Noreaga - rapper formerly known as Victor Santiago - Interview

Thrasher Magazine, Oct, 2002 by Aki-X

OUTSIDE THE SUPREME STORE, MANHATTAN--Chilling, literally freezing our fucking balls off. It's a cold, grimy-ass spring afternoon here in NY and we're waiting to meet Beelzebub. Time is slipping into the future like our icy breath, and my partner Shelby Woods, aka Mr KO, can't wait no more. He has to break out to take flicks on the Zoo York tour. Don't hate, congratulate. Shel drops me off in BK. I begin to thaw out in a greasy Italian cafe and watch the sun set over an eerie, bleak, Manhattan skyline. It's now dark. The celly rings, finally it's NORE. A minute later a brand new red Caddie pulls up, out into the shadows steps God's favorite supathug. Aiiight, it's time for the war report. Back in the day in Iraq-Lefrak when Victor Santiago was a crack-dealing street hustler, whilst being locked up, up north that is. He, like Malcolm, read a book that transformed his life. It wasn't the Bible or the Koran, but the biography of Panamanian druglord Manuel Noreaga. Now with four gold albums under his belt, bangin ' Neptunes beats, million dollar Hype Williams videos, and a new album about to drop with Def Jam, ain't a damn thing changed. This ain't no bling-bling mothafuckaz, this shit is hurt-hurt. What? --Aki-X

What's crackin' Poppi?

Everything's cool right now, I'm just relaxing.

How was touring with Red and Meth?

Red and Meth are real fun to hang out with. They are real good people so I had a ball.

Red told me he smokes 20-25 blunts a day. Could you hang with that?

I smoke about 30-35 blunts a day, so I imagine he is trying to keep up with me.

Are you happier now at Def Jam than you were at Tommy Boy?

Not happy with Tommy Boy, but extremely happy with Def Jam.

So was it fun smashing up Tommy Boy's offices?

Yeah, no doubt.

The new Tony Touch single "Capicu" with you, Fat Joe, and JuJu came out on Tommy Boy. Whassup with that?

When I was on Tommy Boy, Tony Touch wanted me to get on his record but I was having so many problems with the label I couldn't really do it. As I got off the label and, umm, errr--me and Tony Touch's relationship is really good so he didn't take it personal. But as I am off the label, I had to do it. He's a close friend of mine.

What does "Capicu" mean?

It's a Spanish way you play dominoes. It's four Spanish men in hip hop, so I felt great about it.

You ever kick it with Big Pun before he moved on?

Yeah, Pun was a very close friend of mine, a very, very close friend of mine. I always kicked it with Pun.

Any CNN joints on the radar?

Not right now. We are pushing our solo careers, so right now it's on pause.

Capone on Def Jam now too, right?

Yep.

Tell us about your new album NORE, Noreagain?

Well, I'm gonna come, out with a second album Noreagain, so it's "NORE, Again." Gonna try and bring it back to the NORE days.

Neptunes producing that joint?

Yeah, definitely.

Whassup with Screwball from QB? You just dropped a track with him?

Yeah, yeah. Those are my friends so I did a record for them too.

What's the craziest shit you got into as a crack-dealing teenage thug in Iraq?

All types of shit man. You name, I did it.

You shot a cop, didn't you?

No, that was Capone.

Didn't you shoot some cat back in the day?

Yeah, yeah, not proud of it. I am a changed man.

Shotgun?

Na! Na, man! I don't even wanna talk about it. I'm a recovering alcoholic.

For real?

No, I'm just playing with ya. I am a recovering criminal; I'm over it. I'm doing music now.

You met Capone in Bible class in the pen, right?

Yeah, I met Capone in there.

Was it like OZ in there?

Ha! It was nothing like OZ. OZ is like kiddy jail for me. I mean, it's not like kiddy jail at all but I've never had see-through fucking cells. Always been in cells with bars, never had the privilege of having a see-through cell. There are rapes and killings in there, so I guess it's real. But the jails we been at are a lot tougher than OZ.

Do you think OZ glamorizes jail?

OZ is somewhat fantasy world, 'cause I can't see that cat Schillinger and Tobias killing each other's kids and still walking around in jail together. They killed each other's kids and they still speak to each other. I don't think that's reality. I mean, what, they both sit in fucking therapy together?

Hip hop is getting tired in the sense that all we are seeing promoted is bling-bling.

God don't like the bling-bling. No disrespect to Master P or Cashmoney, but God don't like the bling-bling. You know why I don't like the bling-bling? 'Cause I ain't got no bling-bling and people around me don't have no bling-bling. How can I sit around talking about bling-bling when people are sitting around me all hurt-hurt? I don't even wear jewelry to tell you the truth. That shit is played out. That skit is corny. People with low self-esteem bling-bling so they give themselves some kind of character. I can be butt naked and I still got character. People still gonna love me.

Are you familiar with the skate industry?

Yeah. I used to fuck with San Francisco at skateboard conventions--me, Black Eyed Peas, Mos Def. I was the only hardcore rapper there. Etnies sponsored us. I used to skate when I was younger. I wasn't any good at it but I got the cuts to prove it. I respect skateboarders.