“Ace” [ft. Smino and Saba]

Noname, Smino, and Saba are good friends. Together, they rose to prominence through Chicago’s explosive hip-hop scene, landing features on Chance the Rapper’s projects early in their careers. In the past two years, they’ve guested frequently on each other’s breakout albums (Noname’s Telefone, Saba’s Bucket List Project, and Smino’s blkswn), amplifying each other as they grew independently as artists.

That sense of familiarity and trust is apparent on Noname’s new self-released album, Room 25. She invites her pals back for the posse cut “Ace,” a disarmingly laid-back reflection on being on the cusp of stardom. Over a woozy soul beat, Smino gloats about staying in fancy hotels and having overseas business connections, although his buttery voice is laced with more trepidation than joy. Meanwhile, Saba is more outwardly apprehensive about his growing fame as he reels off hyper-specific anxieties like pissing off his landlord because he’s on tour all the time. Noname seems to be taking it all in stride as she brags about her squad and clowns other mainstream hip-hop artists (“Radio n----s sound like they wearing adult diapers”). And she’s rightfully confident: Compared to their previous collaborations, the three artists deliver these lines with more precision and agility, seamlessly complementing each other’s styles and tapping into their emotions in cleverer ways. “Ace” is a showcase of the most exciting emerging talents in hip-hop right now, and they still bring out the best in each other.