Metal Lungies

I had been waiting in the lobby of the W hotel with one of our unpaid interns for half an hour when Capone-N-Noreaga walked out an elevator and sat down by the bar. They had with them a strange bottle of a drink they called Tiger Bone. Before the interview could start, Capone asked a waiter for two more shot glasses so that we could take shots. Not being much of a drinker, I declined. Capone insisted.

Curious, I looked at the bottle’s label, which did not put me at ease. There were no nutrition facts; rather, it was mostly in Chinese and read, “A traditional Chinese herbal formula used in the orient for thousands of years. Recommended usage: take 2 teaspoons (approx. 10 ML) twice daily.” The label also cautioned that Tiger Bone is 130 proof and that “it should not be used by pregnant women.”

Seeing no way out, I reluctantly took a shot. I slammed down the glass halfway through coughing and pounding my chest. When I could breathe again, all I could bring myself to say was, “What the fuck is Tiger Bone?” Capone answered, “It’s real.”

And that’s the best way to describe CNN. For better or worse, they’re “real.”

ML: What’s poppin in Queens in 2009?

Capone: Everything.

Nore: Same thing that was poppin in Queens in ’96.

ML: Who’s hot?

Capone: Everything in Queens is still the same. You still got the same beefs, still got the same whores, still got the same crackheads. But you got Capone and Nore back together so that’s the only thing different. But a new album.

ML: Channel 10 has been called your comeback album. What would you say is your goal with the album?

Nore: Just for people to listen to it high volume and love it.

ML: Just to put CNN in the streets again, right.

Capone: Yeah, we’re not really giving a fuck about radio and video right now. We are, but at the end of the day, we want to give the people that made us back. And that’s the street. And right now they holdin’ us down. They held us down for ten years. So at the end of the day you gotta appreciate that we giving back to them. ‘Cause they didn’t play CNN videos. You never seen mad CNN videos, or CNN all over the radio. So we’re not geared toward commercial records. We’re geared toward getting back to our core.

ML: I’m gonna call you out on the commercial thing.

Capone: OK, go ahead, call me out baby. You gotta take a shot though when you call me out so we play fair.

ML: The Ron Browz record — isn’t that a commercial record?

Capone: Music today — they censor music so much that you have to make the thuggest record commercial to some extent. To get your albums in certain stores, your shit gotta be squeaky clean, because that’s just where music is at right now. If you look at Ron Browz, he’s not on nobody’s record that’s not a gangsta. It’s not like he’s on a Ne-Yo record, it’s not like he’s on a Chris Brown record and we’re doing a record with him. He’s on fuckin’ Jim Jones’ record, he’s on Busta Rhymes’ record, he’s on CNN record, Fat Joe. So you look at all these people who record he on-

Nore: Nobody soft.

Capone: That shit is hard

Nore: Nobody wears bowties there.

ML: Do you think Ron Browz is what New York needs right now?

Nore: Yup. Hands down. Unequivocally. First off his swag, his creativity and his beats. I think beats come first. Beats are from New York.

Capone: See the thing about Ron Browz — New York hasn’t had a producer that is actually an artist in a long time. Swizz became-

Nore: Swizz became an artist.

Capone: Yeah that’s what I’m saying

Nore: Ron coming in from the beginning like a Pharrell.

Capone: New York hasn’t had one of those in a long time. So for us to have a Kanye West, it’s beautiful where everybody was going to Kanye for beats, they want him on the hook too. We got that. Y’all got to come see us now. But, it’s a blessing to have a talented person like that change the sound of New York, because at the end of the day, when you do look at Capone and Nore on a Ron Browz record, you don’t think it’s soft. You don’t look at it as it’s soft or commercial. We’re not on a R&B record. Rotate is not a R&B record. That shit knock in the club like “Gin & Juice.”

ML: Considering all the collaborations you’ve done, what do you guys have stashed away in the vault? Both CNN and solo. Do you have any crazy tracks we’ve never heard?

Nore: I got about five pun verses. I gave out one for the Mariah Carey record and it didn’t work out. I’m not really trying to get money off of it. It wasn’t done in that fashion. I don’t think me and Pun ever charged each other, we balled with each other. So, it’ll never come out.

ML: Never? Nah, you gotta put that out.

Nore: I mean, I’m waiting for Pun’s wife to… I mean when she does, it’s her.

ML: When was the last time you guys spoke to Tragedy?

Capone: I know I ain’t speak to Tragedy in a minute. The last time I spoke to Tragedy was a few years ago. But Tragdey is locked up right now. Shout to Tradge, hold your head, baby. But at the end of the day, we don’t have no beefs with Tradge so… I wish I could speak to him right now. I wish I could call him or he could call me right now.

Nore: Second that.

Capone: I damn sure wish that right now.

ML: There’s so many amazing stories about Pun. I heard you on Juan Epstein talking about Pun, like in the studio he makes everyone take shots. Like you guys.

Nore: But this is actually good for you.

Capone: It’s strong, but it’s good.

Nore: If later on, if you happen to get into any sexual acts with a female, this is gonna keep your dick hard all night. It’s been proven.

Intern: Is that why it’s called Tiger Bone?

Nore: Yeah

Capone: Tiger Bone, baby.

Nore: It’s actually made from the bone of a tiger.

ML: Really.

Nore: Yeah. So it gives you the energy of a tiger.

