N.O.R.E. is facing legal action from Carmen Bryan over an alleged 1999 sexual assault, while simultaneously engaging in a public feud with DJ Vlad involving accusations of racism, defamation, and claims about the use of racial slurs. The conflict has escalated with N.O.R.E. challenging Vlad to a lie detector test and denying allegations, while also drawing attention for his upcoming performance replacing Bone Thugs-N-Harmony at a block party and his criticism of public figures' remarks on social issues.