“Non Merci is 13 tracks of hard-hitting hip-hop set to the cascading piano loops of pianist/composer Eric Mire. It's as surprising a pairing as it is effective…Hard-hitting and smooth at once…”
– Mike Levine, The Deli Magazine NYC names Melissa Czarnik Year End Best Emerging Hip Hop Artist


“a classy slice of socially-conscious hip-hop that bodes well for the LP [Non Merci].”
– Amy Bell, The Girls Are (U.K.)

"Non Merci … is destined to be the most Parisian hip hop album ever released by a rapper from the US…”
– Evan Litwack, My Backpack is Bigger than Yours

"Czarnik is a soulful, fluid rapper, backed by the Eric Mire Band. Together, they've produced a surprising, potent and thoughtful mix of funk, jazz, soul and hip-hop." – Robin Hilton, NPR, All Songs Considered

"With slammin’ poetry, precise beats, and DIY authenticity, Czarnik is an inspiration to young MC’s everywhere.” – Claire Ashton, Bitch Magazine

“This incredible young rapper from Milwaukee had me under her spell from the first to last moments of her album… This girl is going all the way.”
– Chloe Veltman, VoiceBox, KALW 91.7FM

This past September, 2012 rapper, singer and lyricist Melissa Czarnik (Zar-nik) released her third full-length album Non Merci on her independent label Hyperdrive Motivator Productions. Her first two albums Strawberry Cadillac (2008) and Raspberry Jesus (2012) have earned her enthusiastic reviews from sources like NPR, Bitch Magazine, Bust Magazine, and Democracy Now.


Melissa Czarnik’s unique fusion of jazz, poetry and hip-hop has captivated audiences from France to Belgium, San Francisco to New York. She performs live with producer Eric Mire on keyboard and loop station. Together the two melt jazz laden piano melodies, over hip hop break beats, with Czarnik’s imaginative and potent lyricism. The performing duo’s distinctive style has compared them to the likes of Lauryn Hill, Cat Power and Dessa. Whether you catch them live at a show or listen to the albums, the consensus is clear, Czarnik is a dual-styled performer: personable yet tough, sophisticated yet sassy, coming to win your hearts and ears.

ABOUT NON MERCI: The 13 track compilation Non Merci fittingly received its French title when Czarnik began planning to write and record at the Centre d’Art Marnay Art Center, a 500 year-old chateau turned artist residency in Marnay-sur-Seine, France. The title, which translates to “No, thank you,” is a slogan that refers to the injustices that are committed throughout the world in the name of peace and love. For 46 days Czarnik worked across the Atlantic with producer, Eric Mire until he joined her in France to begin recording the album. The light piano melodies of Mire’s compositions blend smoothly with Czarnik’s melodic and lyrical vocal arrangements throughout the entire L.P.

Non Merci mixes love, humor and sarcasm with intelligent commentary on society and politics. From the song dedicated to “the fool who stole my car” to a personified love song made up of love letters between America and France, Czarnik’s versatility as a songwriter is uniquely unmatched. Her craft is found in her flow: soft and peaceful, provocative and tempting, displaying a constant musicality throughout that makes her one of the most soulful emcees to emerge in recent years.