Capone: [roars]

Nore: Actually, this is an ancient Chinese secret. Chinese people, they take two teaspoons a day, one in the morning, one at night and that’s how they end and start their day. So, this is actually good for you. It’s not like when Pun was making you take shots of Hennessy.

Capone: But we’re not taking teaspoons.

Nore: Yeah we’re definitely not taking teaspoons.

ML: Do you have a favorite story about Pun in the studio or on stage or whatever?

Nore: It’s crazy because I have too many favorites. I think every time I was with the dude it wound up being my favorite. At the time I didn’t know how special it was. It’s just like right now, I’m doing this interview. Then let’s say tomorrow, ‘CNN says they’re not doing no more Internet’ and you got the last interview. It wouldn’t seem special right now at this moment, but later in life you would say, ‘Damn, we was taking shots of Tiger Bone, chillin” and you realize how special it winds up being later on in life. I don’t want to sound gay or anything, but every moment I spent with Pun wound up being one of the specialest times ever because the dude was indeed from heaven. I’ve never seen a person with so much of a great heart like that. I’ll give you a funny story. I can recall Pun calling me from the Carbon, which is now Exit or I don’t even know what the club is named now, but he was at a Puff Daddy party. So he calls me with Puff and he’s like ‘Yo, come to the club’ and Puff’s on the phone like ‘Come to the club.’ And I’m like, ‘Puff, you sure you want me to come to the club?’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And I was like ‘Aight cool, I’m leaving Lil Jerome video set right now.’ Because Puff had paid me for a record and to shoot a video and he didn’t realize he was telling me to leave his own video set. That’s how ill Pun was. I was like, ‘Aight, I’m leaving Lil Jerome video set now’ [and Puff said,] ‘Bullshit! Pun you a foul…’ That’s how ill Pun was, his character. It wasn’t just with me. I’m sure Puff has wild stories.

I’m probably one of the fortunate people to have spent so much time with him, that many moments with him that were special. I’m hear to tell you that anybody who came across Pun probably felt the same way.

ML: What’s the gayest thing you’ve ever seen in hip-hop?

Nore: Damn, there’s been too much. I can’t even pinpoint one. I want to be careful about this, because I don’t want to offend the actual real gay people. I don’t have beef with anybody who’s really gay. When I really say that’s gay or that’s homo, it’s because it’s a act that a straight man shouldn’t do.

I said something about Kanye West that I really didn’t mean. What I meant was, I’m friends with Kanye and Kanye defends that community. I have no beef with the gay community, but I was caught in the moment and was just so hyper because this Perez Hilton dude he’s kind of got under my skin, because I knew he didn’t know who I was and for him to make those vulgarous statements, he was under my skin. So I would like to fully apologize to Kanye West, because that’s what I meant by it. Because I sincerely believe that Kanye is not gay. I think he defends the gay community to get a lot of pussy, to tell you the truth. Girls like feminine guys who are not gay. And I think Kanye gets a lot of ass and I think that’s what he does. So at the end of the day, that’s what I meant by it. I definitely didn’t mean anything bad by it. Kanye, I apologize.

ML: I gotta ask about a line from “Banned from TV.” You say, “Drinking Henny straight with tomato juice.” If you got tomato juice, isn’t it not straight?

Nore: Hennessy straight, one glass. Take a shot of tomato juice. My father was a nasty person. That’s actually how my father used to drink alcohol. He wouldn’t actually mix it in the same glass, he would chase it with tomato juice. And used to always be like, ‘that’s horrible.’ He would drink bloody marys, but separate cups. So he would have the spices in one glass, with the shot, hit it and then drink the tomato juice straight up. Nastiest shit I’ve ever seen. My pops was crazy. So that’s what I kind of meant and I knew that I would throw people off.

ML: I saw you were at the Raekwon video shoot. Can we expect a Wu collab in the future?

Nore: Well, I definitely got a record with Raekwon.

ML: On his album or on yours?

Nore: I got one on his too. He sent me a track, I sent it back to him. Hopefully he’ll use it. I also got one from him on my album as well. I think that’s Capone’s friend too.

ML: Are you gonna be a on a track with Rae soon?

Capone: I’m on his album and he’s on my Pain, Time, and Glory album as well. Rae is family man.

ML: On your next album you got a track with Kid Cudi?

Nore: Yeah

ML: How did that happen?

Nore: I like Kid Cudi. It was crazy, ’cause I kind of wanted to use him for a single. And it’s crazy, he’s a fan of a lot of the old N.O.R.E. stuff. He was like, ‘I wanna do something like ‘Follow the Dollar’ and I was like ‘Damn, that shit is like two weeks old.’ He went in and I showed him a reference of what I did and he asked if he could change the beat and he changed the beat. I’m buggin’ out for my solo album.

I’ma do the farthest from CNN. CNN gave me an outlet to strictly be street, keep it all core. So it makes no sense for N.O.R.E. to keep it all core. I’ma obviously have the classic tracks, the boom bap tracks, but I’ma explore. I’ve been known to explore without a life raft and paddles, so I’ma throw on a spacecuit. I’m not saying I’m going fully out there, ’cause I can’t wear tight clothes, it just doesn’t fit me. But I definitely want to tap into a different audience and bug out with it.

ML: What was the last thing each of you bought?

Capone: Tiger Bone

Nore: Eggplant parmesan.

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Capone-N-Noreaga’s Channel 10 comes out March 17

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