Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Coachella
What would you do if your neighbors told you someone was in your house while you were halfway across the world? It’s a question most of us will never ask ourselves, but Chicago rapper Noname found herself in that very position while touring in Europe last year.
New surprise single “Squatter” walks listeners through how Noname handled the situation with her characteristic humor and empathy. “Damn / I was really thinking I know me / It’s ‘abolish the police’ until I need the police,” she crows early on. Later, she’ll rap about how the titular home invader was keeping a pet pigeon that shit all over her bed, a vividly silly and specific image I can’t get out of my head.
But don’t get “Squatter” confused as an abrupt pivot for the antiestablishment artist, who raps that she’s been at the gun range, reluctantly practicing her aim for self-defense. Instead, the song is a playfully earnest analysis of how we collectively balance our communal ideals with our individual rights. “The government failed us all, but that don’t mean shit,” she spits exasperatedly.
Still, Noname can sympathize with the squatter’s precarious position. “A target on my back cuz a target on his / is he a savage, or just facing homelessness?” She muses aloud. “I’ll never know, all we know is survival.” Taken alongside fall 2025 single “Hundred Acres,” it seems possible Noname’s upcoming mixtape Cartoon Radio will be harder-knocking and a little looser than her previous full-lengths — but when readers will get to hear her next mixtape remains a mystery.
Above all else, “Squatter” is a testament to the strength and comfort of community: “Damn, the homies came through […] Changed the locks on the door, that’s what friends do.” When DRAM coasts through effortlessly on the hook, crooning about kicking ass and protecting the spoils of his hard work, it’s a reminder that Noname might be woke, but ain’t shit sweet.
Tickets to the Telefone 10th anniversary tour are available here.
