Capone-n-noreaga-war report 2 review

1. Pain Prod by Alchemist 5/5

2. Bodega Stories ft. the LOX Prod by Scram Jones 5/5

3. Dutches vs. Phillies vs. Bamboo ft. Raekwon Prod by Scram Jones 5/5

4. My Attribute prod by Dready 4/5

5. Favor for a Favor Prod by BT 4/5

6. Hood Pride ft. Faith Evans Prod by Neo da Matrix 3/5

7. Tha Reserves ft. Raekwon Prod by Tha Bizness 4/5

8. With Me ft. Nas Prod by Buckwild 5/5

9. Live on Live Long Pt. 2 Prod by SPK 5/5

10. The Oath ft. Raekwon and Busta Rhymes Prod by Hazardis Soundz 5/5

11. Brother from Another Prod by Kyze 5/5

12. Thug Planet ft. Imam Thug and Musaliny Prod by Tony Heathcliff 4/5

13. Scarface Prod by AraabMuzik 5/5

14. The Corner ft. Avery Storm Prod by M3 4/5

15. Obituary Prod by DJ Green Lantern 5/5

4/5

Loving this album

"I'm pretty sure Raekaon was bullshitting the fans again. I never trust what that guy says."

He didn't bullshit about releasing Walk Wit Me or The Badlands on iTunes for CLII & even posted mad links for "Made Men" for Wu-Massacre on his Myspace. Its only a matter of time

Just copped it this morning.

Shit's a burner, both of them dudes are spazzin all over the place.

Hopefully Noreaga's energy carries over to his next solo album.

He's focused as fuck on this joint, and 'Pone has always been sick.

4/5

Thirteen seems to be a lucky number for classic Queens Hip Hop duo Capone-N-Noreaga, as it was 13 years ago that the noteworthy The War Report dropped, and July 13 now marks the release of the sequel. As diehard fans of the original braced themselves for what could be a disaster, it seems that N.O.R.E. and 'Pone were busy in the studio cooking up an album worthy of the name.
In many aspects, The War Report 2 is indeed a continuation of the original, unlike some Rap sequels (what did Jay-Z's Blueprint 3 really have to do with the original Blueprint anyway?). Littered with references to the past throughout bars on almost every track, it’s as if the late ‘90s have returned with a vengeance. The matured pair is still street stuck, still spitting their unique slang, and most importantly they are still executing it well. Perhaps the biggest difference between part one and part two is the absence of Tragedy Khadafi, who in fact was released from a period of incarceration just prior to the LP’s release date. But with age comes maturity, and even CNN are man enough to admit the shortcomings on their most recent effort, as evidenced by their verses on “Live On Live Long Pt. 2.” “Trag got locked up / I really can’t believe it / The War Report one, he was like the heart of it / The War Report 2, you know we want you to be a part of it / Wrote letters, reached out, and lost mad contact,” Noreaga admits, as the track boldly boasts the exact same chorus as the standout track from 1997’s War Report. Producer SPK even lets the original’s beat ride out for a few seconds during the middle and end of the song.
Intelligent Hoodlum presence or not, The War Report 2 still maintains the perfect balance of features. The lyrical and production lineup will satisfy lovers of the Queensbridge trademark sound, yet at no point does it overpower the two stars of the show, despite having fellow Big Apple heavyweights such as Raekwon, Nas, and The L.O.X. showing off their skills. This is best exemplified on “The Oath” , which finds N.O.R.E. and Capone rhyming alongside Busta Rhymes and Hip Hop’s favorite Chef. Instead of a traditional chorus, each emcee receives an oath dictated to them in a language each can personally relate to (one of which is an uncredited Damian Marley), as the drums fall back to create a dramatic atmosphere. The boom bap returns to complement solid verses from all four lyrical contributors. The extremely ominous beat from Hazardis Soundz coupled with the mafioso influence of the structure and subject matter is strongly reminiscent of something that could have come straight from The Firm’s album, which fittingly was released the same year as The War Report. Addicts to the grimiest of sounds, a la “Halfway Thugs,” will revel in The Alchemist-produced banger “Pain,” which sounds like the theme song to a Horror flick and doubles as the introduction to the album. Meanwhile, the two share an exchange over a chorus revealing, “Look what happened to Haiti, it’s all crazy / Every night I go to sleep, I kiss my baby / I feel pain/every day the same story, war over territory / We just tryin’ to see the glory, you know?”

