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.
Valuable Lessons
Cormega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hate is evident
People who never voted betray you for dead presidents
Some wear two faces: friend and enemy
And gain nothing 'cause they don't deserve anything
I risk my life for niggas who didn't write or visit
During my time in prison I realized my friendship
Isn't what I envisioned
With no reciprocation, thankfully times are different
I pray for friends I've lost
Grateful to find religion, in my life
Keeping it real is making right decisions
Loyalty has its toll it costs nothing to mind your business
You can add this to the list of deepest lines I've written
I guess my higher vision comes from knowing sky's the limit
And I acquired wisdom from trying from failure
Money can come and go but valuable lessons
Are never bad investments and they last forever
All these lessons that I've learned only mean one thing
I just want to live my life
Never make the same mistake
Promise I'm going to make it right
Emphatically my blood circulates conscious
My family is blood that circulates gossip
My sister calls my cousin
My cousin calls his mom but
Nobody calls me and I'm the topic
Similar to what my aunt did to my father
Was consumed by drugs while she consumed vodka
I ain't feeling that
Hypocritical, judgmental bullshit
The pot calling the kettle black
So simmer down; one thing I never lack
Is food for thought – I just faxed
The main course, crabs want to pull you back
When you make it out because they lack
Potential to rise
It's clear to see the root of evil has affected my family tree
Can't bloom
Resentment and greed
Are so deep my grandmother was victim of thieves
Of her own kin
Though we all sin
I call it how I see it; that's some cold shit
I forgive but I won't forget
Siblings acting funny over money; I don't owe you shit
All these lessons that I've learned only mean one thing
I just want to live my life
Never make the same mistake
Promise I'm going to make it right
We loved hard and fought harder
If we fought as hard for love, we'd be much stronger
You want to argue 'bout what I didn't do
Yet ignore what I did
When you accuse me of cheating it was only your guilt
Manifesting itself as a result
You'd rather hate me than be mad at yourself
Now you free; we no longer trapped in lies
You never find happiness until you happy inside
We've been up, we've been down
We laughed and we cried
But through it all I showed you I'm a provider
Now you taking me to court saying you need support
For your living expenses
Really? How is this?
You get advice from women who senseless
With no life so they want to get in my business
Ignorance can't match infinite wisdom
It's supreme over weak schemes and hidden agendas
All these lessons that I've learned only mean one thing
I just want to live my life
Never make the same mistake
Promise I'm going to make it right
In Cormega's song "Valuable Lessons," the rapper discusses the struggles and lessons he's learned throughout his life. The lyrics highlight the importance of loyalty, forgiveness, and personal growth. Cormega speaks about the betrayal he's faced from people he thought were his friends and emphasizes that true friends are hard to come by. He also sheds light on the negativity that can come from family members and how the root of evil can affect the family tree. The line "Money can come and go but valuable lessons are never bad investments and they last forever" encapsulates the overarching message of the song that material wealth comes and goes, but the lessons we learn and the personal growth we attain are invaluable.
Interpreting the lyrics from "Valuable Lessons," Cormega is acknowledging dark moments in his life while remaining steadfast in his desire to learn from them. Cormega has learned that no one should take friendships for granted, whether it's earning friendships that haven't yet been formed, knowing the importance of loyalty, and showing humility, care and consistency for those you consider a friend. Similarly, the loyalty of family is something that should not be taken for granted in any way. Thus, through the various trials and tribulations of life, one can only genuinely aim for consistency, learning from adversities and aspiring to live with integrity.
