Happy Birthday, Capone!
Today, Feb.8, is the 43rd birthday of Capone, a Queens, NY rapper best known to the rap world as one half of the duo, Capone-N-Noreaga.
Born Kiam Akasi Holley in 1976, Capone linked up with fellow Queens rapper, Noreaga, to form CNN back in 1995. Based off of their street-certified, signature Queens rap style, the duo signed a record deal with Penalty Records in 1996.
On June 17, 1997, Capone-n-Noreaga put themselves on the map when they dropped their debut album, The War Report. With guest features from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi, brash in-your-face lyrical delivery and gritty, ironclad production, CNN truly embodied the sound of the East Coast at the time and fueled the infamous East Coast/West Coast beef. 22 years later, The War Report still stands as a classic New York rap album. It would be three years until the duo dropped their sophomore LP, 2000's The Reunion.
In 2005, 'Pone ventured out on his own to release his solo debut Pain, Time & Glory and to date, he's dropped three solo albums and lent his talents to outside projects like a collab with EA Sports. The duo separated in 2005 due to label complications, but got back together in 2010 for sequel of their debut, The War Report 2: Report The War.
CNN's most recent project, Lessons, dropped in the summer of 2015 and featured contributions from The LOX, Raekwon and longtime collaborator, Tragedy Khadafi.
Most recently, acclaimed streetwear brand, Supreme, paid tribute to CNN by featuring their hailed debut album in a Winter 2016 collection.
Happy Birthday, Capone!
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