Capone-N-Noreaga (CNN for short) is an East Coast Hip Hop duo that consists of Capone and Noreaga. Capone and Noreaga grew up in the housing projects of Queensbridge and the housing development of Lefrak City, respectively, (both in Queens, New York), and met each other in jail in 1992 while doing kitchen duty. In 1996 they signed with Penalty Records through Tragedy Khadafi's 25 to Life Records; they were 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 their debut album The War Report with the help of various other QB/NY hip-hop acts. The War Report 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 their own "L.A., L.A."
In 1999, the group released their 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 back to prison before its release for violating a probation sentence on gun possession, 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, the group shortened its name to CNN, and Noreaga billed himself as N.O.R.E. (or NORE) for his solo work. They recorded a new album in 2003 called What up 2 Da Hood, with a lead single, "Yes Sir", 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.)
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 2009, entitled Channel 10. 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.
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HANG HANG!!
