Some might agree with him while most will call him crazy, but CNN’s N.O.R.E. is ready to argue that he was the best rapper in the game in 1998.
In an interview on the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast, the commercial half of the famed CNN duo said, “In 1998? Who was it? Me, DMX, Big Pun, Cam’ron. I was the hottest at the time I signed. And, other than DMX, I sold the most in my first week. DMX did 220[K], I did 163[K].”
1998 was a pivotal year for Hip Hop, teetering between gangsta rap and the “bling” trend, the top contenders in the game then are the current legends of the game now. Albums that were released that year include Jay-Z’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, Big Pun’s Capital Punishment, DMX’s albums It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Outkast’s Aquemini. Was Noreaga’s debut N.O.R.E. better than all of the above classics?
