Cormega was raised in Long Island City, Queens, forming childhood friendships with future rappers such as Nas, AZ, Nature, and Capone-N-Noreaga.
1980s
He was featured on Hot Day's "Going Straight Up" from his album "It's My Turn". He was also featured on Blaq Poet & DJ Hot Day's track "Set It Off" from their album "Without Warning" in 1991.
1990s
Cormega was sentenced to 5–15 years in prison for armed robbery in 1991. Despite his incarceration, Cormega gained some attention following a shout-out from Nas on his song "One Love", from the critically acclaimed Illmatic album.
Cormega was released from prison on appeal after serving almost 4 years in New York's Mid-State Correctional Facility. Following his release in 1995, Cormega became determined to pursue rapping. Nas included him on a song entitled "Affirmative Action" for his second album It Was Written. The song also featured AZ and Foxy Brown, and became The Firm's first appearance. Based on his performance, he was signed to Def Jam and recorded an album called The Testament. Based on the buzz from "Affirmative Action," Nas, his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and Trackmasters joined to produce The Firm. Cormega was replaced with another artist, Nature, because either he would not sign a contract with Stoute or Stoute felt Nature was a better rapper. This led to an alleged altercation between Cormega and Nature. Cormega's dispute with Stoute also ended his friendship with Nas. Following the end of his membership in The Firm, Alex Trojano contributed in producing his album The Testament. Meanwhile, following a falling-out over creative differences with his manager Chris Lighty and Def-Jam imprint Violator Records, his debut album The Testament was indefinitely shelved. During the recording for The Testament Cormega responded to Nas' "One Love" in the form of a letter also entitled "One Love".
2000s
In 2000, he was released from his contract and he started his own record company, Legal Hustle Records. Cormega vented his disappointment with Nas and The Firm in a mixtape song titled "Never Personal".This song was never directly pointed to Nas, but the media made it look like that. In 2001, he released his new debut album, The Realness, which was acclaimed by critics. Many of the songs share a theme of betrayal. Nas responded to Cormega on his song "Destroy and Rebuild" from his album Stillmatic. Cormega retaliated with more mixtape tracks, "A Slick Response" and "Realmatic". Nas revisited the Cormega beef in his song "The Cross" on the album God's Son. In reference to Cormega, Nas rapped "What I've discovered is my brother's tryin to be/The next me, yeah I support him but he's blinded I see/ Jealousy he love me to death and I'm buggin I love him for life/ We both still mournin on our mother's life" (referencing the fact that Cormega's mother was murdered when he was four).
Cormega's follow-up album, The True Meaning won the Source Magazine's prestigious Underground Album of the Year Award. In 2004, he followed up with Legal Hustle (a compilation album showcasing his label's artists) and other talented hip-hop lyricists such as Ghostface Killah, Large Professor, AZ, Kurupt, Jayo Felony, and several others. This album is considered by some as more of a project than an actual solo album; nonetheless it was well received. In 2005, he was able to release The Testament on his own label, which saw good reviews and sales and featured the original banned version of "Dead Man Walking" as a hidden track.
In early September 2005, Cormega posted a statement on his website that he and Nas had spoken and ended their feud. Cormega explained that their conversation had come about due to the death of Cormega's grandmother. Both rappers have stated the possibility of a collaboration. On December 22, 2006 at the Nokia Theatre Times Square, Cormega appeared on stage at a Nas concert and went on to perform with Nas (and Foxy Brown as well), further evidence that their feud is over.
The feud was settled in Cormega's home in early December 2005, when Cormega and Nas realized that it was destructive for each of them. It is not known who was responsible for their meeting but both artists are now working alone. In the mid-2000s Cormega helped produce a few albums and was featured on several songs with The Jacka and the Mob Figaz.
An album collaboration with Lakey The Kid entitled My Brother's Keeper was released independently on August 22, 2006. On November 20, 2007, Cormega finally released his DVD in-the-making Who am I?. The DVD took over four years of filming of Cormega in all aspects of his life and what others thought of Cormega, unedited. The DVD was released as a soundtrack plus DVD. Cormega intended to release an album which was to be entitled Urban Legend before T.I.'s album of the same name was released (Cormega mentions this on the Who Am I DVD, dated circa 2003); the new title is Born and Raised. The album was released October 20, 2009. The first single is called "Journey."
2010s
Cormega has stated his desire to work with a variety of artists including Scarface, Lauryn Hill, Slick Rick, as well as past collaborators M.O.P., Mobb Deep, and tha Dogg Pound.
