N.O.R.E. (an acronym for Niggas On The Run Eating ) is the debut studio album by American rapper Noreaga . It was released on July 7, 1998, by Penalty Recordings . Recording sessions took place at Criteria Studios in Miami , at The Hit Factory , Electric Lady Studios , The Cutting Room and Right Track Recording in New York , at Bearsville Studios , and at House Of Hits. Production was handled by Trackmasters , L.E.S. , Curt Gowdy, Dame Grease , DJ Clue? , EZ Elpee, Ken "DURO" Ifill , Marley Marl , Nashiem Myrick, SPK, Swizz Beatz , The Neptunes and J "Waxx" Garfield. It features guest appearances from Musaliny-N-Maze, Nature , Big Pun , Busta Rhymes , Cam'ron , Carl Thomas , Chico DeBarge , Jadakiss , Kid Capri , Kool G Rap , Nas , Spliff Star and Styles P .
The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with sales of 165,000 in its first week of release. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 15, 1998, for selling 500,000 copies.
The album contained the hit single "Superthug " which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached #1 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
The song "The Change" found new fame after then-underground rapper 50 Cent was filmed free-styling over its instrumental. The album's first single and title-track "N.O.R.E. ", is featured on the soundtrack of the 2005 video game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories , as the game was set in 1998, the year the album was released.
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "The Jump Off" Charles Callet 0:54 2. "Banned from T.V. " (featuring Nature , Cam'ron , Styles P , Jadakiss and Big Punisher ) Swizz Beatz 5:11 3. "I Love My Life" (featuring Carl Thomas ) Santiago Lamont Porter Frederick Gordon Vincent Bell EZ Elpee 4:36 4. "N.O.R.E. " Santiago Jean-Claude Olivier Samuel Barnes Poke & Tone 3:14 5. "Hed Interlude" 1:00 6. "Hed" (featuring Nature) Santiago Baxter Olivier Barnes Poke & Tone 4:48 7. "It's Not a Game" (featuring Musaliny-N-Maze) Santiago Michael Allen Musa Abdallah Edwin Almonte Manuel Álvarez-Beigbeder Pérez Purificación Casas Romero SPK 3:12 8. "Fiesta" (featuring Kid Capri ) Poke & Tone 3:35 9. "40 Island" (featuring Kool G Rap and Musaliny) Marley Marl 4:35 10. "The Way We Live" (featuring Chico DeBarge ) L.E.S. 5:09 11. "Animal Thug Interlude" 1:41 12. "The Change" Curt Gowdy 3:32 13. "Superthug " (featuring Tammy Lucas) The Neptunes 5:00 14. "Da Story" (featuring Maze) L.E.S. 4:43 15. "Mathematics (Esta Loca)" 3:23 16. "The Assignment" (featuring Busta Rhymes , Spliff Star and Maze) Nashiem Myrick J. "Waxx" Garfield 4:22 17. "Body in the Trunk" (featuring Nas ) Dame Grease 3:49 18. "One Love" 5:13 19. "Outro" Callet 1:01 Total length: 1:08:58
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (June 16, 1998). "N.O.R.E. - Noreaga | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards" . AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2015 .
^ Osorio, Kim (August 1998). "Record Report: Noreaga – N.O.R.E.". The Source . No. 107. New York. p. 166, 168.
^ Kulkarni, Neil (September 1998). "Reviews" . SPIN . Vol. 14, no. 9. SPIN Media LLC . ISSN 0886-3032 . Retrieved June 27, 2023 .
^ "Noreaga Chart History (Canadian Albums)" . Billboard . Retrieved September 19, 2013.
^ "Noreaga Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved September 18, 2013.
^ "Noreaga Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)" . Billboard . Retrieved September 19, 2013.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1998" . Billboard . Retrieved April 14, 2021 .
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998" . Billboard . Retrieved April 14, 2021 .
^ "American album certifications – Noreaga – N.O.R.E." Recording Industry Association of America .