East Coast rapper Noreaga, born Victor Santiago and also known as N.O.R.E., first got his start as part of the duo Capone-N-Noreaga, but he has since gone on to create a solo career that has drawn even more attention. Noreaga first met Capone when both were in a correctional facility in New York in 1992. By 1996, both had not only gotten out but had secured a record deal as a duo with Penalty Records. They started gaining a following after releasing the single "Illegal Life." They also became part of the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop war when they appeared with Mobb Deep for "L.A., L.A."

Before they could release their debut album, Capone was sent back to prison after violating parole. Noreaga released their debut album, The War Report, while Capone was in prison, and it went on to go gold. While Capone served his sentence, Noreaga started working on his solo album, called N.O.R.E. The album was released in 1998, followed by Melvin Flynt Da Hustler in 1999. His releases were full of star appearances like Foxy Brown and Busta Rhymes. Also in 1999, Capone was released from prison, and the two got to work on their second album as a duo. They released The Reunion in 2000, but the lack of commercial success led them to changing labels to Def Jam.

Capone ran into more trouble with the law, and Noreaga went back to his solo career. He released God's Favorite in 2002, which made it to number three on the Billboard 200. He released a mixtape before switching to a reggaeton sound for 2006's N.O.R.E. y la Familia...Ya Tu Sabe. The album reached number two on the Top Latin Albums and number eight on the Top Rap Albums. He went back to an English speaking album for his 2007 release, Noreality.