God's Favorite [PA]

Performer: N.O.R.E.
Artist: Akinyele; Nas; Ja Rule; Ice-T; Busta Rhymes; Cam'Ron; Jadakiss; Nelly; Kelis; Fat Joe; Capone; Mike Kyser; Tyson Beckford; DWNLZY; Gold Oro; Musaliny; Troy Outlaw; Heather Hunter; K.I.A.; Complexions; Mashonda; Final Chapter; Cassidy; Chinky
Engineer: Milwaukee Buck; Carlos Bedoya; Patrick "Plain Pat" Reynolds; Adam Gazzola; Tara Lacarna; Joe Quinde; K-YZE; Larry Phillabaum; Andrew Coleman; Brian Garten
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: N.O.R.E., Capone, Cam'Ron, Fat Joe, Cassidy, Chinky, Mualiny, Final Chapter, Complexions, Mashonda, Gold, Ja Rule, Akinyele, Kia DWNLZY (rap vocals); Kelis (vocals); Nas, Ice T, Nelly, Tyson Beckford (spoken vocals); Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo (various instruments); SPK (keyboards, bass). Producers include: Kyze, The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, EZ Elpee, Irv Gotti. Personnel includes: N.O.R.E., DWNLZY, Musaliny-N-Maze, Gold, Troy Outlaw, Akinyele, Ja Rule, Capone, Complexions, Cam'Ron, Fat Joe, Cassidy, Busta Rhymes, Chinky (rap vocals); Kelis (vocals); Nas, Ice-T, Mike Kyser, Nelly, Tyson Beckford (spoken vocals); Pharrell Williams, Kyze, Chad Hugo (various instruments); SPK (keyboards, bass); L.E.S. (programming). Producers include: The Neptunes, Swizz Beatz, Irv Gotti, EZ Elpee, SPK. Personnel: Latricia Thompson (vocals). Audio Mixers: Glen Marchese; Milwaukee Buck; Supa Engineer; Joe Quinde; Larry Phillabaum; Patrick Viala; Serban Ghenea. Recording information: Crackhouse Studios, New York, NY; Master Sound Recording Studio, Virgina Beach, VA; Quad Studios, New York, NY; Right Track Studios, New York, NY; Sony Studios, New York, NY; South Beach Studios, Miami, FL; South Coast Recorders, Friendswood, TX; The Room Lab, Hackensack, NJ; The Room Lab, Queens, NY; Troposphere Studios, NJ. Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. Arrangers: Pharrell Williams; Chad Hugo. On Noreaga's long-awaited and oft-delayed third album, God's Favorite, the thuggish New York rapper returns with many of the same producers who contributed to his previous album, Melvin Flynt - Da Hustler (1999), namely Ez Elpee, the Neptunes, and Swizz Beatz. Likewise N.O.R.E. teams up with a gang of rappers on God's Favorite, many of whom had contributed to Melvin Flynt. There is one glaring difference between this album and its so-so predecessor, however: Noreaga comes out of the gate here both hungry and focused. Gone is the conceptual framing of Melvin Flynt, as God's Favorite simply consists of hard-hitting jams, one after the other, most of which center on hooks yet are filled with bars upon bars of hardcore rapping. As usual, the Neptunes turn in a couple head-spinners, in this case "Nothin'" and "Grimey." Swizz Beatz turns in some bangers, chief among them "Nahmeanuheard" and its remix, but the Neptunes steal the show throughout God's Favorite, continually lightening up Noreaga's thuggery with their candy-sweet, yet still tough, hooks. Above all, it's good to see N.O.R.E. stick to the basics on God's Favorite. As a rapper, he's as rough as they come and certainly has presence, but he doesn't have the charisma it takes to pull off a conceptual album such as what he tried to do on Melvin Flynt. That's why he works so well with producers like the Neptunes and Swizz Beatz. They take care of the song ideas and let Noreaga roam free to do what he does best, bring the heat, something he does here on God's Favorite in prime form. ~ Jason Birchmeier It's interesting that Victor (N.O.R.E.) Santiago commences this bangin' collection of thug rap with an apology for his last effort. He was unfocused, understandably, with the loss to jail time of his partner in the erstwhile Capone-n-Noreagea duo Kiam "Capone" Holley. But he rapidly shows he's going to set matters to rights with a swift one-two punch to gangsta rapper pretenders in "Nothin'," and a freewheeling track called "Grimey" that's one of the most commercial cuts on offer here. GOD'S FAVORITE finds N.O.R.E. back on top of his game in a wide-ranging set that encompasses hard-core gangsta rap and a lift from Cyndi Lauper's "Time after Time." The album is prefaced by a collection of skit phone calls from Santiago's peers including Nelly, Ice T, and Nas, all paying their respects to this lifer's return to form in the street-life stakes. He shows their respect is justified again and again on cuts such as "Mr. CEO," a skewering of big money in the music biz, and "Live My Life" which features an appearance from the inimitably throaty Ja Rule. But ultimately it's in the regretful, angry "Black Clouds" that we get a true glimpse into the rapper's tortured soul.

Rolling Stone (8/8/02, p.82) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The king of the ignorant non sequitur is only as good as the producers who fill in the spaces between his disjointed phrases. On that level...NORE is nothing short of genius..." Spin (8/02, p.116) - 6 out of 10- "...N.O.R.E is pumping on all cylinders, his music can induce even library-card-carrying citizens to wild out like card-carrying members of the Lox fan club....On GOD'S FAVORITE, the producers are certainly pouring the good stuff..." Vibe (1/02, p.124) - 3 discs out of 5 - "...Bangs hard with frenzied energy..." NME (Magazine) (7/20/02, p.44) - 7 out of 10 - "...He has one trick up his sleeve...and it's a good 'un. There are few vocalists who compliment production dons The Neptunes quite as forcefully as NORE..."

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