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.
The Rap Game
Cormega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little Brother, uh
Khyrsis on the boards with the heat
Ah, 'Mega, yo
They wanna know who it is, it's I who doin it
Rapper bring it iller than most, no brag, no boast, I tell it like it is
Been across the globe, couple records sold
Tryin' have biz, import, export
UPS-out sort, minority on 'scort
Loyal on the team, got my people's L back
My brother Ronnie back, tryin' keep him out of court
Keep him out of sorts with the same drug hustle
Eight years later, we facin a new struggle
Bet it all, black, tryin' see my money double
Spun it to the red, now I know we all in trouble
[Unverified] both startin' to bubble
Both startin' to hustle, stack our chips
I thought I went straight when we first started out
But now I'm lookin' back, neither one is legit, shit
Yeah uh
Niggaz sayin' Phonte's the embodiment
Of hip-hop, so when my shit drop
Just cop any verse and watch him body it
Leave your team stone faced like monuments
Cross-country, shit, I'm cross-continents
Take a trip where we get that dough
Niggaz lookin' at me like, "Is that so?"
But we flip that dough and dip like condiments
Cheap nigga but I still stay confident
Hell, I'm only payin' taxes and compliments
While all of y'all watch me, there's been a murder
Y'all should call for the autopsy
Or call the law, somebody should stop me
Killin' each track is the shit I'm on
QB to NC is how we get it on
LB and 'Mega real rap Renaissance, check it out
My lyrical skills is superior to many arguably
Mental energy generate artistry
And hip-hop is not deceased, it's dealing with Christ
Ironically yet His calm'll manifest it like a prophesy
The art was disregarded for economy
They played us, it ain't like the labels let the artist eat
They bait us with dreams of dreams poverty
VMA'ed ya, yet they pay us like minorities
Need to raise up like a Quantum Leap
Stay up, ain't no time to sleep
Save and buy some property, then cop you a V
Acknowledge these jewels are conflict free
I style on you when I rhyme and that was just me
The last MC on the track with LB
(Shit)
My rhymes are doper than a crack head's dream
I drew more text than Artest's sheet
Which means even the haters must respect my game
In Cormega feat. Little Brother's song, The Rap Game, Cormega opens the first verse, declaring that he is bringing his unique style to the rap game. He tells the listeners that he has made it across the globe and has sold a few records. Cormega talks about his struggle between his aspirations to do business and his sex life. He wants to import and export, but also doesn't want to have kids.
Cormega then shifts his focus on his brother Ronnie, who is facing legal troubles. In the second verse, Phonte of Little Brother takes the spotlight. He brags about his skills on the track and says that even if someone tries to challenge him, they will not succeed. Phonte proudly tells us that he is making money across the country and even across continents. He talks about flipping his money and making an exit, not staying to face any consequences. Phonte speaks on the disregard for rap music as an art form in the modern industry and how they would bait people with empty promises of wealth. He encourages listeners to raise up and take ownership in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
They wanna know who it is, it's I who doin it
I am the one making it happen and people are curious about my identity
Rapper bring it iller than most, no brag, no boast, I tell it like it is
I am a skilled rapper without the need to brag, speaking only the truth
Been across the globe, couple records sold
I have traveled the world and sold a good amount of records
Couple hoes lost control, I ain't tryin' have kids
I have had some sexual encounters, but I am not trying to have any children
Tryin' have biz, import, export
I am focused on business, importing and exporting
UPS-out sort, minority on 'scort
I am sorting out my shipments and have a few escorts with me as well
Loyal on the team, got my people's L back
I am loyal to my team and have their back through thick and thin
My brother Ronnie back, tryin' keep him out of court
I am trying to keep my brother Ronnie out of trouble and away from the court system
Keep him out of sorts with the same drug hustle
I am trying to keep Ronnie from running the same drug hustling business as before
Eight years later, we facin a new struggle
After eight years, we are facing a new challenge in life
Bet it all, black, tryin' see my money double
I am taking a big gamble to make my money double
Spun it to the red, now I know we all in trouble
Unfortunately, I lost the gamble and now we are all in trouble
[Unverified] both startin' to bubble
Something is starting to bubble up, but it is unverified what it is
Both startin' to hustle, stack our chips
We are both starting to hustle and make as much money as possible
I thought I went straight when we first started out
At first, I thought we were doing everything legally
But now I'm lookin' back, neither one is legit, shit
But looking back, I realize that what we were doing was not legitimate
Niggaz sayin' Phonte's the embodiment
People are saying Phonte is the epitome of hip-hop
Of hip-hop, so when my shit drop
When my music is released
Just cop any verse and watch him body it
Just listen to any verse and see how well Phonte performs it
Leave your team stone faced like monuments
Phonte's skills will leave your team in shock or unresponsive
Cross-country, shit, I'm cross-continents
I am traveling across countries, even continents
Take a trip where we get that dough
I am taking a trip to make money
Niggaz lookin' at me like, "Is that so?"
