructed and laced with intricate subtlety – it’s laugh-out-loud funny, too”

PopMatters9/ 10

“Noname’s Room 25 is vintage neo-soul and future rap hand in hand; a soulful sanctuary for those turned off by the austerity of mainstream mumble rap”

Pitchfork8.6/ 10

“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”

Exclaim!7/ 10

“Room 25 is the prettiest rap record to come along in months”

Consequence of SoundA-

“The Chicago native releases one of the tightest hip-hop albums of the year”

Clash8/ 10

“An album that packs gorgeous punch after punch”

Tiny Mix Tapes

“As a snapshot of Fatimah Warner’s artistic individuality, Room accomplishes everything it needs to, allowing Warner to say her piece without stumbling into indulgence or, worse yet, running out of subjects to rap about”

AllMusic4.5/ 5 stars

“Days after the album was released, she turned 27, yet she already sounds like a seasoned professional, and the immaculately crafted Room 25 is highly mature and immensely enjoyable. Simply remarkable.”

Vice (Expert Witness)A

Chicago Tribune3.5/ 4 stars

The A.V. ClubA

AnyDecentMusic8.5/ 10

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