Cormega
Cormega | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Cory McKay |
Born | [1] Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. | December 3, 1970
Origin | Queens, New York City, U.S. |
Genres | East Coast hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter |
Years active | 1989–present |
Labels | |
Member of |
Cory McKay, [1] better known by his stage name Cormega, is an American rapper.
Early life
Cormega was born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens. He was childhood friends with Nas, Havoc and Capone, who all went on to become successful rappers.[2][3] A frequent theme of his music is the countless number of his friends and family that have been killed by violence.
Career
1990s
He was featured on Hot Day's "Going Straight Up" from his album It's My Turn. He was also featured on Blaq Poet and DJ Hot Day's track "Set It Off" from their album Without Warning in 1991. During a period of incarceration, Cormega gained some attention following a shout-out from Nas on his song "One Love", from the Illmatic album released in 1994.[4] Following his release from jail in 1995, Cormega became determined to pursue rapping. Nas included him on a song entitled "Affirmative Action" on his album
2000s
In 2000, he was released from his contract and he started his own record company, Legal Hustle Records.[4] 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.[5] In 2001, he released his debut album, The Realness.[4] Many of the songs share a theme of betrayal.[6] 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".
Cormega's follow-up album,
On December 22, 2006, at the
An album collaboration with Lakey the Kid entitled
2010s
Cormega's latest album, Mega Philosophy, was entirely produced by frequent collaborator Large Professor.[8]
On December 26, 2018, he released his first EP MEGA.[9]
2020s
Cormega appeared on Nas' King's Disease in 2020, reuniting with members of the defunct The Firm supergroup.[10]
In November 2022, Cormega released his long-awaited album, The Realness II, to rave reviews. It served as a sequel to his 2001 debut album The Realness.
Discography
- The Realness (2001)
- The True Meaning (2002)
- The Testament (2005)
- Born and Raised (2009)
- Mega Philosophy (2014)
- The Realness II (2022)[11]
Film
- Who Am I? (2007)[12]
References
- ^ a b CORMEGA [@iamcormega] (April 26, 2018). "@TheSource Thank you God bless but today is NOT my birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved January 9, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "CORMEGA BIOGRAPHY". Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Cormega – Article". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Birchmeier, Jason. "Cormega biography". AllMusic.
- ^ a b c Birchmeier, Jason. "The Firm > Biography". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Berliner, Brett (September 1, 2003). "Cormega – The True Meaning – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008.
- ^ a b "Nas Plays New York, Reunites With Cormega & Foxy Brown". Archived from the original on January 7, 2007.
- ^ "Cormega, Action Bronson, Roc Marciano & Saigon; Hip-Hop's Next Supergroup??? - Beats, Boxing and Mayhem". Beatsboxingmayhem.com. March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
- ^ "Cormega Drops Off His New EP "Mega"". Hotnewhiphop.com. December 27, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Allah, Sha Be (August 19, 2020). "Nas Confirms The Firm Reunion on 'King's Disease' Tracklist". The Source. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
- ^ "Cormega - The Realness II". Apple Music. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Steve 'Flash' Juon (December 4, 2007). "Cormega: Who Am I?". RapReviews.com. Retrieved June 16, 2016.