N.O.R.E. is not losing sleep over DJ Vlad being upset that their planned interview never happened. The “Drink Champs” host responded after Vlad publicly questioned his character, making it clear that he believes changing his mind was his right and that he has deeper issues with Vlad’s place in hip-hop media.
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The latest NORE DJ Vlad exchange heated up after Vlad discussed the situation with Akademiks. In the clip, Vlad accused N.O.R.E. of failing to return the favor after Vlad previously appeared on “Drink Champs.“Nore is about Nore, his word don’t mean ish, he’s a snake,” Vlad said while explaining why the situation bothered him.
N.O.R.E. had a much different interpretation of what happened. In the response clip provided for this story, he said he initially agreed to appear on VladTV before ultimately deciding against it.
“I did to you what you did to our culture, I bent you over, and I f**ked you,” he stated. “I’m a grown man. I have the right to change my mind.”
That response pushes the dispute beyond a basic disagreement over booking etiquette. Vlad appears to view the canceled appearance as a broken commitment between two media figures who had seemingly moved past earlier problems. N.O.R.E., however, is framing his decision as intentional and connected to his opinion of how Vlad has handled hip hop artists over the years.
There is history behind Vlad’s expectation of reciprocity. Vlad joined N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN for Episode 399 in March 2024 for an extensive conversation about his career, VladTV, Tupac Shakur, and his years covering hip hop.
During that conversation, Vlad acknowledged that he and N.O.R.E. had previously fallen out over what Vlad described as ego and an earlier interview request. Vlad apologized for not appearing on “Drink Champs” sooner, while the two discussed how they had eventually moved beyond their previous disagreement.
Now, that peace appears to have cracked again.
N.O.R.E. also brought Rick Ross into his criticism, accusing Vlad of trying to put the Miami rapper in jail. That specific characterization requires context. Vlad pursued a civil lawsuit against Ross after alleging that members of Ross’ entourage attacked him during the 2008 Ozone Awards following questions about Ross’ past as a correctional officer. A federal jury later awarded Vlad $300,000 in damages.
The documented case was a civil lawsuit seeking financial damages, so the public record does not by itself establish N.O.R.E.’s claim that Vlad attempted to have Ross incarcerated. His comment instead reflects the larger criticism he is making about Vlad’s interviewing style and his relationship with rappers whose street histories become subjects of public questioning.
That tension has followed Vlad for years. Vlad himself recently addressed criticism surrounding artists who have faced legal trouble after appearing on his platform, telling VladTV in February 2026 that he asks difficult questions but rejects claims that his interviews are responsible for sending guests to prison.
For N.O.R.E., however, the current argument appears to come down to something more personal. Vlad believes an agreement was made and should have been honored. N.O.R.E. believes agreeing once did not obligate him forever.
