N.O.R.E

Victor "Noreaga" Santiago formed half of the Queens hardcore rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga after first crossing paths with partner Kiam "Capone" Holley during a shared 1992 prison stint. The pair secured a deal with Penalty Records in 1996 and delivered their intense opening project The War Report the following June, yet Holley's subsequent parole breach returned him to custody and prompted Santiago to pursue solo work. That effort arrived as N.O.R.E.—short for "Niggas on the Run Eating"—an all-star affair that drew input from Foxy Brown, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and additional guests. Melvin Flynt -- Da Hustler reached stores in 1999, while God's Favorite, his third full-length, endured multiple postponements before surfacing in mid-2002. Santiago shifted to the Def Jam subsidiary Roc la Familia in 2006 for the largely reggaeton-leaning N.O.R.E. y la Familia...Ya Tú Sabe, which spotlighted Nina Sky, Big Mato, and Daddy Yankee among its contributors. The next year he joined Babygrande and issued the more conventional rap album Noreality.