N.O.R.E. Accuses DJ Vlad Of Racism As Their Feud Gets Uglier

A canceled interview is barely the point anymore as the beef involving these two continues to reach new heights. The feud between N.O.R.E. and DJ Vlad took a much more personal turn across a string of X posts Tuesday (Sept. 1), with the Drink Champs host accusing Vlad of racism and openly mocking his relationship with Hip Hop. N.O.R.E. repeatedly referred to him as “Vladren,” combining Vlad’s name with “Karen,” while resurfacing older photos of the media personality dressed in Hip Hop fashion and treating them as evidence of someone trying too hard to belong.

The racial attacks became the sharpest part of the exchange. N.O.R.E. repeatedly baited Vlad over whether he has ever used the N-word privately and suggested that he believes the answer is yes. He offered no evidence that Vlad has used the slur, making the posts accusations rather than proof of racist behavior. The taunting nevertheless extends an argument N.O.R.E. has been making since the feud became public. He has accused Vlad of profiting from conflict involving Black artists while remaining outside the culture he covers.

Vlad has faced versions of that criticism throughout his career. During his own appearance on Drink Champs, he acknowledged that being white meant there would be experiences involving Black people that he could not completely understand. Asked about racially insensitive questions, Vlad conceded that he could be insensitive on some subjects while arguing that his perspective was also part of what attracted viewers to his interviews. That discussion did not amount to Vlad admitting racism, but it now gives N.O.R.E.’s current attacks another piece of old footage for fans to revisit.

The ridicule has also returned to one of VladTV’s oldest running reputations. N.O.R.E. joked that artists who sit with Vlad have a habit of ending up arrested or incarcerated, an accusation that has circulated around the platform for years whenever a guest discusses crimes or street activity in detail. Vlad has consistently rejected claims that he works with law enforcement or deliberately incriminates guests. Earlier this year, he pushed back after speculation connected VladTV to AllStar JR’s arrest and said he would refuse to cooperate if authorities sought information from him about a private pre-interview conversation.

Keefe D gave N.O.R.E. an especially timely target for that joke. Duane Davis was convicted this week of orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s 1996 murder after prosecutors leaned heavily on public accounts he gave over the years. His VladTV interviews were among the statements scrutinized during the case, and VladTV itself recently reposted one of Davis’ conversations under the description that it was being used in his trial. Still, the interviews alone did not convict Davis. Prosecutors also relied on his memoir, other recorded statements and witness testimony as they argued that Davis repeatedly placed himself inside the Cadillac used in the shooting.

Meanwhile, Vlad has taken his own swings. His recent response framed the original disagreement as a matter of professionalism and accused N.O.R.E. of pressuring him to drink during negotiations for a Drink Champs appearance. He also criticized the show for encouraging intoxication around guests who may already have complicated relationships with alcohol or substance abuse. N.O.R.E.’s newest posts do not address those concerns in any sustained way. Instead, he appears intent on attacking Vlad’s credibility inside Hip Hop itself, and neither man is showing much interest in dragging this argument back behind closed doors.