N.O.R.E. Changes Name, Drops Video ft. 2 Chainz, Pusha T, French Montana
The new year brought a big change for N.O.R.E. -- his name! Because he wanted "to do something totally different" for his upcoming album, Student of the Game, the Queens-bred rapper dropped his name of 16 years for P.A.P.I. To celebrate he released the video for "Tadow," his new single featuring Pusha T, French Montana and 2 Chainz.
"Sometimes if you're lost, the best way to find where you're at is to go to the beginning," he told MTV News of the name change. "My mother doesn't even call me Victor, my father has never called me Victor, my teachers didn't even call me Victor...My name in Lefrak City and my name in Queens is actually P.A.P.I., it's not even N.O.R.E."
"I like to have my acronyms poppin'" he said of the new name, which stands for Power Always Proves Intelligence.
Fans worried that a name change may signal an artistic change need not worry. "Tadow" still features the same aggressive rap skills he's honed since the '90s, and it also boasts cameos from Diddy, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and DJ Khaled. The track is lifted from his new disc, his first released under the P.A.P.I. name.
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