Cormega
When Nas released the hit track “One Love” off his debut album he was rumored to be giving a shout out to his good friend Cormega (who was locked down.) Cormega was introduced to the world on Nas second album. Cormega has been pretty quiet in the business even though he was signed to one of raps most successful labels. Cormega talks about his time in the business, going independent, his friendship with Nas and how he’s focused for his new album and ready for war.
Q: When is the next album coming out?
A: The new album is coming out June 25, it’s called the True Meaning. It has a New York Vibe.
Q: Who’s guest starring?
A: I have no guest appearances at the moment.
Q: Did your last album, the “Realness,” sell some units?
A: The “Realness” did good, at the time it was the top selling independent album throughout the country. I did the “Realness” out of desperation because I took too long putting out an album. So I had to put out something for the streets and my fans to remember me. I’m proud of the “Realness”, but people that I know are saying that this new album is better than the “Realness.”
Q: What s that freestyle joint that I have seen in stores?
A: That’s just something for the streets, that’s just me being a real n!gg@ on wax.
Q: What happened to that first album on Def Jam?
A: Nothing. Cats had me on the shelf, I was managed by Violator Def Jam and the C.E.O. Chris Lighty didn’t have a vision for a creative artist.
"I’m suppose to be your artist, what’s the significance of that. You trying to destroy me."
Q: So what happened?
A: Chris didn’t believe in me as an artist. I was just there on the humble, I wasn’t saying anything I wasn’t bickering. I wanted to shine, but there were other cats that were before me, cats that were legends like Slick Rick.
Q: So you wanted out?
A: I wanted out. I was on the shelf for four years. Before the Violator compilation album Chris said this was a project to set up my album. I remember one particular song they said only the best rappers were to be on it and there would be no favoritism. Everybody was to spit a verse. There was like 15 artist, only 5 was gonna make it. So I spit my verse and I was confident...I knew my s**t was staying, and cats that were rapping knew my s**t was staying.
Q: Who ended up on that track?
A: Busta Rhymes and the same ole cats. I don’t have any problems with the artist just the management. I remember them saying no one could change their verse for that track, I don’t want to say any names, but that’s my word after I did my verse I saw cats changing their verses. Later I went up to Violator and asked the A&R, Eric “Am I on that track?” he said “no” then I said “I’m off this label”. They weren’t in my best interest. If you look at old Vibes and Blazes and all the magazines that were out at the time, they said my track was the best track on the Violator compilation album. That was another reason for me leaving. I had only one song on there and the press gave it love. But I only had one track so how is that a set up for my album. I was the only artist on there with one track while Busta Rhymes, Nore and others had a few tracks.
Q: So it’s more of a beef with you and Violator then you and Def Jam?
A: I got no beef with Def Jam at all. I don’t have a beef with Violator. I just don’t feel Chris...cause the cat tried to destroy my career. After I got off Violator Def Jam, Warner Brothers wanted to sign me. Remember the movie “Deep Blue Sea”, that shark s**t, I had a track with Carl Thomas that was on that soundtrack. Warner Brothers told Chris they wanted that to be the first single for the movie, he said “NO”. Now is he not a hater? That’s like somebody telling you we gonna pay for you to put out your magazine, just put it out with our logo on the back, just shout us out. Warner Brothers is doing the video and putting it on the sound track, and you say no, and I’m suppose to be your artist, what’s the significance of that. You trying to destroy me. So I can’t feel Chris. I got no beef with Violator, I just don’t feel Chris.
"Nas don’t come to Queens Bridge. As long as Nas ain’t in my face, then everything is beautiful..."
Q: So what label are you on now?
A: Legal Hustle. My label.
Q: Are there any artist on there?
A: I’m the only nigga on there now, but I got some cats coming up right now. Cormega’s holding it down for the Legal Hustle.
Q: What’s the first single off the album?
A: Probably a track called the “True Meaning”, it’s a heart felt song which you feel in your soul.
Q: What’s going on between you and Nas?
A: There’s nothing going on between me and Nas, as long as Nas keeps it like it is, ain’t nothing going on. And I’ll say that to say this. Nas don’t come to Queens Bridge. As long as Nas ain’t in my face, then everything is beautiful, but if Nas is around me then something could happen.
Q: So what happened; you had a beef with each other, then you’ll did the QB album and now you’re beefing again?