Line by Line Meaning
Love you questioning
Some people will question your love for them
Hate is evident
Hate is a common occurrence
People who never voted betray you for dead presidents
Some people will betray their own values for money or power
Some wear two faces: friend and enemy
Some people pretend to be your friend but are really your enemy
And gain nothing 'cause they don't deserve anything
These fake friends will ultimately gain nothing because they don't deserve anything
I risk my life for niggas who didn't write or visit
Even though some of his friends did not support him while in prison, Cormega still risked his life for them
During my time in prison I realized my friendship
Prison helped Cormega realize who his true friends were
Isn't what I envisioned
However, the reality of these friendships was not what he envisioned
And I'm tired of giving
Cormega is tired of giving to those who do not reciprocate
With no reciprocation, thankfully times are different
Times have changed and Cormega is no longer in a situation where he has to give without receiving anything in return
I pray for friends I've lost
Cormega prays for his friends who he has lost
Grateful to find religion, in my life
Cormega finds solace in religion
Keeping it real is making right decisions
Honesty is the best policy when making decisions
Loyalty has its toll it costs nothing to mind your business
Loyalty can be costly, but it's always free to mind your own business
You can add this to the list of deepest lines I've written
Cormega considers this song to be one of his deepest and most meaningful
I guess my higher vision comes from knowing sky's the limit
Cormega's motivation and inspiration comes from knowing that there are no limits
And I acquired wisdom from trying from failure
Cormega has gained wisdom from learning through his failures
Money can come and go but valuable lessons
Money may not last, but the lessons learned from it will be valuable and long-lasting
Are never bad investments and they last forever
Lessons learned are always a good investment and will last a lifetime
Emphatically my blood circulates conscious
Cormega is aware and conscious of his surroundings and his own life
My family is blood that circulates gossip
Cormega's family members spread rumors and gossip about each other
My sister calls my cousin
Cormega's sister talks to his cousin
My cousin calls his mom but
Cormega's cousin talks to his own mother
Nobody calls me and I'm the topic
Despite being the focus of attention, Cormega is not included in the conversation
Similar to what my aunt did to my father
Cormega's aunt did something similar to what is happening in his family now
Was consumed by drugs while she consumed vodka
Cormega's aunt had a drug addiction while also drinking alcohol
I ain't feeling that
Cormega does not approve of his family's behavior
Hypocritical, judgmental bullshit
His family's behavior is hypocritical and judgmental
The pot calling the kettle black
The family is accusing each other of behavior they are all guilty of
So simmer down; one thing I never lack
Cormega remains calm and level-headed in this situation
Is food for thought – I just faxed
Cormega has some valuable insights to share with his family
The main course, crabs want to pull you back
Lack of support from family can be like crabs trying to pull you back down
When you make it out because they lack
Sometimes family does not support you because they lack their own potential to rise
Potential to rise
This is due to their own lack of motivation or drive
It's clear to see the root of evil has affected my family tree
There is a clear source of problems in Cormega's family
Can't bloom
Their problems prevent them from growing or prospering
Resentment and greed
Resentment and greed are contributing factors to their problems
Are so deep my grandmother was victim of thieves
Their greed is so deep that they even stole from their own grandmother
Of her own kin
The thieves were members of the same family
Though we all sin
Everyone in Cormega's family is imperfect
I call it how I see it; that's some cold shit
Cormega is not afraid to call out his family's behavior, no matter how harsh it may be
I forgive but I won't forget
Cormega is willing to forgive, but he will not forget what has happened
Siblings acting funny over money; I don't owe you shit
Cormega's siblings are acting strangely because of money issues, but Cormega does not owe them anything
We loved hard and fought harder
Cormega and his loved ones had a lot of love and intense fights
If we fought as hard for love, we'd be much stronger
If they put as much effort into loving each other as they did fighting, they would be much stronger as a family
You want to argue 'bout what I didn't do
Some people will argue about what you didn't do, rather than recognizing what you did do
Yet ignore what I did
These same people will ignore your good deeds and only focus on your mistakes
When you accuse me of cheating it was only your guilt
Sometimes people will accuse you of doing something wrong when they are the ones who are guilty of it
Manifesting itself as a result
This guilt manifests in their behavior towards Cormega
You'd rather hate me than be mad at yourself
These people would rather hate Cormega than take responsibility for their own actions
Now you free; we no longer trapped in lies
Now that Cormega has spoken his truth, there are no more lies between them
You never find happiness until you happy inside
Happiness comes from within and cannot be found through others or external things
We've been up, we've been down
Cormega and these people have been through good times and bad times together
We laughed and we cried
They have shared both laughter and tears
But through it all I showed you I'm a provider
Cormega has always been there for these people and has provided for them
Now you taking me to court saying you need support
These same people are now taking Cormega to court and claiming that they need financial support
For your living expenses
They are asking for money to cover their day-to-day living expenses
Really? How is this?
Cormega is questioning the legitimacy of their claims
You get advice from women who senseless
These people are getting advice from people who lack sense or intelligence
With no life so they want to get in my business
These people are getting involved in Cormega's business because they have nothing better to do with their own lives
Ignorance can't match infinite wisdom
Cormega's wisdom and knowledge cannot be matched by their ignorance
It's supreme over weak schemes and hidden agendas
Knowledge and wisdom will always be more powerful than deceitful schemes or hidden agendas
All these lessons that I've learned only mean one thing
All of these experiences and lessons have taught Cormega one important thing
I just want to live my life
Cormega just wants to live his life without drama or negativity
Never make the same mistake
He wants to learn from his mistakes and avoid repeating them
Promise I'm going to make it right
Cormega promises to make things right and live a better life moving forward
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind