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Still On The Run Eating Artist: NORE Interviewer: Vladimir Guerrero |
Still On The Run Eating
NORE Interviewed by Vladimir Guerrero 12-22-08
AmalgamDigital.com: I hear you been working out, trying to slim down a bit; tell me what motivated you to do so?
N.O.R.E.: I wanted to change my image up. I wanted a fresh new look.
AmalgamDigital.com: As far as your process for recording albums goes, how have things changed since The War Report. What do you do differently now?
N.O.R.E.: Back in those days I used to write rhymes in the crib a lot but now we tend to create more in the studio listening to beats. For The War Report, I remember I would never drink while I was in the studio, and since I quit drinking a couple months back, it’s like a full 360, so I’m approaching the CNN album and my solo like I did for The War Report.
AmalgamDigital.com: You spend a lot of time out in Miami, what is the thing you Love/Hate the most about living there?
N.O.R.E.: The one thing I love is the weather man, and the thing I hate the most about it is its too small. Everybody knows everybody.
AmalgamDigital.com: Has your life (motivations and goals) changed in any way since Obama was elected?
N.O.R.E.: Well you know I quit drinking before he was elected and decided to keep on that path, but I can remember when I first got signed to Def Jam you know, this is when Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles were in charge up there, We popped a bottle of champagne and all I can remember is them telling me that just because I was signed doesn’t mean I’ve reached success, that I had a ways to go, and that’s how it is with Obama, it’s good to see that we in there but it will be some time before we know if we made the right decision.
AmalgamDigital.com: When you were at Def Jam, Foxy was there, Wu-Tang was there, DMX, and EPMD were all your label mates. Def Jam was known for having some of the best rappers New York had to offer; do you like the direction the label has gone in?
N.O.R.E.: You know Def Jam is more like a southern label now, it reflects the leadership over there. As the leadership changed so did the label. They have Jada but that was through Jay, and Nas was partially through Jay but their roster and company image got cleaned up a lot. I remember smoking weed up at Def Jam, I remember getting my haircut up at Def Jam, I remember rolling dice up there, I mean they definitely have changed but I ain’t mad at their direction.
AmalgamDigital.com: Think about what Hip Hop was for you when you first got signed. What is it for you now?
N.O.R.E.: It’s interesting you say that because I remember Jadakiss told me this and I’m quoting Jadakiss He said, “I never wanted to be a ‘ringtone rapper’.” I just feel like these younger cats are looking at this as a chance to get on and I ain’t knocking it but I remember a time when you had to have a good album, I mean it had to make sense. Now all you need is a few good songs and that’s what got the game where it’s at.
AmalgamDigital.com: What advice would you give to an up and coming duo or group?
N.O.R.E.: I would tell them that money ain’t everything you know, nobody can show you how to handle success, I mean everyone deals with it differently, I don’t want to know what problems Wu-Tang has with each other, I mean it kills it for me, so I would suggest if you’re good friends then stay friends don’t let the business get in the way.
AmalgamDigital.com: I loved your role in the State Property 2 movie, are you planning on acting more?
N.O.R.E.: You know I feel like I haven’t been challenged yet, I mean my role in State Property and my role in Paid In Full were basically me, I mean they just called me up for Paid In Full and I was there making up the lines on the spot. I want to be challenged man, I want to play a nerd or a college student; something different than what the media usually expects. I love acting I think it’s easier than music I just hate the waiting all day.
AmalgamDigital.com: There was a time where Queens was overflowing with talent, I mean CNN was there, Mobb Deep was there and Nas was there too, what is the current state of those relationships?
N.O.R.E.: I mean honestly, I don’t think there ever really was a real Queens relationship. I mean me and Nas was definitely cool, me and Prodigy was definitely cool, Pone and Havoc were definitely cool, we all liked each other but we never, I mean I can only speak for myself but I ain’t never been to no meeting where ni**as was like, lets come and be together and conquer this together. I mean if that meeting existed, I for dam sure wasn’t invited. I think we had something that we really didn’t understand what it was, I mean a lot of us liked each other but other people really didn’t get along so if I had a chance to do it over, I’d be the one to call that meeting and say yo let’s get together and let’s stick together because your right, at one time Queens was real heavy, I mean it made a point in Rap. Now our voices are a little quieter but hey, it is what it is
AmalgamDigital.com: How was your experience working with MSTRKRFT?
N.O.R.E.: Yo MSTRKRFT is some crazy ass white boys, who get drunk on Crown Royal and smoke canadian cigarettes. They flew out to Miami, you know to the dungeon, and it was a dope experience because, I want people to remember NORE as a musical ni**a, so when I was in the studio with them it was challenging but I went for it man and come to find out they are some good people you know so I’m looking forward to working with them again.
AmalgamDigital.com: So before we get to Channel 10, talk to us a little bit about your upcoming solo album?
N.O.R.E.: Well the solo is going to be called N.O.R.E. part 2 or S.O.R.E., stands for “Super Thug on the Run Eatin’” or “Still on the Run Eatin’”. I had it done, it was called Global Warming but Khaled came out with We Global and I’m way too creative to have the same title as anybody else.
I’ m really taking my time with it cause I want it to be better than N.O.R.E. One thing about N.O.R.E. is I had fun you know I was traveling and the music was worldwide you know I really want to recapture the feeling and I’m close to it but you know with CNN scheduled for March, it’s like I got more time to go in there and make the perfect album. So, I’m really coming hard, I went hard on Channel 10 and I’m definitely coming hard on the solo. I want to shock people, I mean every time people think I’m done I come up with another one.
AmalgamDigital.com: Why the name Channel 10?
N.O.R.E.: Well anybody that’s lived in the New York area for some time knows that Channel 10 was the station for CNN, so it made sense and we been saying that since back then so we kind of mixed our old slang with new material and there you have it, Channel 10.
AmalgamDigital.com: What producers are on the album and are there any guest appearances?
N.O.R.E.: Well, we got Daz & Kurupt, The Clipse, Maino, and Uncle Murda and they are all on one song and then we got the Money joint with Shawty Lo. For producers we got Premo, Alchemist, SPK, Hazardous Soundz, The StreetRunners and Ron Browz.
AmalgamDigital.com: How can an up and coming producer get beats to you?
N.O.R.E.: Well you can definitely hit us up at 57thave@gmail.com or if you want to get at me you can hit me up at www.Myspace.com/Nore.
AmalgamDigital.com: You said that you wanted to be known as being musical and that you were venturing out more creatively with Channel 10 and your upcoming solo, does that mean we’re going to be hearing that vocoder sound from you?
N.O.R.E.: (Laughs) Nah, Nah, but I’m coming close to it. You know I’m going to be honest, when I hear that Kanye album, I mean, I bet you that in two or three years people are going to call this album a genius album, I mean I know there’s those people out there that are going to criticize him but mark my words, it’s just the way of the world and people. It’s like when I first bumped into Pharrell, everybody dissed me for hanging around with a dude with a tight shirt on and then ten years later the same people were on a Pharrell beat. I think you have to venture out so you don’t become predictable, that’s the only way to survive in this game.
Go check out:
- www.57thave.com
- www.youtube.com/noretv
- www.twitter.com/noreaga
- www.myspace.com/caponennore
- www.youtube.com/caponennore
Tags: Interviews, NORE