Victor Santiago, Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his
stage name N.O.R.E. or Noreaga, is an American rapper of Puerto Rican
descent. He is one half of the group Capone-N-Noreaga.
N.O.R.E. (or Noreaga as he was then known, after Panamanian dictator
Manuel Noriega) first came on the music scene in 1996 as part of
the duo Capone-N-Noreaga. He teamed with fellow rapper Capone, who
he had met in prison, to form the group.
[edit] As Noreaga
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[edit] The War Report & N.O.R.E. (1997-1998)
They signed to Penalty Recordings in 1996 and released their debut
album as a group, The War Report, in 1997. The War Report was a commercial
and critical success which made the group well known among rap audiences.
The album received praise for using the traditional grimey boom-bap
sound of classic New York City hip-hop, which at that time was falling
out of favor to a more futuristic sound. The album peaked at #21
on the Billboard Hot 100, and the singles "Illegal Life", "Closer",
and "T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York)" all charted on the Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart.[1] Following the release
of the album, Capone was again sentenced to a jail term, which left
Noreaga to make another album on his own. Noreaga's solo debut, titled
N.O.R.E, was released in 1998. The title was a acronym for "Niggas
On the Run Eating". The album was even more successful than
the group's debut, charting at #3 on the Billboard Hot 200 and being
certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album had a long and impressive
guest list, including Nas, Kool G Rap, Big Punisher, Busta Rhymes,
and others. It also featured in many cases a different production
style than The War Report. While The War Report had a more traditional
New York sound, moments in N.O.R.E had more of the modern futuristic
sound, with tracks produced by newer producers such as The Neptunes
and Swizz Beatz. The Neptunes produced the hit "Superthug" which
reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks
chart. This song, along with Mase's hit "Lookin' At Me",
was one of the Neptunes' first high profile productions and made
them one of the most sought after production groups in hip-hop.[2]
It also started their relationship with Noreaga as they would produce
more hits for him in the future.
[edit] Melvin Flynt – Da Hustler & The Reunion (1999-2000)
Noreaga released one more solo album using that stage name. His
second solo album was released in 1999 and was titled Melvin Flynt
- Da Hustler. The album was a moderate success as it did reach the
top 10 of the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Gold, but it did
not quite reach the success of his previous effort. The album's most
successful single was the Neptune's produced "Oh No" which
reached #49 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart.
Noreaga's partner Capone was released from prison in 1999, and in
2000 they released their second album as a group, The Reunion. The
album was not well received critically and failed to match the commercial
success of the group's first album or Noreaga's solo albums. Allmusic
reviewer Matt Conaway summed up the album by stating "With The
Reunion, Capone-N-Noreaga take a step backward." The group would
not release another album until 2009.
[edit] As N.O.R.E.
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[edit] God's Favorite (2002)
Despite the disappointment of his group album, Noreaga still planned
to pursue his career as a solo artist. He now changed his stage name
to N.O.R.E., which was the same as the title of his debut solo album.
After some delays his third solo studio album, God's Favorite, came
out in 2002. The album was more successful than his past solo effort,
as it peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum.
It contained the major hit "Nothin'", produced by the Neptunes,
which reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became N.O.R.E.'s
highest charting hit and remains so to this day.
[edit] N.O.R.E. y la Familia...Ya Tú Sabe (2004-2006)
Following God's Favorite N.O.R.E. changed his musical focus. He
began recording some Spanish language songs to reflect his Puerto
Rican background and made some reggaeton songs rather than traditional
hip-hop. The reggaeton single "Oye Mi Canto" was released
in 2004 and became a major hit, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot
100. The song was originally supposed to be a single from an upcoming
album titled 1 Fan a Day, but the album never came out. Instead,
N.O.R.E. released a mixed reggaeton and hip-hop album in 2006 titled
N.O.R.E. y la Familia...Ya Tú Sabe, which included "Oye
Mi Canto" as a bonus track. The album had both English and Spanish
language tracks. It did not chart nearly as well as any of N.O.R.E.'s
previous solo albums, as it only reached #82 on the Billboard Hot
200.
[edit] Noreality, S.O.R.E., Channel 10, & The War Report 2 (2007-2010)
Following this to date N.O.R.E. has released two more solo albums,
Noreality in 2007 and S.O.R.E. in 2009, both of which failed to chart.
In 2009 he also released a third album with his partner Capone, which
was titled Channel 10. This album did chart at #136 on the Billboard
200. In 2010 he released a fourth Capone-N-Noreaga album, The War
Report 2. The new album was meant to be a sequel to the group's 1997
debut. It was released on July 13, 2010. The album's first single
was "Hood Pride", featuring Faith Evans. This album charted
slightly better than their previous effort, reaching #104 on the
Billboard 200.
[edit] Again as Noreaga
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[edit] Superthug: The Album (2010-present)
N.O.R.E. is also working on a seventh solo album, titled Superthug:
The Album. He has released a new single "Nutcracker" featuring
Flavor Flav. Since then, Funkmaster Flex debuted the "Nutcracker" (Remix),
featuring Imam Thug, Red Café, Bun B & DMX. On the single
cover he used his old moniker "Noreaga". But it is unknown
at this moment if he has changed his name back
[edit] Discography
Main article: N.O.R.E. discography
[edit] Studio albums
* N.O.R.E. (1998)
* Melvin Flynt – Da Hustler (1999)
* God's Favorite (2002)
* N.O.R.E. y la Familia...Ya Tú Sabe (2006)
* Noreality (2007)
* S.O.R.E. (2009)
[edit] Collaboration albums
* The War Report (with Capone) (1997)
* The Reunion (with Capone) (2000)
* Channel 10 (with Capone) (2009)
* The War Report 2 (with Capone) (2010)
[edit] Filmography
* Prison Song (2001) as Big Ski
* Paid in Full (2002) as Runner
* Paper Soldiers (2002) as Victor Santiago
* MVP (2003)
* State Property 2 (2005) as El Pollo Loco