N.O.R.E. confronts viral food reviewer Sober Facts over his continued use of the N-word

The “Drink Champs” host approached Jason Rodriguez while he was filming in New York, arguing that nobody should be using the racial slur.

N.O.R.E. is taking his disagreement with viral New York food reviewer Sober Facts from social media to the streets, confronting the content creator over his continued use of the N-word.

The “Drink Champs” host approached Sober Facts, whose real name is Jason Rodriguez, while he was filming a food review on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The encounter, which was captured on video, centered on the rapper’s belief that nobody should use the racial slur, regardless of their background.

In a video posted to Sober Facts IG, N.O.R.E. told Rodriguez, “None of us should say n—a. Not Dominicans, not Puerto Ricans… none of us, not even Black people.”

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A post shared by FACTS REVIEWS (@soberfacts)

The rapper continued, warning the reviewer to stop using the word.

“Please stop your sh-t before we stop your sh-t,” N.O.R.E. said.

Rodriguez wasn’t taking the confrontation quietly.

In a response video, the food reviewer accused N.O.R.E. of approaching him with approximately six people whom he claimed were intoxicated. He also questioned the rapper’s position, pointing out that N.O.R.E. was using the very word he was telling others to avoid.

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A post shared by FACTS REVIEWS (@soberfacts)

“You say to not say the N-word and you keep saying it,” Rodriguez said.

He also defended his use of the word, arguing that it remains part of New York City culture.

“Nobody in NYC gonna stop saying it, it’s part of the culture,” he said.

Rodriguez further criticized N.O.R.E.’s approach, suggesting the rapper was too old to be threatening physical confrontations.

Despite the heated exchange, Rodriguez ended his response with a friendly message to the veteran rapper.

“Shout out to N.O.R.E. I’m just a young sober guy speaking the facts and trying to make it,” he wrote on Instagram.

The confrontation comes amid ongoing conversations about the N-word’s place in hip-hop and broader Black and Latino culture. The debate has repeatedly surfaced among artists and public figures, raising questions about cultural identity, language and the boundaries of reclamation.

For now, neither N.O.R.E. nor Rodriguez appears to have changed their position.