The Realness was a fearless, poignant and enthusiastic middle finger to all the haters. Despite having been recorded in only one month, Cormega’s seemingly rushed effort proved to be as good, if not better, than his scheduled Def Jam debut. In 2001 his official debut, The Realness, would finally be released on Landspeed Records. “I was so mad about my situation and at everyone who was holding me back that I made The Realness.”
A dangerous cocktail of industry politics and shady business dealings would find Cormega with no deal and his recorded debut, The Testament, shelved. Unfortunately, none of the above would ever transpire for the Brooklyn born MC. The anticipation for his solo debut reached fever pitch. Following his stint in jail, impressive turns on a slew of mixtapes, a verse on Nas’ “Affirmative Action”, a spot on Nas’ ill-fated, super-group The Firm, and a highly coveted deal with hip-hop’s premier label, Def Jam, Cormega showed great promise. Before we ever heard Cormega’s voice or flow, we knew of him. “There was no other choice but to do it for self,” he explains.Ĭormega first entered the hip-hop consciousness as a sort of mythic figure in Nas’ “One Love” off the Queensbridge rapper’s debut,Illmatic. Listening to Cormega talking about the complex relationship between commerce and art, you can’t help but wonder about the nameless artists who weren’t as fortunate as he was when it came to standing behind their work in the face of outside pressures. If I would have listened to the industry, I would have not believed in myself.” -Cormega “One thing about the music industry it’s two different realms.
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