N.O.R.E. has been a part of the Hip Hop scene longer than most of his fans have been alive, and recently he broke down in tears as he celebrated a significant career achievement.
The Queens, New York native acknowledged he cried in private during a dinner party to mark the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking self-titled first album in an Instagram post on Saturday (July 15).
He captioned the photo, “I got to celebrate 25 years of my first album!!!” I sobbed in the restroom because I didn’t want anyone to see! I’m extremely appreciative, grateful, and humble!! I LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU if you’re a fan of CNN, Nore, or Drinkchamps.
On the post, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Ice T, and Talib Kweli all posted heartfelt comments.
“WELL DONE ALMIGHTY!” Kweli wrote: “We love you champ you just getting started!” while Busta added many fire emojis.
Red heart and fist emojis were used by Joey Crack and Ice-T to express their support for the cause.
The former member of Capone-N-Noreaga’s first full-length record as a solo artist, N.O.R.E., which stands for N-ggas On the Run Eating, was released on July 7, 1998, by Tommy Boy Records.
N.O.R.E. was joined on the mic by artists including Nas, Cam’ron, Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, and Styles P for the album, and The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Marley Marl, and others worked on the production.
N.O.R.E. was launched at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart with a reported 165,000 first-week sales thanks to the smash single “Superthug,” which was later given the gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
N.O.R.E. has recently spent a lot of time considering his profession, as might be expected. He spoke warmly of the late, legendary Big Pun last month, referring to him as “the greatest person I ever met in my life.”
During the Hip Hop X Siempre documentary, N.O.R.E described the Terror Squad legend as “probably the greatest person I ever met in life.” Not the best Puerto Rican, but the best person I’ve ever met.
The Drink Champs host continued by praising Pun’s kindness, saying that whenever he was in the neighborhood, Pun would always pick up gifts for N.O.R.E.
He remembered, “I remember me and Pun both being platinum.” And he promised to get me an Avirex and a PlayStation if he found out I lived in the Bronx. I told him, “Yo bro, I’m getting the same money as you,” but he insisted on giving more.