Noodah05 is a rising star in the ATL Hip Hop scene, since signing to Lil Baby’s label in 2020. One of his city’s most consistent artists, he’s known for dropping a project each year. Get familiar with this VIPER Presents interview…

What five words define your sound? 

Versatile. Painful. Melodic. Hardcore. Thoughtful. 

Tell me something unique about your creative process.

I gotta have weed and candy in the studio! The extreme sour candies and I’m not picky when it comes to the weed strain. That’s stuff I need to help me settle in and be comfortable in the studio so I can record my best.  

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first? 

‘Tameka’ for sure! ‘Run’ too. I think those ones show off my versatility in the best way. 

What inspired you to make that song? 

Both of those songs are inspired by my life and my come-up in Atlanta. I feel like I’m an underdog within my city and those songs really reflect that feeling for me. 

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

‘Round of Applause’ off of my new tape ‘5 MIN OF FAME’. It has a lot of pain in there, and I talk about a lot of trauma on that one. Trauma about my whole life. The music really speaks for itself. 

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?  

The best experience I’ve had performing was when Veeze brought me out at his show in ATL at Tabernacle last year. They were going crazy! The worst was when I was on tour and they booed me during my first time ever performing – I was opening up for Lil Baby. That lit a fire under me, and made me pay more attention to executing my shows right moving forward, which I think I’ve been able to improve.

What is your favourite song to perform? 

‘Run.’ It’s just such a turnt song – everyone knows the words and turns up with me when I perform that song. 

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music? 

I would say Lil Wayne, and a lot of R&B artists. Mary J Blige, Lauryn Hill, India Arie. The way they worded their feelings made me want to do the same. All of them treat their lyrics and perform like it’s venting. 

What’s the meaning behind your name? 

Noodah comes from a childhood name that my grandma gave me, and five is my favorite number. My grandma told me that’s my angel number. I see five pop up in my everyday life often, and it’s an odd number so it stands out when people see my name.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead? 

It was always music or nothing for me. I got into music so young that I didn’t even have time for a back-up plan.

What’s success to you? 

Being comfortable, both financially and mentally. I don’t think I’m there yet though, I still have more work to do to boost my career and get to that place of real success. 

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?  

I try to just stick with it and my process, but sometimes when you go through life, it pulls you away from your goals. Not being social and understanding how the industry works have been moments that have forced me to stay focused and attack my goals.

Where can people keep in touch with you? 

Through my social media! Instagram, Twitter and keep up with all my releases on YouTube and DSPs. 

Photo by Kevin Mares