"During the mid-90s, East Coast hip-hop was in danger. The G-funk era was in full swing, and California artists were dominating the charts. To top things off, East Coast-West Coast tensions were at an all-time high, which culminated in 1995 when Tha Dogg Pound and Snoop dropped "New York, New York," a bold diss record complete with a video featuring them kicking down NYC landmarks. Despite the blatant disrespect, East Coast artists remained quiet - that is, until Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N), a pair of up-and-coming MCs from Queens who met in 1992 while serving time in jail as juveniles, decided enough was enough. The result was the scathing answer record, "LA, LA," featuring Mobb Deep and Tragedy, in 1996. "There was so much of a demand for an East Coast response to "New York, New York," says Nore today. "So, we threw "LA, LA" out there and people would not stop playing that record. It had a life of its own." Peep the visuals below...
"With the huge buzz generated from the single, the stage was set for C-N-N's highly anticipated debut LP, The War Report. Problem was, Capone caught a weapons-possession charge in the middle of recording and got sent to prison for three years. So, Noreaga was forced to finish the album on his own. Upon the project's release in June 1997, critics hailed it as a breath of fresh air for East Coast hip-hop, and fans agreed, propelling sales past the gold mark. "It was kinda crazy, recalls Capone. "I went to jail without any kinda recognition, and then it's like, I wake up one morning and there I was on TV. I watched my career progress without me even being there." Having branched off into credible solo careers, the Queens co-d's reunite to report on the album that helped bring the East back in the house. Oh, my God!" - XXL. Check out track breakdowns from C-N-N below...
