Capone-N-Noreaga (
CNN for short) is an
East Coast Hip Hop duo that consists of
Capone and
Noreaga.
In 1996 the duo signed with
Penalty Records; it was also awarded
The Source magazine's Unsigned Hype column. In 1996, Before the group’s debut album was completed, Capone was imprisoned for a parole violation
, and Noreaga finished its debut album,
The War Report, with the help of various other QB/NY hip-hop acts and was met with critical and commercial acclaim;
it saw the group partake in the
conflict between
Death Row Records and
Bad Boy Entertainment, making it a more widespread east coast/west coast rivalry, responding to
Tha Dogg Pound's single "New York, New York" with its own "L.A., L.A."
In 1999, the group released its sophomore effort,
The Reunion, on
Tommy Boy Records. Similarly star-studded, the album went platinum, but suffered from mixed reviews.
Additionally, Capone was once again sent to prison before its release for violating a probation sentence on gun possession,
which undermining promotion of the album. Soon after, in 2001, Capone-n-Noreaga jumped ship to prominent label
Def Jam. As Tommy Boy retained the rights to the names Capone-n-Noreaga and Noreaga because the company claimed that the duo owed it more recordings, the group shortened its name to CNN, and Noreaga billed himself as N.O.R.E. (or NORE) for his solo work. The duo recorded a new album in 2003 called
What up 2 Da Hood, with a lead single, "
Yes, Sir," which was issued on mixtapes and promoted by a video. The single failed to make an impact, and the album was shelved. It was released later in 2004 as a mixtape (
What Up 2 Da Hood Thugged Out).
In the same year, the duo found itself implicated in a non-fatal shooting between rival hip-hop groups, one of which included emcee
Lil' Kim, after a chance encounter outside New York radio station Hot 97. Capone-n-Noreaga have denied any involvement in the shooting, for which the group was not charged
. In early 2005, Def Jam released Capone from his contract while retaining NORE;Capone released his debut album,
Pain, Time, and Glory, in the same year.
In 2006, NORE brought up the possibility of a Capone-n-Noreaga reunion and a new album.
CNN is releasing a new album on March 17, 2009, entitled
Channel 10 which takes its name from a song off
The War Report. The first single off their third studio album is titled "Rotate" which was produced by
Ron Browz and features Ron Browz &
Busta Rhymes. In a December 2008 interview with NORE, he stated that
DJ Premier,
Havoc, and
The Alchemist would all provide production for the album
.
In recent interviews, both capone and NORE have spoken of an upcoming album similar to the war report, entitled "Report the War"
where they would duplicate each individual track, such as "Money Bloody" opposed to Bloody Money. It is speculated this album will be released sometime after both their new solo's are released.