As satisfying as it is overall, The War Report 2 still falls victim to a few negatives. Unlike its predecessor, that possessed the grittiest of sounds and rawest of lyrical content from beginning to end, the sequel takes an ever-so-slightly commercial turn from time to time. “The Corner,” assisted by Avery Storm on the hook, may have benefited from a different choice of singer. Storm’s voice, that conjures up thoughts of Colin Munroe when his accent and vocal style are taken into consideration, just seem out of place within the overall context of the Capone-N-Noreaga sound. Additionally, that particular track boasts one of the least hard-hitting instrumentals on the album, as a military-style drum roll pairs with a melodic whistling to create the visual of a Western movie rather than the project buildings surrounding the Queensboro Bridge. On the warm and fuzzy front, “Brother From Another” is a bit too heavy on the platonic affection, and not “Illegal Life” enough to deserve a spot on a lineup of their former classic. The DJ Green Lantern-produced “Obituary” is annoyingly sluggish as the duo namedrops friends of theirs who have passed, taking it to a personal level that may render it tough to relate to for some listeners. Although in concept it would be the logical track with which to end the album, it seems a bad organizational move to end such a strong effort with one of the weakest links of the project.
Fortunately, and in rare fashion with many sequels, these shortcomings are not enough to be a significant detriment to the overall success of The War Report 2. Transcending subpar sequel syndrome, the follow-up LP isn’t going to be perfection in anyone’s eyes who considers the original one of their favorites, but it’s a definite step up from much of Noreaga’s solo work, or even Channel 10. Sure, the guy who tried a random Reggaeton crossover and his oft-incarcerated friend aren’t the most amazing lyricists, but were they ever? They haven’t declined in quality or even gotten noticeably better this time around, but that’s just proof that one need not spit creatively multi-syllabic hot fire every second of the day in order to create high quality Rap music. That held true for The War Report, and over a decade later, it’s shockingly refreshing to be able to say that it still holds true now.


hiphopdx review

the reviewer gave it 3.5/5

user rating 4/5

^ i just saw that HipHopDX.com review, pretty good review altho i think the album is closer to 4/5 than 3.5/5. what i had to open this thread about after reading was this tho:

Quote:

---

This is best exemplified on “The Oath” , which finds N.O.R.E. and Capone rhyming alongside Busta Rhymes and Hip Hop’s favorite Chef. Instead of a traditional chorus, each emcee receives an oath dictated to them in a language each can personally relate to (one of which is an uncredited Damian Marley), as the drums fall back to create a dramatic atmosphere.

---

^^ wait what? that's ill

yeah that surprised me too

damn this album is slamming, bumping it again now and the majority of the songs are sequel worthy. "With Me", "The Oath", "Live On Live Long Pt. II", "The Reserves" and "Orbituary" gotta be my top 5 at the moment.

my top 5 right now are:

Pain
Dutches vs. Phillies vs. Bamboo
With Me
The Oath
Scarface

"Hood Pride" is a great fucking song, that's how the "commercial" single on a street banger like this should sound if it's gonna be one.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by claaa7

^ i just saw that HipHopDX.com review, pretty good review altho i think the album is closer to 4/5 than 3.5/5. what i had to open this thread about after reading was this tho:

---

HipHopDX be hating on good stuff yet give a lil wanye album a good review when they know damn well that shit was trash

but back to the CNN album shit is fire

is there any way to DL it?

i asked noreaga on twitter where is TONY pt 2 and he said he's waiting for trag's verse.....so hopefully out soon

this is a rock solid 4 mics...

but the highs are so high, it might deserve 4.5 mics...

everything works....

the skit to start the album... PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!

leads into PAIN... with NORE snappin like it was 96... with even more introspection and clarity!!!!!!!!!! the hook work shared between pone and nore, leading into pones verse... vintage... CLASSIC!!!!!!! chemistry, mic trade offs, emcee, real nigga shit!!!!!!!!!!!

bodega stories... quite possibly the greatest collabo EVER between LOX and CNN camp... just incredible... vocal sample flipped insane, banging drums, haunting keys, potent verses, all showcasing a different style, cadence, tempo... top notch storytelling, CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! nore snappin hard, holdin his own with a hungry kiss and styles... bars are up!!!!!!!!!!!

