N.O.R.E. is being accused of sexual assault by Carmen Bryan.
Bryan claims the New York rapper forced himself on her at a busy nightclub in 1999, according to a lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone.
Author and entrepreneur Bryan alleges in the complaint that the “pervasive sexism, sexual objectification and misogynoir” within the culture of hip-hop in the 1990s led her to stay silent for more than 25 years.
The alleged assault occurred at a Manhattan club in May 1999, where N.O.R.E, real name Victor Santiago, was promoting an upcoming album. In the presence of Bryan’s friends, a “visibly intoxicated” Santiago approached Bryan and “committed an act of nonconsensual digital penetration,” the lawsuit alleges.
Bryan fled the club and was followed outside by Santiago, who then recognised her as the partner of fellow rapper Nas, and he immediately apologised.
“Carm, I didn’t know it was you. You’re always doing something different with your hair,” Santiago allegedly said, according to court documents.
Bryan claims she disclosed the alleged assault to Jay-Z, a trusted confidante with whom she had a secret on-off relationship for years.
She decided to pursue civil action against Santiago after reading the domestic violence and sex trafficking lawsuit that Casandra Ventura brought against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in November 2023.
Bryan dated Nas during the 1990s. The couple share his first child, daughter Destiny Jones, born in 1994.
She wrote the best-selling 2006 autobiography It’s No Secret: A Memoir about her experiences in hip-hop culture.
