N.O.R.E.
(born Victor Santiago Jr.) will release his first all-reggaeton album N.O.R.E.
Y La Familia…Ya Tu Sabe next Tuesday (Sept. 12) on Roc La Familia / Island
Def Jam.“There
are a lot of Latinos who don’t speak Spanish, and that doesn’t mean
we’re not proud of our heritage,” N.O.R.E. said. N.O.R.E.
Y La Familia features collaborations with Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, Diddy, Pharrell,
Fat Joe, Tru Life and more. The Queens-bred rapper rhymes in English and Spanish
throughout the album, keeping the project bilingual.The
album features the track “Tribute to Hector Lavoe,” which samples the
late salsa legend’s classic recording “Mentira.” The song is one
of N.O.R.E’s favorite songs on the album.“We
did this whole album looking at Hector Lavoe’s picture because that’s
who inspired us,” N.O.R.E. explained. “That’s who my pops listened
to. I wanted to record a tribute to him because if there hadn’t been a Hector
Lavoe, there probably would be no reggaetón.”N.O.R.E.
first earned a loyal fan base as one half of rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga. Their
1997 debut album, The War Report, was released to critical acclaim, spawning
hits like “L.A., L.A.” and “T.O.N.Y.”N.O.R.E.
officially went solo in 1998 with his multiplatinum-selling album N.O.R.E,
featuring the Neptunes-produced club hit single "Superthug."