The War Report

The War Report
Studio album by Capone-N-Noreaga
Released	June 17, 1997
Recorded	December 1995–April 1997
Genre	East Coast hip hop, Hardcore Hip Hop,[1] Gangsta Rap [2]
Length	70:43
Label	Penalty/Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records 03041
Producer	Charlemagne EZ Elpee Nashiem Myrick Carlos "6 July" Broady Naughty Shorts DJ Clark Kent Tragedy Khadafi G-Money Buckwild Lord Finesse Marley Marl
Capone-N-Noreaga chronology
The War Report (1997) The Reunion (2000)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
The Source	[4]

The War Report is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N). The album features the singles "L.A., L.A.", "T.O.N.Y.", "Illegal Life" and "Closer". Tragedy Khadafi appears on more than half of the album's songs. Other guest appearances include Imam T.H.U.G., Castro, Mussolini, Mendosa, Troy Outlaw and Mobb Deep. Despite its strong underground overtones, the album was a commercial success, making 1997's Hip Hop/R&B Top Five.

Significance and impact

Considered a classic by fans and critics , The War Report's signature sound was distinctively underground and hardcore for its time, a trademark that garnered street credibility for the group. The unique chemistry of Noreaga's unorthodox lyrical delivery, combined with Capone's streetwise slang and Five Percenter references, established the duo as a household name within the hardcore hip hop community. Furthermore, the album created a large and devoted cult following for the group and launched the solo career of Noreaga, who subsequently went on to achieve significant mainstream success (most notably with the Neptunes-produced club anthem "Superthug").

More importantly, The War Report is often credited with reviving East Coast and hardcore hip hop, signaling a return to realistic and gritty hardcore street aesthetics (defined by unapologetic tales of violence and drugs) and spelling an end to the surrealistic, ostentatious, and fictional narratives of mafioso rap. Beginning in the end of 1996 and throughout 1997 (during the commercial height of Puff Daddy's pop-oriented Bad Boy Records during its Arista Records years), mafioso hip-hop gradually lost its critical acclaim within the underground scene from which it originated. As it crossed over into the mainstream, the concept was becoming increasingly generic and comatose (as seen with the hip hop supergroup the Firm, which rhymed almost exclusively about mafioso fantasies). Upon the release of The War Report, however, Capone and Noreaga brought new life into the gangsta rap subgenre, becoming an instant underground phenomenon that foreshadowed the rise of similarly styled emcees who went on to cross into the mainstream for the remainder of the late 1990s (i.e., DMX, and Ja Rule) and into the following decade (i.e., 50 Cent and Jadakiss).

The success of the album managed the group to make a sequel titled The War Report 2: Report the War. The album was originally scheduled to be released on June 15, 2010, almost exactly 13 years to the original, but it was pushed back a month later to July 13, 2010.^[5]

Track listing

^Busta Rhymes' part is cut off before he starts. He only appears on the last 20 seconds of the song, ad-libbing over the hook. The songs "Stick You," "Parole Violators," "Halfway Thugs," and "L.A., L.A (Kuwait Mix)" are partially edited, even though the album was released with an explicit-lyrics sticker.

Sample-clearance issues caused two very strong tracks, "Married To Marijuana" and "Calm Down (Feat. Nas & Tragedy Khadafi)," to be cut from the retail version of the album. Both songs were originally on the promo version sent out for reviews but were sadly omitted from the retail album when it hit stores. Both became mixtape and underground radio classics and were released as white label 12-inch singles.

Samples

• "Bloody Money"
  • "Impeach the President" by the Honey Drippers
  • "Philadelphia Morning" by Bill Conti
• "Capone Bone"
  • "Step into Our Life" by Roy Ayers
  • "Cruisin'" by D'Angelo
• "L.A., L.A. (Kuwait Mix)"
  • "The Letter" by Al Green
  • "New York, New York" by Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
• "Iraq (See the World)"
  • "Night Song" by Noel Pointer
• "T.O.N.Y (Top of New York)"
  • "Speak Her Name" by Walter Jackson
• "Live On, Live Long"
  • "Who's Gonna Take The Blame" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• "Closer"
  • "Closer Than Friends" by Surface
  • "Promise Me" by Luther Vandross
• "Channel 10"
  • "M5 (SK 7)" by Roy Budd
• "Stick You"
  • "Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues" by Charles Mingus
• "Halfway Thugs"
  • "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Aretha Franklin
  • "Only Because of You" by Roger Hodgson
• "Black Gangstas"
  • "Olhos De Gato" by Gary Burton
• "Driver's Seat"
  • "Do the Thing That's Best You" by Willie Hutch
• "Stay Tuned"
  • "Theme From S.W.A.T." by Rhythm Heritage

Album singles

• "Illegal Life"
  • Released: 1996
  • B-side: "L.A,. L.A."; "Stick You"
• "T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York)"
  • Released: 1996
  • B-side:
• "Closer"
  • Released: 1997
  • B-side: Closer (Sam Sneed Version) Produced By Sam Sneed
• "Capone Bone"
  • Released: 1997
  • B-side: "Calm Down" (featuring Tragedy Khadafi & Nas)

Charts

Singles

References