After releasing "The Reunion" (2000), Capone and Noreaga controversially leave Tommy Boy, with whom they still have a contract, and signing with Def Jam. The label holds the names of both the Capone-N-Noreaga group and the rapper Noreaga, who changes the moniker to N.O.R.E. His third solo album is his first under the new pseudonym. Production is provided by SPK, Neptunes, Ez Elpee, Irv Gotti, K-Yze, Swizz Beatz, L.E.S. and Yogi of the Hitmen. Guests are Mashonda, Nelly, Tyson Beckford, Mike Kyser, Nas, Ice-T, Musolini, Maze, Gold, Troy Outlaw, Ja Rule, DWNLZY, Capone, Complexions, Final Chapter, Kelis, Cam'ron, Fat Joe, Cassidy, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss and Chinky.
The first track is "Hit Me Slime", an intro that features NORE's phone secretary messages, performed by Nas, Ice-T, Mike Keyser, Nelly and Tyson Backford. The title track is spoken word delivery by the rapper about a sad and pragmatic boom bap by Kyze. The Neptunes give their friend another hit single with "Nothin'", in which Pharrell also makes an appearance performing intro and hopping hook. Nore is comfortable with this bouncy Middle Eastern beat, the trademark of the Neptunes. Chad & Pharrell also sign "Grimey": bouncy, middle eastern boom bap, similar rhythm, shoddy, flat delivery of NORE. Track number five features a guest who's a tax code and Swizz Beatz behind the keyboards: it's one of the worst tracks in the Queens rapper's discography. Poor, dull, simplistic rhythm, bounces worse than ever and lowers the level of the album, Nore effortlessly in a song destined for fourth-rate clubs. Totally to be skipped.
Kyze comes up with a bad beat for the next song, not as bad as Swizz's, but it's still meager, hopping, happy. Musalini-N-Maze try to pick up the track a la Capone-N-Noreaga style, and fail. Bad other guests, bad Noreaga, horrible hook. "Big D" has such an obscene, scandalous and sexual refrain that the song is totally to skip. A shame, because EZ Elpee does a good job behind keyboards, but Noreaga and his friends just aren't good at this thing. It's one of Nore's most sexual tracks, unlistenable in every sense. Heather Hunter a la Lil Kim, with less charisma and personality, Akinyele on autopilot with no fantasy, just squalor. Irv Gotti creates one of the best rhythms of this LP: boom bap jazz perfect, it doesn't bounce, it doesn't get lost in the street, it doesn't go anywhere, it's really great, inside there's Ja Rule that obscures a Noreaga without energy, always flat and bland. The Neptunes are back in "Full Mode", another single: bouncy, Middle Eastern, lustful production for the club, done very badly and they don't care. The Queens rapper is still dull and out of phase.
"Love Ya Moms" is a posse with Capone, Musalini-N-Maze, Gold and Complexions: SPK, brilliantly, samples Cindy Lauper, but who had ever thought about it? Absolute idol. He's one of the firsts to sample Cindy Lauper in a rap mainstream major release. The sample is the iconic "Time After Time": Capone flows smoothly on this spectacular production, light boom bap with a new wave flavor, masterpiece, infallible, it's one of the best rhythms you can find in a Noreaga album. Complexions' soulful hook, Musalini & Maze both deliver a professional attack and have a velvet, polished, confident delivery, providing the best stanzas in the LP's deepest track and certainly one of the best of Noreaga's career. Neptunes are still heavily featured on the album, "Head Bussa" is their stuff: obviously, they put a simplistic and bouncy, cheap boom bap on the table, Noreaga delivers alone in this umpteenth song headed to the club.
Swizz Beatz puts an end to the album with "Wanna Be Like Him": a hopping and very poor production that wants to imitate that of Pharrell & Chad Hugo. Mashonda doesn't save the piece, Nore rarely less inspired. And generally, he's never inspired. L.E.S. confirms for the umpteenth time that thing, that '94 rhythm is a coincidence: clean production, decent, but excessively bouncy, Complexions tries to give value to the song with a good hook and the singing in the background, but Noreaga sounds perpetually tired and exhausted, maybe smoking and drinking so much before recording isn't a good idea. SPK brings back some jazz in this wobbly section of Victor Santiago's solo opera number three, which wakes up and remembers that he's a hardcore rapper and that his name originally comes from that of a Central American dictator. This is one of the rare good cuts on the record.
Musalini-N-Maze are guests of "Now I Pray": excellent dark and bouncy boom bap by SPK, Nore sounds like he's the guest of his own album, has no desire to rap, Musalini rips the cut and leaves the closing to Maze, the boys raps like the album is theirs. So, normally, Neptunes make a song or two for your album and then leave the core of the product to the others. But here, they're friends of Noreaga, sure, he practically launched them. So, they also produce "Consider This": the big problem is that Williams and Hugo never do a good job from the point of view of the melody of the music. This is another bouncy Middle Eastern boom bap, it seems they can do or just want to do this kind of rhythm. Nore is mediocre as always, Kelis uselessly sings the hook, her contribution is in vain as much as Mashonda's is a few tracks before, despite all the good will.
There's a remix of "Nahmeanuheard", because that Swizz Beatz beat was one of the worst of the nine nine, it really was. Unlistenable, impossible to face. Luckily, someone decided to restore dignity to the track and do a remix by changing rhythm and the remix is by... Swizz Beatz. What is it, a bad joke? Please. Capone, Cam'ron, Fat Joe and Cassidy called to the miracle. Look them in the face. They can't do it. Swizz's production is bouncy, but for some reason, it's not as bad as the original, in fact, it's almost decent. Intro by Fat Joe, rap meh, Cassidy idem, slow, tired, poor hook by Capone, even Cam'ron sounds tired, slow and poor, none of these MCs are inspired by the rhythm, you have to pity them. Rap by Capone, who with all the good will in the world, delivers to suck. Hook of Nore, it's up to him the last verse, and he delivers in a feeble and meaningless way: the track isn't much superior to its original version, in the end.
"Holla Back Slime" follows: Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss on Noreaga's answering machine. Then there's a Capone cut with Chinky, it's a bonus track where Bad Boy sends one of its lesser known producers, this guy named Yogi, for this Capone track that ends up on Nore's record: as ridiculous as the producer's name may be, Yogi does a good job, his beat exudes epic, Capone delivers fast and smooth, Chinky performs a simple and honest hook.
19 tracks, 77 minutes. NORE's first album with Def Jam. The production is mainly managed by Neptunes and SPK: the former makes only one type of beat five times, the latter tries each time to fix the musical disaster that the others are making. The album is a mess at the end, and it's a joke: the best guest MCs Noreaga has on this album are Nas, Ice-T, Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss, and they perform with messages on the answering machine in two different tracks. These are choices that don't make logical sense. Musolini-N-Maze, as usual, largely dominate Noreaga's album, even the worst tracks they are featured on sound essential. NORE is a name that still makes noise in New York, and Def Jam adequately promotes the album, third on both the pop and rap charts, one of the best-selling records of the season, and for some reason, the professional critics still refuses to bring it down. There are some gems here, but you need to dig.
Rating: 5/10.
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