ARTIST: N.O.R.E.
ALBUM: Drunk Uncle
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2016
Born on September 6, 1977 in Queens, New York, Victor Santiago Jr. is a Puerto Rican American rapper most known for formerly being one half of the Hip- Hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN) that debuted in 1996 and the founder of Thugged Out Militainment. Going by the stage name Noreaga at the time, he released his first solo album “N.O.R.E.”, standing for Niggaz on (the) Run Eatin’, in 1998.
N.O.R.E. has had several projects that have gained major recognition. He gave the production duo, The Neptunes, their first hit with his song ‘Superthug (What, What)’. His major hit ‘Nothin’’ from his third solo album, “God’s Favorite”, reached #10 on the Billboard Hot 100, making the single his highest charting hit. Following the release of that album, N.O.R.E. began to change his sound to reflect his Puerto Rican background and make Reggaeton music. His 2004 Reggae single, ‘Oye Mi Canto’, peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In early 2013, Santiago Jr. stated that he would again change his moniker, this time to P.A.P.I. (Power Always Proves Intelligence). Due to the mixed reactions from his fans, Santiago Jr. still goes by the moniker N.O.R.E. In April he dropped “Student of The Game”. Later that year, on September 27, he told MTV that his next album was set to be released in July 2016 entitled, ‘Melvin Flynt II: Da Final Hustle’ and that this would be his final album so that he can focus on being a music executive and CEO.
Currently, N.O.R.E. has a net worth of $2 million.