dutches vs phillies vs bamboo... this shit could fuck with ANY cut on the OG war report IMO... and thats a top 5 street album... this track right here... is perfect in every way... beat... gone!!!!!!!! sample... gone!!!!!!!! rae kills the first verse, ever bar slicing through like a ginsu blade, nore blacks out with the vocab and styling, pone mashes it... and they ALL KILL IT WITH THE INDIVIDUALIZED HOOKS REPPING THEIR FAVORITE SMOKING METHOD!!!!!!!!!!

favor for a favor... niggas hate on BT... why!?!?!?!? this niggas production style is hectic, high tempo, hit a nigga in a frenzy shit... penitentiary was CRACK... this track captures the war report vibe, IRAQ twist, middle eastern heat, dark, hard hittin, with pone and NO splashin it... another instant CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

the reserves... expert hookwork from chef... and NORE goes in... classic nore verse... dust juice... water... style... grace... its a lot of niggas killin it with the wordplay, with no style or grace, flip your words with passion, originality, energy... nore shittin on niggas!!!!!!!!!

with me... ft. nas.... very dope.... late 90's nas verse, i remember nore sayin on the radio nas always switchin his verse on him when they did collabos when nas called nore out for not caring enough bout his lyrics.. nore was like...

"if im not spitting, why nas always changin his verse after hearing mine??!?!!?!"

im sure he got a handful of scrapped nas verses... very dope to flip one for WR 2.... not the greatest nas verse, buts its dope, on some hood shit, ill hook, works with the track, nore and pone kill it... buckwild banger... INSTANT CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!!


live on live long part 2... heartfelt, honest, g shit... trag and CNN had their beef but its all love, niggas grew up.... nore merks this entire album, mad heart in his verse... kinda sad yo... im fat thats just me now... he trynna to accept it, knowing his mans gonna be like "damnnnn son... what happened!?!!?!?!?"... storytelling is incredible, dope beat... INSTANT CLASSIC!!!!!!!!!!

the oath.... INSTANT CLASSIC... just play it... every verse is krillz, ill concept, dope beat, and possibly... the GREATEST BUSTA RHYMES MAFIA verse ever... this nigga nailed it... he was goin for a lot of that on the BIG BANG... nothin to this effect... bussa buss smashed that shit... blew me away... nigga anhilated everyone and everything!!!!!!!!

brother from another... INSTANT CLASSIC... again... heartfelt, real, honest, dope... hot beat, some bitch nigga might call this soft, when its one of the hardest joints on the album, just off pure emotion, and realness... storytelling immaculate, classic hook... another joint of NO and pone goin back n forth on some trill shit.... no homo shit, nothin, just honest, from the chest... so dope!!!!!!!!!!!

thug planet... yeah... still knocks... raw... IMAM hook merks it...

scarface.... WHEEEEW!!!!!!!! raw as fuck... punch a busdriver in the face and drive the bus offa bridge music... nore once again, dismantles this beat.. pone kills it... coke and guns, sniff and spliffs, liqor n cups, ass with the stretches... real block nigga shit!!!!!!!!!

obituary.. nice somber way of endin the album... like the ending credits rollin after a mob flick... catch your breath, and chill... incredible arch....

this album is fuckin flames... its gonna be an album that gets more praise 10 years from now, than it did at time of release... much like the OG WAR REPORT.... both pone and nore delivered... nores finest work in 10 years... easy!!!!!!!!!!

the war report
the reunion
the war report 2

5 mic classic, and 2 HEAVY albums to hang off it... CNN showed niggas why they legend status with report the war... SALUTES... go cop it, 10 bucks to support some gritty headknock shit with heart.. the type of music the culture was built off... album desevred a write up... i just seen the reviewer from dx was a female... c'mon son, bitch probably under 13 when the OG dropped, sayin nore and pone aint lyricists... the fuck?!?!?! they merked this album, patterns, vocab, flow, style, hooks, the whole shabang, hip hop media sucks virally, physically, period!!!!!!!!!!!

and thats a good excuse for TONY 2 not droppin... gettin trag.. hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!

definately one of my favorite albums of the summer right now

Anybody who questions Capone's lyrical ability really needs to listen to his verse on Black Gangstas.