People are looking at me with questioning and disbelief
But we flip that dough and dip like condiments
But we do make money and then quickly leave
Cheap nigga but I still stay confident
Although I am frugal, I am still confident in my abilities
Hell, I'm only payin' taxes and compliments
I only pay taxes and give compliments
While all of y'all watch me, there's been a murder
While everyone is watching me, a murder has taken place
Y'all should call for the autopsy
An autopsy should be called to investigate the murder
Or call the law, somebody should stop me
Someone should stop me from continuing my actions
Killin' each track is the shit I'm on
I am focused on delivering an amazing performance on every track
QB to NC is how we get it on
We are making music from QB to NC
LB and 'Mega real rap Renaissance, check it out
Little Brother and Cormega are bringing back real rap music in a new era
My lyrical skills is superior to many arguably
My lyrical skills are considered better than many other rappers
Mental energy generate artistry
My mental energy helps me produce great art
And hip-hop is not deceased, it's dealing with Christ
Hip-hop music is not dead, but it is dealing with a new life
Ironically yet His calm'll manifest it like a prophesy
It's ironic, but this new life will bring calmness and fulfill a prophecy
The art was disregarded for economy
Artistic expression is often ignored for the sake of making money
They played us, it ain't like the labels let the artist eat
The music labels do not allow artists to make a decent living
They bait us with dreams of dreams poverty
They give us false hopes of escaping poverty
VMA'ed ya, yet they pay us like minorities
Even after winning a VMA award, we are still paid as if we are minorities
Need to raise up like a Quantum Leap
We need to drastically improve our situation and fast
Stay up, ain't no time to sleep
We need to stay up and keep working, no time for sleeping
Save and buy some property, then cop you a V
Save money and invest in owning property, then purchase an expensive car
Acknowledge these jewels are conflict free
Realize that these jewels were not obtained through conflict or harm in any way
I style on you when I rhyme and that was just me
I naturally excel at rhyming and am confident in my style
The last MC on the track with LB
I am the final rapper on this track with Little Brother
(Shit)
An exclamation of emphasis or frustration
My rhymes are doper than a crack head's dream
My rhymes are exceptionally good
I drew more text than Artest's sheet
I have written more lyrics than the suspended basketball player, Ron Artest's technical fouls
Which means even the haters must respect my game
This proves that even those who dislike me must respect my talent
Contributed by Grayson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Danny Seaton
this shit dont knock..... it BANGS!!!
T
I NEED an instrumental for this tune
Hercolubus X
Hard AF💯🔥🔥🔥
Adrian Cabrera
Oh yeah straight banger. Cormega is the realness
Christ .Calling
Raw Hip Hop.
Tony Antonaros
cormega is fire
JLugo84
@ AryanPersianProdigy Yea those lines are dope. Couple corrections however: Bayed is "bait" and vm is "via".
lifestraight
It's funny; an advertisement for Bevel is adjacent to the right corner of this video and its Nas staring down at Cormega's silhouette LOL
lifestraight
@Zerose Nah I never searched or looked up a bevel ad. Closest thing is listening to a Taxstone podcast.
Zerose
Ads are normally tailored to the individual through trackers and cookies. You probably looked at bevel sometime in the past without deleting your cookies. Big coincidence but still funny.