A: This ain’t like the Nas/Jay Z or Biggie/2-Pac beef and Shan/Krs-1. Nas knows Corey, Corey knows Nasir...f**k Cormega and Nas...Nas mom recently passed, I’m hurt by that, I’ve seen Nas mom thousands of times. In my heart I have love for Nas and I’m pretty sure it’s vice versa, but it’s just that....we have our differences. The first time we had our differences it was with the Firm s**t, it was over money, if I had paid a production deal, I would have been down with the Firm, but I didn’t. But we squashed our differences, that’s the only way that we were able to be on the Queens Bridge album. If we didn’t squash our differences then I would not have been on the Queens Bridge album......This is where we fell out again. First of all I’m out of town in North Carolina. So I fly back to New York to do the video. In the QB video I have no jewelry, I was keeping it real, so Nas the nigga that’s such a balla comes on the set, he had rented jewelry, from Jacobs (all them cats stuff was rented.) So Nas gives me his chain and bracelet, rented. So I’m wearing the sh*t, Horse lets me hold his chain. So as soon as that scene is done I give Horse his chain back and I still got Nas’s chain. To make a long story short, the video goes on for hours and hours. At the end of the video this cat named Dula say,”Yo son, Lenny looking for you.” Lenny is Horses brother, he’s an A&R. It’s 4 o clock in the morning, I know why Lenny’s looking for me. So I gave Dula the jewelry... so that’s the end of it (or so I thought.) Then I see Horse and he starts saying something about the jewelry, so “I’m like yo son, I gave it to your man,” ( so he’s like ight..) Now I think to myself did someone put an A.P.B out on me, cause, I got more paper than everybody here, except Nas. So now here comes Nas, and he’s leaning towards the jewelry subject, I’m like don’t even go there son...I gave your peoples the jewelry...I’m like son why y’all cats coming at me like this, we grew up together...like I’m grimmy now, regardless of our rap beefs or whatever, I ain’t never been no derelict or anything...so why y’all coming at me like this...he is like na it ain’t even like that. So, now my feelings are hurt, but I’m not sweating it, because peoplehave the right to be paranoid. When I get in the limousine. Horse comes up to the window, and says “You sure you gave my man the jewelry?” So I exploded, I got out the limousine and said you dudes are crazy!...Nas is like it ain’t even like that...I said “Yo son, you know what, suck my dick!!!”...I said it just like that too his face...The n!gg@ turned his back and walked away...and I was addressing him and Horse. I regretted doing that, but at the same time, I didn’t give f**k because he forced my hand...so I got in the limousine and left. Since then me and Nas haven’t been cool.
Q: ....So hold on, when you recorded the QB album were you all friends?
A: Yea we was cool, when we was recording. Me and Nas beef was dead, we was talking on the phone for hours, like brothers, if Nas was to have beef at that time, I was riding with him..We was cool again...but boom....so after the sh*t with the jewelry I was upset..he brought the beast out..you disrespected me..so when I told him too suck my dick...we should have just got it popin right there...then maybe everything would have been cool..but he sped off....Then this is what the cat does (now mind you, I told you I’m not feeling Chris from Violator) he gets Chris to manage the QB Finest project. On the QB Finest album I rhymed on the “QB Symphony”, “Straight out of Queens Bridge”, and if you look on the album credits on “Straight out of Queens Bridge” it was co produced by Cormega. I wrote MC Shan’s verse. Chris now controls payment and wants to pay me $5,000 for everything. What do I look like, I smoke crack. This just made matters worse.
Q: So from there he made the song about you?
A: Na, from there he made that sh*t getting at Jay-Z the sh*t off the Rakim beat, in it he said “corny Ass Cormega..” Then I made a whole song using that same beat, and I went at him hard. So then I forced his hand, he had to try and dis me...The last time he could ignore me because I was a nobody. I had no album out...But once I put out the Realness and the streets was gravitating toward it, I had a story in XXL and cats are now feeling me. He had come back at me and attack my street creditability...And for him to go at Jay-Z and not Cormega would have made him look weak cause I went at him hard.
Q: So what do you think of “Rebuild and Destroy” on Stillmatic?
A: The song is cute, but come on, he’s lying. Ok I got shot, but everybody know that I got shot in a shoot out. What are you talking about, mind you at the end of the song he says why are you never shooting. Now why you saying this in 2002, you mother f@^King right I’m not in Queens Bridge projects shooting in 2002. You couldn’t say that in 97, 98, 99. I’m now the C.E.O. of Legal Hustle for 2002 and on, I will not be in Queens Bridge shooting... So the cat was frontin...the part that bothered me is when he said “Cormega suck my dick”, I was like oh s**t, when you tell a man that, that means you want it...that’s straight disrespect. If you do it to my face that’s different, I’m a handling it, but to do that on a song that millions of people are going to hear. One day I pressed one of the Braveheart cats after “Build and Destroy” but he bounced in a cab. I’m like if we got beef we all have beef. Then later on that day I felt bad because the member I pressed on of the Bravehearts is a good cat. I passed word to tell him I apologize and want to apologize here because it ain’t him who I have beef with. I can’t beef with him cause he is Nas’ man. I’m just going to handle the beef when I see Mr. Esco.
Q: What’s up with you and Nature?
A: We cool, we doing shows together.
Q: How about the rest of the QB cats?
A: Me and Nature did have a disagreement, but now we are cool. Mobb Deep, Havoc is a good cat, Prodigy I lost respect for him. Nas sh*ted on that cat, and Prodigy just bowed down.. I don’t respect Prodigy. I respect him as an artist, but not as a man. Another thing that made me lose respect for him is that I seen him on a hip hop website where they asked Prodigy why did Nas dis you, and he said,”Because I guess I did a song with Mega.” So it’s like you making it seem like doing a song with Mega is the reason you got sh*ted on. Handle your business P that wasn’t gangsta. Most rappers from Queen Bridge are cool, it’s just that certain ones be frontin’.
" I know I’m not getting radio play so I don’t give a f**k about the radio,..."
Q: Cat’s in the street respect Cormega, why do you think cats relate to your music?
A: One reason is that rap is the closet element to the street and the closet thing to the street is credibility. Like cats that go to the tunnel they see rappers in the VIP section and they see Mega right next to the bar, or on the wall with cats. I’m walking all around the block. I’m in Far Rockaway, I’m in Fort Green walking around. I did two shows at Rikers Island. That’s why cats respect me, they have no choice but to respect me. And I keep it real with the streets, I’m not going to do a song with the Spice Girls cause they are hot right now, to try and sell records, I’m keep doing records for cats in the street that could relate to me.
Q: What’s the difference between being an artist in the streets and now being a C.E.O.?
A: I tell you the difference, I could get a seven series right now, the new one, and not have to pay any notes. Seriously though when you are an artist all you have to worry about is how dope your rhymes are. Now I have to be more hands on, I got to be Cormega the artist and I got to be Corey the C.E.O. I got to make sure my sh*t is marketed right, I got to make sure the expenses is being spent right. I got to show diplomacy with producers, make sure everybody is accommodated right. I got to be more social. When you are an artist you don’t have to be to social. When I want to lay in the cut I can’t, I have to be the visible spokesperson for my company. I got to make deals with people and I got to develop relationships that are going to be significant to the growth of my company, being a C.E.O. has definitely matured me.
Q: Ever think of signing with a big label again ?
A: A lot of labels holla at me. I’m not thinking of a label now because labels have a roster, whoever was there first is in front of me and they have schedules.
Q: Will you try to get radio play for this next album?
A: Radio is politics, it’s very hard to get spins. That’s why the industry was shocked when I sold records with no radio play and no promotion. I know I’m not getting radio play so I don’t give a f**k about the radio, and I don’t have to make songs for the pop charts cause they don’t give a f**k about Mega. So all I have to do is make dope ass street records. Plus my stuff is on most mixtapes so people hear them somewhere. Whenever I do shows, cats know all the words. I’m in Orlando cats are repeating the words from the “Realness” with me.
Q: Are you going to be the artist to hold down this summer?
A: I got this summer.
Q: You got stuff for the ladies on this new album?
A: I got stuff for the ladies .
Q: Who in the rap game do you respect, who do you listen too?
A: I don’t listen too to many rappers because I want to stay in the Mega zone. A lot of artist are whack right now, I like Lauryn Hill and Scarface. I think Nas is a dope lyrist and I think Jay-Z got a crazy flow. If you listen to a mixtapes right now, I guarantee you that there’s at least five cats that sound like Jay-Z. I also like Outkast, I like people that try to be different. I Iisten to old music like Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass. I got a Jill Scott CD in my car and Maxwell..that’s the type of sh*t I listen too.