Cormega's Album "Raw Forever" was released on 2011.
His latest work is the Album Mega Philosophy. It was produced by Large Professor and released on July 22, 2014.
More Crime
Cormega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[Jacka talking]
Feelin' the pain baby
You know what I'm sayin'?
You want some of that pain
Super Silver haze
Some of that purple stuff
[Jacka]
Smokin' a stick of that Barney
But not the purple dinosaur
That shit that niggaz dyin' for
Shit my niggaz ridin' on
Sav wit the windows up
See the smoke pour out
Soon as I open the door
Soon as I go to the store
Voices like "Whoa! Who got it?"
"You know who got it nigga."
Summertime comin' up
Can't breathe without it
Bring the Hpnotiq
Bring the heam
Mix that shit that turn green
Now break down the purple
It's softly rough
Milwaukee Bucks
I'm from the place where they grow that stuff
You got your girl in the clutch
Just give me a light
I'll take that bitch
If she ain't give me head all night
[Chorus x2]
Sellin' dope is cool
But rap is on my mind
It's hard to do them both
And get my bread at the same time
High as fuck off purple
Man I'm out my mind
Gotta grab my strap
Boy it's time to do some more crime
[Jacka]
And all my hoes say
"Jack, you're my soul inspiration"
Even though your soul crack across the nation"
Caught the cases kept me quiet like meditation
I say "baby I'm just really wastin'
A lot of breath on you for the sport
You think I'm nice but that's really not me
I live the that you never gon' see
Niggaz fight, they don't war like me
It's the last of my kind
There's no more like me
Trynna make it on the street
Is like swimmin' through the sea
Trynna make it to the other side of life"
My young nigga say he tired of life
And now realize he addicted to the white
Got sucked up by the war
Trynna make things right, right
He said [echoes]
"It's rainin' outside and the difference between
Us is a white bus wit cages inside
When I come home
Still face the cop cars wit gauges inside
Yo on the real it's yo rap is what kept me alive"
[Chorus x2]
[Jacka]
He said [echoes]
"How could I change I don't know shit
War on the streets niggaz trippin' over old shit
Fuck it make the coke flip
I'm a drug dealer but my father is a cold pimp
It look good but ain't cool like cold shrimp"
Back in the bay Allah who Akbar didn't understand what he meant
Didn't force it on me for that
He and my closest homie
All my dean I'm in the life of crime
Allah is always on my mind
All the filth, all the crime
I see straight through it
There the hood go
Let's scrape through it
Gotta be a real nigga just to make music where I'm from nigga
Sellin' dope is cool
But rap is on my mind
Sellin' dope is cool
But rap is on my mind
It's hard to do them both
And get my bread at the same time
It's hard to do them both
And get my bread at the same time
[Chorus x2]
Cormega's song "More Crime" ft. The Jacka tells the story of two men living in the street life and how they cope with it. The song starts with The Jacka talking about how much pain he feels and how he copes with it by smoking weed. He talks about the different types of weed he smokes and how it helps him with his anxiety and pain. The chorus talks about the struggle of trying to balance selling drugs and pursuing a rap career.
The Jacka's verse touches on his personal life, where he talks about how he has caught cases but has kept quiet like meditation. He also talks about how he is addicted to drugs and how the "war" on the streets is affecting his mental health. He mentions his father being a "cold pimp" and how it's not cool like "cold shrimp". He expresses his inner turmoil about wanting to pursue a rap career and making money from selling drugs.
Throughout the song, there is a strong sense of pain and struggle. The rappers talk about the hardships they face and how they try to cope with it. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of what life is like in the streets, where drugs and violence are common. The song conveys a deep sense of vulnerability and honesty, which is rare in a lot of rap music today.
Line by Line Meaning
Feelin' the pain baby
Acknowledgement of the rapper's difficult life and the pain he feels
You know what I'm sayin'?
