N.O.R.E., also known as Noreaga, and DJ EFN have been running the podcast Drink Champs for years now. Being able to bring on world-famous guests has brought about many intriguing conversations on the show. Both with rich backgrounds in hip-hop, their relationships with star rappers can sometimes be a double-edged sword, though. For example, N.O.R.E. sometimes does not bring on guests that are a conflict of interest for his rapper friends. In a recent Drink Champs clip, he explained how his bond with Joe Budden kept him from interviewing certain artists .”Just cause of my friendship with Joe, I couldn’t interview certain people,” he said. “That has nothing to do with Illuminati. It’s just a friend thing. I have no disrespect towards the other person.”
But, this would not be the case if Noreaga and EFN were proper journalists. Typically when conducting interviews, journalists are required to put relationships and biases aside. So, following this statement, EFN made it clear to N.O.R.E. why his stance could be confusing to some viewers of the show. “I’mma tell you why people get it confused, cause you often say you’re a journalist,” he said. “This is why I always say stop saying that.”
Noreaga Sets Things Straight
When approached by his pal DJ EFN about his policy for interviews, N.O.R.E. responded with vigor. “I’m not a journalist! I’m not a journalist! I never said I was a journalist. I do journalist sh*t and I’m richer than a lot of them journalists but f**k that, I ain’t no journalist. Mothaf**ka!” Although he disagreed with EFN about ever making the claim that he was a journalist, they both agreed with the fact that they are not. “We’re media, we’re not journalists,” EFN responded.
To this, N.O.R.E. agreed. “We’re media! I’ve never said I was a journalist! I just said I do journalist sh*t,” he said. “And guess what? My relationships (are) more important than this.” With this clarification, N.O.R.E. asserts that he does not commit to fully being a journalist because his hip-hop relationships are too important to him. So, even though Drink Champs may give some of the most insightful and enjoyable interviews in the industry, they responsibly make it clear that they are not official journalists. And they prefer it that way.
