N.O.R.E. is being accused of sexual assault by Carmen Bryan, who claims the Queens-born rapper forced himself on her at a packed nightclub in 1999, according to a lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone.
Bryan, an entrepreneur who worked at Rush Management and shares a child with rapper Nas, alleges that the “pervasive sexism, sexual objectification, and ‘misogynoir’” within the culture of hip-hop in the Nineties led her to stay silent for more than 25 years, according to a 20-page complaint filed in New York Wednesday.
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Bryan’s attorney Marjorie Mesidor said: “No woman signs up to be assaulted. The assertion that an assault is excusable—or simply did not happen—because a perpetrator failed to recognize his victim strips women of their fundamental humanity. Ms. Bryan is coming forward not only to demand accountability for the lasting trauma and public humiliation inflicted upon her, but to challenge the culture of entitlement that treats women’s bodies as collateral damage.” (A representative for N.O.R.E did not immediately return Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.)
The alleged assault occurred at a time when N.O.R.E, real name Victor Santiago, was promoting his upcoming sophomore album, Melvin Flynt – Da Hustler, at a Manhattan club in May 1999. In the presence of Bryan’s friends, a “visibly intoxicated” Santiago approached Bryan and “committed an act of nonconsensual digital penetration,” the lawsuit alleges.
Santiago allegedly “physically overpowered” Bryan, ignoring her pleas for him to stop, and had to be pulled off Bryan by other clubgoers. “Santiago’s conduct constituted nonconsensual sexual contact, offensive touching, assault, battery, sexual assault, and gender-motivated violence,” the lawsuit claims.
Rattled and crying uncontrollably, Bryan fled the club and was followed outside by Santiago, who allegedly continued making crude comments towards her and kept repeating, “Don’t you know who I am?”
Once under the streetlights, Santiago allegedly recognized Bryan as Nas’ partner, and he immediately apologized. “Carm, I didn’t know it was you. You’re always doing something different with your hair,” Santiago allegedly said, according to court documents.
Weeks later, at a joint Father’s Day event and birthday party for Bryan and Nas’ daughter, Santiago allegedly approached Bryan to apologize again. “Santiago’s repeated explanation that he had not known it was Ms. Bryan did not make the assault consensual, accidental, or lawful,” the lawsuit claims. “It reinforced that Santiago understood he had crossed a line and sought to excuse his conduct only after recognizing who she was.”
Bryan claims that although she stayed silent publicly for years, she disclosed the alleged assault to Jay-Z, a trusted confidante and with whom she had a secret on-off relationship for years. A “protective” Jay-Z allegedly “reacted strongly and threatened to confront Santiago personally,” but fearful of the matter escalating, Bryan asked Jay-Z not to get involved, according to the lawsuit. (Rolling Stone reached out to a representative for Jay-Z for comment.)
In court papers, Bryan says she decided to pursue civil action against Santiago after reading the domestic violence and sex trafficking lawsuit that Casandra “Cassie” Ventura brought against Sean Combs in November 2023.
“Learning of that filing triggered Ms. Bryan’s own traumatic memories of Santiago’s assault,” the lawsuit alleges. Bryan reportedly began experiencing flashbacks, and she struggled to eat or sleep. “The public nature of the assault magnified the injury,” the lawsuit claims. “It was not only the physical violation. It was being grabbed, overpowered, and sexually humiliated in front of friends and strangers, in the orbit of an industry where women were often expected to absorb male misconduct in silence.”
According to court documents, Bryan told Santiago about her forthcoming lawsuit in March and sought to settle the matter privately. Santiago allegedly denied knowing Bryan, leading her to file her lawsuit.
Bryan is suing Santiago under the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act. She is seeking compensatory damages as well as damages for emotional distress and mental anguish.
