N.O.R.E.

"You thought that reggaetón killed me? It just made me stronger," raps N.O.R.E., on a recent freestyle track set to Kanye West's "Stronger." The MC behind one of reggaetón's first mainstream hits, N.O.R.E. has ditched the dem bow beat and returned to the boom bap of hip hop.

Born Victor Santiago, Jr., the 31-year-old from Queens, NY, first hit the charts as one half of hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN). Their 1997 debut, The War Report, went gold just as Capone was going to prison for violating his parole. A year later, "Noreaga" launched his solo career. Under the alias N.O.R.E., he released two albums, a platinum self-titled debut and Melvin Flynt: The Hustler. N.O.R.E.'s most successful singles were the Neptunes-produced SuperThug and Oh No. In 2000, Capone-N-Noreaga reunited for a second album, Reunion.

But, once again, Capone's run-ins with the law would drive the group apart. Now signed with Def Jam, N.O.R.E. was back. His 2002 album, God's Favorite, launched the massive club hit, Nothin' featuring a vocal hook by longtime collaborator Pharrell Williams.

Perhaps sensing that nuyorican reggaetón was headed for the mainstream, N.O.R.E. put his Puerto Rican roots on display on the 2002 mega-hit "Oye Mi Canto," featuring Daddy Yankee, Nina Sky, Gem Star and Big Mato. The track's runaway popularity inspired N.O.R.E. to put his fourth solo rap album, 1 Fan a Day, on the shelf and release last year's reggaetón-heavy N.O.R.E. y La Familia...ya tú sabe. Although La Familia spawned another catchy single, Más Maiz, as well as appearances by Daddy Yankee, Don Omar and Ivy Queen, it failed to match the sales of his first three solo releases.

N.O.R.E.'s label, Roc-La-Familia/Def Jam, eventually dropped him shortly before it, too, went under. Without a label and possibly burned on the Latin scene, N.O.R.E returned to streetwise rap with Noreality on indie label Babygrande Records. The new album picks up where God's Favorite left off and includes collaborations with rap mainstays Three 6 Mafia, Kanye West, Jadakiss, Pharrell, Swizz Beats, Scott Storch, Dame Grease and even his old partner Capone. Listen to Set It Off and recognize: the superthug is back.