Rapper N.O.R.E., better known as Noreaga of the hip-hop podcast “Drink Champs,” is being accused of sexual assault by Carmen Bryan, the former partner of Nas. Bryan claims the rapper, born Victor Santiago, forced himself on her at a packed club in 1999 and that her memory of the night was triggered by Diddy’s lawsuit from Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.
In court documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Bryan alleges that the “pervasive sexism, sexual objectification, and ‘misogynoir’” of hip-hop culture in the 1990s prompted her to not speak on the assault for more than two decades. The 20-page complaint was filed on Wednesday under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act.
Bryan previously informed Noreaga of the lawsuit and sought a private settlement. Noreaga denied knowing Bryan, prompting her to file a lawsuit where she is seeking compensatory damages as well as damages for emotional distress and mental anguish.
The alleged incident took place in May 199 in a Manhattan nightclub. N.O.R.E., who was promoting his sophomore album. According to court documents, a “visibly intoxicated” N.O.R.E. approached Bryan and committed “an act of nonconsensual digital penetration.”
Bryan states in the suit that she was “overpowered” by N.O.R.E., and that he ignored her pleas for him to stop and had to be pulled off of her. “Santiago’s conduct constituted nonconsensual sexual contact, offensive touching, assault, battery, sexual assault, and gender-motivated violence,” according to the lawsuit.
At one point, Bryan confided in Jay-Z, with whom she had an on-again, off-again relationship, about the assault, and Jay-Z “threatened to confront” N.O.R.E. over the incident but asked him not to for fear of the matter escalating publicly. Twice after the incident, according to the lawsuit, N.O.R.E. attempted to apologize to Bryan, once outside the venue after he recognized that she was with Nas, and again at a birthday party for Nas and Bryan’s daughter, Destiny Jones.