Asking if the listener can relate to the rapper's struggles
You want some of that pain
Challenging the listener to experience what the rapper has gone through
Smokin' a stick of that Barney
Using marijuana as a coping mechanism to deal with the stresses of life
But not the purple dinosaur
Clarifying that he is not smoking a strain called 'Barney the Dinosaur'
That shit that niggaz dyin' for
In reference to the potency of the weed, which is so strong that it seems to be killing people
Shit my niggaz ridin' on
The weed of choice for the rapper's crew
Summertime comin' up
Anticipation for the warmer weather when he can enjoy smoking weed outside
Can't breathe without it
The rapper has become so dependent on weed that he feels he cannot function without it
Bring the Hpnotiq
Request for blue liquor to mix with the weed
Mix that shit that turn green
Mixing the blue liquor with weed to create a green drink
Now break down the purple
Preparation of the weed for smoking by breaking it down
It's softly rough
The weed is a gentle but powerful relaxant
Milwaukee Bucks
Reference to the professional basketball team from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where the weed is grown
You got your girl in the clutch
Taking advantage of an opportunity to have sex with someone else's girlfriend
Just give me a light
Request for a lighter to light a joint
If she ain't give me head all night
If the woman isn't going to give him oral sex, he's not interested
Sellin' dope is cool
Acknowledgment that selling drugs is an easy way to make money
But rap is on my mind
Desire to be a rapper, even though it's harder to make money that way
High as fuck off purple
Extremely high from smoking potent marijuana
Man I'm out my mind
Feeling of being disconnected from reality due to the high
Gotta grab my strap
Referring to a firearm that he feels he needs to carry for protection
Boy it's time to do some more crime
Intent to commit illegal activities due to the influence of the drugs
And all my hoes say
Referring to the women he sleeps with
"Jack, you're my soul inspiration"
The women look up to him and admire him
"Even though your soul crack across the nation"
Realizing that despite his success in the music industry, he is still involved in criminal activity
Caught the cases kept me quiet like meditation
Being arrested and imprisoned helped him keep his thoughts to himself and reflect on his life
I say "baby I'm just really wastin'
Admitting that he's probably not a good influence on the women he sleeps with
Niggaz fight, they don't war like me
Confidence in his ability to survive and prosper in the street life
It's the last of my kind
Feeling like he is a dying breed of a certain type of criminal
There's no more like me
Believing that others in his line of work are not as capable or successful as he is
Trynna make it on the street
Striving to become successful in a life of crime
Is like swimmin' through the sea
A metaphor for the difficulties associated with living a criminal lifestyle
My young nigga say he tired of life
Referring to a younger criminal who is losing hope and the will to keep going
And now realize he addicted to the white
Acknowledging a problem with drug addiction to a substance called 'white'
Got sucked up by the war
Being sucked into a violent, criminal lifestyle
He said [echoes] "It's rainin' outside and the difference between
Quoting the younger criminal
Us is a white bus wit cages inside
Comparing the fate of criminals to being put in a prison bus with cages
When I come home
After being released from prison
Still face the cop cars wit gauges inside
Living in an area where there is still a constant threat of police presence and violence
Yo on the real it's yo rap is what kept me alive"
Admission by the younger criminal that the rapper's music helped him survive his time in prison
He said [echoes] "How could I change I don't know shit
Quoting the younger criminal again
War on the streets niggaz trippin' over old shit
Referencing ongoing violence and conflict within the criminal community
Fuck it make the coke flip
Continuing to sell drugs as a way to make money
I'm a drug dealer but my father is a cold pimp
Implication that the rapper was born into a life of crime
It look good but ain't cool like cold shrimp"
Observation that the criminal lifestyle may appear glamorous, but it is not as enjoyable or harmless as it seems
Allah who Akbar
Referring to the Islamic phrase "Allahu Akbar" meaning 'God is great'
Allah is always on my mind
Incorporating religious beliefs into his criminal lifestyle
I see straight through it
Seeing the harsh reality of what a criminal lifestyle brings
There the hood go
Acknowledging the ongoing issues in his community
Let's scrape through it
The belief that he and his community can overcome their problems together
Gotta be a real nigga just to make music where I'm from nigga
Describing the difficulties associated with making music in his community, requiring a certain level of authenticity
Sellin' dope is cool
But rap is on my mind
Reinforcing the conflict between wanting to make music and wanting to sell drugs
It's hard to do them both
Admitting that it's difficult to find balance between the two lifestyles
And get my bread at the same time
Making money in either industry is difficult, and balancing the two simultaneously is even harder
Contributed by Eliana W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
AJ
RIP Jacka. 🕯️
This joint always stood out to me on the Legal Hustle album.
Ricci Tarpey
Jacka amazing
Scorpio Lyte
R.I.p. to the Jacka. I'm glad I got a chance to hear your work via Cormega.
bo william
The Jacka and Ampichino, probably the most slept on rappers in history,
Sacramento Truth Movement
bo william nope
Jody Collier
Factz
Tyler Hurley
Is Cormega even on the song at all?
American Bully Report
Az, nature, ransom, Jacka
theimageisscary
used to bump this on repeat. rip jacka
K11
remembers me of yesterday.. the song is really emotional and chill. props to cormega