J Noa — Nohelys Jiménez a.k.a. “la hija del rap” — has had one hell of a landmark year. Hailing from San Cristóbal in the Dominican Republic, her music pulls zero punches in its excavation of the pain, rage, and pride manifest within her community. At just 18 years old J Noa’s infectious and rallying bravado has gathered around her the support of not just those from her country but across Latin America and beyond.
It began with the drop of her debut EP Autodidacta, a volcanic eruption in the form of seven tracks. One that finds J Noa’s lethal and hyper-kinetic bars zeroing in on everything from teen pregnancies and sexual violence to raising the voices of the barrio. With fury and charming bombast, she accelerates to absurd speeds on nearly every song. Its title track also launched her toward a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Rap/Hip Hop Song.
That same week she made an appearance on NPR Tiny Desk for Latine Heritage Month performing songs like “No Me Pueden Parar” and “Betty” backed by an incredible group of musicians wielding horns and saxophones. The set rightfully sent tidal waves of recognition across the internet: here it was, the future of rap discovered in the hands of an unapologetically honest and fiercely confident new generation of artists.
More digital performances broadcast around the world followed, with J Noa making an appearance at Suena en TikTok, the biggest music festival in Latin America hosted over the internet. Then, during a visit to the Bronx in New York, she raised the eyebrows of Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels of Run D.M.C. with a razor-sharp freestyle — further proving herself to be a voice that represents the very heart of hip-hop as an art.
She also recently received a nomination from Univision’s Premio Lo Nuestro under the category Breakthrough Female Artist. Regardless, if she wins every new accolade and nomination serves only to confirm what her music already makes plain: there is no future of rap that doesn’t involve J Noa.
With the arrival of the new year, J Noa has kept her eyes fixed on new horizons and music. Whatever form her follow-up takes be it another combustive EP or a highly-anticipated debut album, fans can rest assured it will possess the same ruthlessness and ferocity as everything she’s issued thus far. As for live dates, you can catch her this spring at SXSW 2024 alongside Flyana Boss, Bootsy Collins, and more!
Words: Steven Ward
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