Ah, the rebirth of NY's more hardcore hip hop sensibilities. The War Report dropped at the height of Puffy and the Bad Boy crew's strangle hold on hip hop coming out of the Big Apple. Capone-N-Noreaga's gutter chemistry, the unorthodox lyrical delivery of Noreaga coupled with Capone's tales of street life and Five Percenter references, provided a sharp contrast to the fantastical mafioso rhymes of groups like The Firm. The album reinvigorated the East Coast and hardcore hip hop with its unapologetic tales of violence and drugs delivered with gritty honesty. The duo helped open doors for similarly styled MCs like DMX and Ja Rule with their debut. And who can deny the effect Capone-N-Noreaga had on hip hop in the mid 90s. Check out "Bloody Money" and "T.O.N.Y." for reference and then peep the rest of the album. Don't forget about their response to Tha Dogg Pound's "New York, New York," the Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi featuring "L.A, L.A." Speaking of Tragedy he's all over this album, practically a third member of the group. This is a true classic of the 90s that ended up sparking a return to the realities of the streets for the East Coast. Big ups to C-N-N!

• music label: Traffic Entertainment Group 2013

reviewed by Kool Moby 09/2013