Victor Santiago aka Noreaga aka N.O.R.E., isn't the man with the greatest fantasy in the rap game. After his solo debut in 1998, he ran out of ideas. In 2005, Def Jam dumped Capone and kept Nore. It's a curious move. To thank the label of trust, the boy comes up with a record that pays homage to Puerto Rico. SPK is the main producer, along with Monserrate & DJ Urba, Rafy Mercenario, Echo, Eliel, Menace, Luny Tunes, Doble A.
For the first time, Neptunes don't make any beats on a Noreaga album. Big Mato is the main guest with seven appearances. The other guests are Tru-Life, Veneno, Chingo Bling, Fat Joe, Lil Rob, Lumidee, Nina Sky, Orquidea Negra, Divino, Don Omar, P. Diddy, Stef La Kallejera, Zion, Pharrell Williams aka Pharrellito, Zumbi, Ivy Queen, Daddy Yankee, Frankie Negron, TOK, Yaga & Mackie, Ja Rule, Gemstar, LDA and Final Chapter.
After careful analysis, I don't think a track by track is necessary. Nore has moved towards reggaeton, this is a tribute to that subgenre and to his biggest hits, it's a big party where Nore is having fun with his friends. There are lively, cheerful and festive songs alternating with ballads for over an hour. Nina Sky are quite comfortable on these tracks, Fat Joe is unfit on rhythms he's not used to. Don Omar and Daddy Yankee are legends and they stand out much more easily than the others. The first two tracks and the first two bonus tracks are undoubtedly the best, for the rest of the time, Noreaga is spitting effortlessly and without commitment: in particular, "Mas maiz" is the banger you are looking for.
The record is in the hands of Jay-Z and his newborn Roc-La-Familia, who doesn't bother to promote it: far in the pop chart, second among the releases in Latin rap, the album becomes the second and last released with the label, before Shawn Carter decided to close it, after failing to attract major artists to the reggaeton scene. 4/10.
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