Capone-N-Noreaga - Channel 10 (Reviews)

1. Intro
2. United We Stand
3. Rotate (feat. Busta Rhymes And Ron Browz)
4. Talk To Me Big Time
5. Bring It Here
6. Grand Royal
7. The Arguement
8. Mirror
9. Wobble Ft. Mobb Deep
10. Channel 10
11. Beef
12. My Life
13. Stick Up
14. My Hood (feat. Clipse, Tha Dogg Pound, Maino And Uncle Murda)
15. Follow The Dollar
16. You See Me!!!!
17. Addicted

Via ThisIsHipHop

“From Iraq to Kuwait word up, desert station, regulation, CNN Channel 10 once again, what what.” - Capone-N-Noreaga, “T.O.N.Y.”

It is, once again, Channel 10. Capone-N-Noreaga, aka CNN, have returned from a seven-year hiatus. Either that, or Capone must have just gotten out of prison. Regardless, the Queensbridge duo who combined the Gulf War with the griminess of New York on their critically-acclaimed street classic debut, The War Report, is back on the scene with Channel 10, a title that is consistent with the concept born on The War Report. During the time between The War Report, The Reunion, and this album, Noreaga (now N.O.R.E.) carried a successful solo career, dabbling in early Neptunes production and reggaeton, while Capone kept violating his parole. Even though N.O.R.E. has put on about 100 pounds and Capone isn’t behind bars, everything is status quo on Channel 10; an album that takes CNN back to what made them a force to be reckoned with in the first place.

Channel 10 serves as a comeback on a couple levels: for both N.O.R.E. and Capone as individual MC’s and CNN as a group. CNN fans rejoice, because their chemistry is just as strong as ever. This was most evident on “The Argument.” The MC’s go back and forth, arguing like brothers over the bad habits of the other. Of course, between their arguing, they do take plenty of time to reiterate that their relationship is as strong as ever. Like brothers, they argue, but it will always be love in the end. “Wobble,” with help from Mobb Deep, takes CNN back to their hardcore East Coast rap roots. The hook might be painfully reminiscent of the “wobble wobble, shake it shake it” chorus from an old Cash Money joint and seem out of place on a East Coast joint, but Havoc flips the hook nicely to fit the mood of the song. The track is a genuine throwback and would have fit seamlessly on The War Report.

With Havoc already on board, CNN enlisted the aid of yet another legendary producer who helped define East Coast rap: DJ Premier. Their last collaboration with Primo yielded “Invincible,” and this go around, “Grand Royal,” produced similarly great results. “Grand Royal” is the clear winner on this album. Capone spits his usual hardcore, hustling-in-the-streets raps as N.O.R.E. recounts CNN’s rise from The War Report, as well taking on what’s happening now, i.e. the recession, gas prices, and the foreclosure crisis. It’s hard not to get overshadowed by a DJ Premier beat, but CNN elevate to Premier’s level.

While some of the guest appearances on Channel 10 serve to enhance the album (DJ Premier, Mobb Deep), other guest appearances hurt the quality; specifically Ron Browz. His presence on the Busta Rhymes-assisted “Rotate” was nowhere near welcome. Of course, there’s the necessary club joint, but somehow having some AutoTune-using bum on a CNN album just doesn’t seem right. On the other hand, a rejuvenated Busta Rhymes continues to impress in 2009. However, another swing-and-a-miss comes in the form of Maino and Uncle Murda on “My Hood”, which shows of the art of the “back-and-forth” using CNN, The Clipse, and CNN’s former rivals Tha Dogg Pound. Maino and Uncle Murda add nothing to the track, and once again, only add a negative aspect to an otherwise good track.

Overall Score: 71/100

Read the rest here

Also, via All Hip Hop

Let’s face it, in terms of Hip-Hop Capone-N-Noreaga seem to fit the profile of your favorite knuckleheaded uncle. When they are around, they are one of your favorite people to hang out with. They put out some good advice, ride with you, and whenever you are around their crib, you feel like it’s a second home.

The problem with them is they always seem to be disappearing and reappearing due to trouble and have a tendency to disappoint. However, when they are there you always see potential. CNN latest, Channel 10 (Fontana) follows the same blueprint as their career, uneven, but when it’s on point, it’s tough to turn it off.

When you listen to DJ Premier’s production and turntable mechanics on “Grand Royal”, it just feels right. Both Capone and NORE come through to do the beat its justice. Its essence feels street and unafraid to bring it to your door.

