Victor James Santiago, Jr., better known by his stage names N.O.R.E. and Noreaga, is an American rapper and broadcaster. Born and raised in Queens, New York, Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of the East Coast hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N), alongside fellow Queens-based rapper Capone. He would also have success as a solo artist with the singles "Superthug", "Banned from T.V.", "Nothin'" and "Oye Mi Canto".
"Piggy Bank" is the fifth track from 50 Cent's second album, The Massacre. It was not released as a single, but charted at eighty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 due to controversy over its attack on long-time rival Ja Rule, as well as Jadakiss and Fat Joe, who had worked with Ja Rule on his song "New York". The song also takes lyrical swipes at rappers Shyne, Kelis, Sheek Louch, Cassidy, Lil' Kim and Nas. He also mentions Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, Mobb Deep and Michael Jackson in the song, but not negatively.
"Feelin' So Good" is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her debut studio album On the 6 (1999). The lyrics were written by Cory Rooney and Lopez, while the music was written by Steven Standard, George Logios and Sean "Puffy" Combs, who also produced the song. It was released on January 25, 2000, as the fourth single from On the 6.
"Deep Cover", also known as "187", is the debut solo single by American rapper Dr. Dre and his first track released after the breakup of N.W.A. The track was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover. The song features fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg in his first appearance on a record release.
Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, he then embarked on a solo career a year later and set up his own label, Terror Squad Productions, to which he signed Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Armageddon, Prospect, Triple Seis, and a then-unknown DJ Khaled; he also discovered producers Cool & Dre.
Yeeeah Baby is the second and final studio album by rapper Big Pun, released April 4, 2000 through Columbia Records, SRC Records, Loud Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. It was released in April of the same year as planned, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard 200, and selling 179,000 units during the week it was released. It was subsequently certified Gold in July three months later and would go on to be certified Platinum on October 31, 2017. Fat Joe executive producer, produced the album.
N.O.R.E. is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Noreaga. It was released on July 7, 1998, via 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.
"Make It Rain" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe, released in 2006 as the first single from his seventh album Me, Myself & I. It features American rapper Lil Wayne, who only raps the chorus, and was produced by Scott Storch. The song peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"New York" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Ja Rule, released October 27, 2004 as the second single from his sixth studio album R.U.L.E. (2004). The track, produced by Cool & Dre, features fellow New York rappers Fat Joe and Jadakiss. The song's chorus is based on Boogie Down Productions' 1990 song, "100 Guns".
"What's Luv?" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe, released through Atlantic Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions as the second single from his fourth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001). The song features additional vocals from singer Ashanti and from rapper Ja Rule on the remix and album version on the song. "What's Luv" was produced by Irv Gotti and Chink Santana. The lyrics of the song's chorus are based in part on the title refrain of the 1984 Tina Turner hit "What's Love Got to Do with It". The song additionally includes a lyric that references the 1998 song "Still Not a Player" by Big Pun. Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and the song's two producers are credited as the writers of "What's Luv", as are Big Pun and the lyricist of "What's Love Got to Do with It", Terry Britten.
"Game's Pain" is the lead single from The Game's third studio album LAX.
"Off the Books" is the third single from Stone Crazy, a 1997 album by East Coast hip hop group The Beatnuts. It was released by Relativity Records in both 12 inch and CD format in 1997. The song is produced by The Beatnuts and features raps by Juju and Psycho Les, the first on-record performance by Cuban Link, and a notable early verse from Big Punisher. Lyrics from Psycho Les's verse were later sampled in "The Rep Grows Bigga" by Gang Starr and two Beatnuts songs: "No Escapin' This" and "Slam Pit". The track's beat samples "Break that Party and Opening" by Melvin Van Peebles, "Sign Song" by Buddy Baker, "Get out of My Life, Woman" by George Semper and "Hihache" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band.
Christopher Lee Rios, better known by his stage name Big Pun, was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the early 1990s, he came to prominence upon being discovered by fellow Bronx rapper Fat Joe, and made his earliest appearance on his 1995 album Jealous One's Envy.
"React" is a song by American hip hop group Onyx. It was released on June 2, 1998 by JMJ Records, Rush Associated Labels and Def Jam as the third single from Onyx's third album, Shut 'Em Down. The song featured Onyx affiliates X1, Bonifucco and Still Livin' and then-unknown 50 Cent in his first official appearance on a song.
"I'm Not a Player" is the debut single from rapper Big Pun, produced by Minnesota. The song peaked at number 57 of the Billboard Hot 100. "I'm Not a Player" helped the album become number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling more than one million copies in America.
"It’s So Hard" is the first posthumous single by Puerto Rican-American rapper Big Pun, from his 2000 second studio album, Yeeeah Baby. It features singer Donell Jones and was produced by Younglord and Jay "Waxx" Garfield, and was released following his sudden death two months prior.
"So Much More" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe, released as the first single from his sixth studio album, All or Nothing (2005). It was produced by Cool & Dre, who helped write the song with Joe. Lyrically, the song features Joe describing his personal advantages in several areas, including his "hood buzz", among other features.
"Middle Finger" is a song by American synthpop band Cobra Starship. The track was written and produced by Norwegian production team Stargate and features Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller. It was released as the third promotional single from their fourth studio album, "Night Shades" and later as the second official single.
"N.O.R.E." is a song by American hip hop recording artist Noreaga, released on April 28, 1998, as the lead single from his solo debut studio album N.O.R.E. (1998). The song, which serves as Noreaga's solo commercial debut single, was produced by Poke & Tone of the Trackmasters.
"Die for It" is a song by Palestinian-Canadian rapper Belly and Canadian singer the Weeknd, featuring vocals from American rapper Nas. It was released on August 27, 2021, through XO Records and Republic Records as the fourth single from Belly's third studio album, See You Next Wednesday, along with the album. The song was produced by Skinny, DaHeala, and the Anmls.
