Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault.
N.O.R.E. is facing allegations of sexual assault from a former music executive, who claims the Queens rapper and podcast host forcibly digitally penetrated her in a Manhattan nightclub in 1999.
At the time, Carmen Bryan, who was working as the finance officer of Def Jam affiliate Rush Management, ran into N.O.R.E. (born Victor James Santiago Jr.) during an event promoting his second album, Melvin Flynt – Da Hustler. Bryan says Santiago forced himself onto her in front of her friends and other club patrons, according to a lawsuit obtained by Pitchfork. Despite her pleas to stop, the assault only ended when bystanders “shouted” and “physically pulled him away.”
Crying uncontrollably, Bryan fled the club. Per the suit, Santiago proceeded to follow her, making sexually explicit comments and demanding, “Don’t you know who I am?” It was only in the illumination of streetlights that Santiago recognized Bryan as the partner of rapper Nas. “Carm, I didn’t know it was you,” he allegedly said. “You’re always doing something different with your hair.”
In March, Bryan sent a pre-suit settlement to Santiago, hoping to resolve the issue while informing him that his “unlawful conduct” constituted “forcible touching, assault, disorderly conduct, sexual misconduct, and a violation of her civil rights.” Santiago reportedly claimed that he did not know Bryan.
“No woman signs up to be assaulted,” Heather Palmore, Bryan’s attorney, wrote in a statement to Pitchfork. “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.”
Pitchfork has reached out to N.O.R.E.’s lawyer for comment.
If you or someone you know has been affected by inappropriate sexual behavior, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN Hotline
http://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741