Capone-N-Noreaga

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Capone-N-Noreaga
Origin	Queens, New York City, New York
Years active	1996 – Present
Genres	Hip hop
Labels	Penalty Tommy Boy Records Def Jam Recordings
Members	Capone Noreaga

Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N for short) is an East Coast hip hop duo that consists of Capone (Kiam Holley - born February 8, 1976) and Noreaga (Victor Santiago - born September 6, 1976). The two grew up in the housing projects of Queensbridge and Lefrak City (both in Queens, New York), and met each other in jail in 1992 while doing kitchen duty. In 1996 they signed to "Penalty Records" in a deal with "25 to Life" records (Tragedy Khadafi's label). They were also featured as "Unsigned Hype" in The Source magazine. In 1997, C-N-N released their debut trend-setting album, The War Report. With exquisitely dark tracks crafted by Lord Finesse, Havoc (of Mobb Deep), Clark Kent, and a number of other acclaimed producers, The War Report was well-received by critics. The unique chemistry of Noreaga's unorthodox lyrcal delivery combined with Capone's street-wise slang, established the duo as a household name within the hardcore hip hop community.

After Capone returned home from jail in 1999, the group released The Reunion featuring the single "Ya'll Don't Wanna". The album struggled to go gold, due to the lack of promotion from Tommy Boy Records, and suffered from mixed reviews. In addition, Capone was sent back to prison right before the release, further hurting promotion. Soon after in 2001, Capone-N-Noreaga jumped ship to powerhouse label Def Jam. Because Tommy Boy retained the trademarks to the names "Capone-N-Noreaga" and "Noreaga", the group was forced to shorten its name to C-N-N, and Noreaga was forced to bill himself as N.O.R.E. for his solo work. They recorded a new album in 2003 called New Religion, with a lead single, "Yes Sir", that was issued on mixtapes and promoted by a video. The single failed to make an impact, and the album was shelved.

In early 2005, Def Jam released Capone from his contract while retaining Noreaga, leaving the group's status in disarray. Capone released his debut album "Pain, Time, and Glory", in 2005 that did not sell.

[edit] Discography

Album cover	Album information
	The War Report Released: June 17, 1997 Billboard 200 chart position: #21 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #4 Singles: "Illegal Life"/"L.A. L.A."/"Stick You", "T.O.N.Y. (Top of New York)", "Closer", "Capone Bone"
	The Reunion Released: November 21, 2000 Billboard 200 chart position: #31 R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #8 Singles: "Phone Time"/"Bang Bang", "Y'all Don't Wanna"/"Invincible"
	Thugged Out Released: 2007/2008 Billboard 200 chart position: TBA R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: TBA Singles: Greenlight