“The Argument” puts the stamp down that these two are brothers for life. It isn’t a track that is tacked on like most duos; you could tell a friendship was forged before that song was recorded. It comes off as one of the better songs on the album because of its sincerity. The closing “Addicted” also translates into a genuine effort.

The few disappointments come from the guest appearances. CNN is routinely beaten back on their own cuts. On the albums lead single, “Rotate” it feels like a back album cut primed for Ron Browz until Busta Rhymes comes through and destroys the track. The same happens on “My Hood” where The Clipse hold a flow clinic for everyone else on the record.

Unbalanced collaborations aside, there are also a few in-house missteps. Tracks such as the lackluster “Mirror” and forgettable “Channel 10” lack that punch compared to the aforementioned stronger cuts. Additionally “Beef” feels phoned in with a barrage of uninspired tough talk.

Channel 10 creeps on great when you hit the albums high notes. However, the miscues and the overall unevenness create an album that could have been that much better. Fans of CNN’s body of work will definitely appreciate what is given on this album, and even new fans could find something they enjoy. Even so, just like that uncle, you can’t rely on it for constant enjoyment, and you harbor just a bit of resentment for it.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

And check out this very funny track-by-track review courtesy of Unkut

The creators of legendary anthems like ‘Illegal Life’, ‘Bloody Money’ and ‘T.O.N.Y’ finally get the chance to make a whole record together. Without mentor Tragedy on deck, will this be more like The Reunion than The War Report?

‘Intro’
Here we get to remember all the classic shit they did in the 90s. Prepare for it all to go downhill from here. It’s gotta be tough for dudes like CNN and Raekwon to forever live in the shadow of near-perfect debuts.

‘United We Stand’
Solid opening. Good beat (with the exception of that annoying ’swooosh!’ shit). Capone delivers as usual.

‘Rotate’ feat. Busta Rhymes & Ron Browz
The beat on this is pretty hard - Ron Browz on the AutoTune does his best to undo his good work with a horrible hook. Still a great ignorant club record though.

‘Talk To Me Big Time’
‘Epic’-style synth music is annoying. If you like ‘Hate Me Now’ you’ll…skip.

‘Bring It Here’
Is that a sample from The Warriors? Prolly not.

‘Grand Royal’
DJ Premier track = good times. Shit is fire. But you know that already, right?

‘The Argument’
Like I said last time, this is along the same lines of ‘Phone Time’ from the second LP, but this time ‘Pone is back in that free world. Entertaining.

‘Mirror’
CNN making a retrospective track? Something’s wrong here.

‘Wobble’ feat. Mobb Deep
This comes off as well as you’d expect a song called ‘Wobble’ to be. Actually, it’s pretty good, especially when NORE says, “Her pussy is tighter than Kanye’s shirt”.

‘Channel 10?
blank stare*

‘Beef’
Beat is a product of the 80’s. This isn’t as ignorant as I’d hoped.

‘My Life’
NORE sez: “You want surfboard/I want a jetski”. Piano-laced track for another ‘clash of the personalities’ style concept. Works for me.

‘Stick Up’
This is quality work. Great evil video-game/phone tone beat and superior crime-time topic.

‘My Hood’ feat. The Clipse, The Dogg Pound, Maino and Uncle Murda
Who the fuck wants to hear Daz and Kurrupt in 2009?

‘Follow The Dollar’
Alchemist on some demented shit. Why doesn’t the rest of the album sound like this?

‘You See Me!!!!’
Remember when NORE used to make good/amusing hooks? Yeah me too.

‘Addicted’
Good idea over an unoffensive piano track.

Conclusion: This is tough. On one hand, Capone and Noreaga are great on the mic on this album. On the other, the music is almost unbearably bad in some spots, but I didn’t find myself skipping anything the first go round on the strength of the raps. NORE is as bugged as ever, and Capone stay winning, so with a few remixes we could be onto a winner. Come to think of it, if this record had the Sid Roams beats that HNIC2 had, it would be effin’ classic. As it stands, it’s still worth a spin for ‘Stick Up’, ‘Grand Royal’, ‘My Life’ and ‘Follow The Dollar’.Similar Posts:

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1. Intro 2. United We Stand 3. Rotate (feat. Busta Rhymes And Ron Browz) 4. Talk To Me Big Time 5. Bring It Here 6. Grand Royal 7. The Arguement 8. Mirror 9. Wobble Ft. Mobb Deep 10. Channel 10 11. Beef 12. My Life 13. [...]

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