Cormega

Biography

Corey McKay, 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. A frequent theme of his music is the countless number of his friends and family that have been killed by violence.

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.
Following his release from jail in 1995, Cormega became determined to pursue rapping. Nas included him on a song titled "Affirmative Action" on his album It Was Written released on July 2, 1996. The song also featured AZ and Foxy Brown, and became The Firm's first appearance. He was signed to Def Jam and recorded an album called The Testament×The Testament22 February 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Intro1:15262 Pickup2:523One Love3:314Interlude0:345Angel Dust3:336Dead Man Walking2:127Montana Diary4:458Testament3:569Testament (original version)3:4910Every Hood3:4111Coco Butter4:1112Killaz Theme3:4413Love Is Love4:4114Dead Man Walking 22:18. Nas, his manager Steve Stoute and producers Dr. Dre and The Trackmasters joined to form The Firm. However, Cormega was replaced with another Queensbridge artist, Nature, because Nas and/or Stoute favored Nature. That ended Cormega's friendship with Nas. After he fell out with his manager Chris Lighty and his label 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 titled "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 debut album, The Realness×The Realness24 July 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Dramatic Entrance2:192American Beauty2:043Thun & Kicko3:574The Saga4:015R U My Nigga?3:196Unforgiven2:067Fallen Soldiers3:408Glory Days3:239Rap’s a Hustle3:3910Get Out My Way4:3011You Don’t Want It2:57125 for 400:4813They Forced My Hand4:1414Fallen Soldiers (remix) / Killaz Theme II8:59. 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×A Slick Response2002 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracksA1A Slick Response (dirty)A2A Slick Response (clean)A3A Slick Response (instrumental)B1A Slick Response (dirty)B2A Slick Response (clean)B3A Slick Response (instrumental)" and "Realmatic".
Cormega's follow-up album, The True Meaning×The True Meaning11 June 2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Introspective2:002Verbal Graffiti2:473Live Ya Life3:434Ain't Gone Change0:495The True Meaning3:526A Thin Line4:007The Legacy2:478Love in Love Out3:119The Come Up2:4910Built for This2:4911Soul Food2:3712Take These Jewels2:1513Endangered Species2:5714Therapy3:12 won the Source Magazine 's Underground Album of the Year award. In 2004, he followed up with Legal Hustle, a compilation album showcasing his label's artists. In 2005, he released The Testament on his own label.
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.
An album collaboration with Lakey the Kid titled My Brother's Keeper×My Brother's Keeper26 May 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Intro1:052Ghetto2:013The Oath3:374Let That Thing Go (skit)1:20530/303:576Don't Start3:297You Know Where He's From (skit)1:208QU Side4:359Sleezo (skit)0:4110Snitch Nigga2:4811Stress & Greed3:1112Get It3:2713Walk Through Heaven4:3314Hood Legends3:4615Hot on the Block2:5616No Happy Ending4:2817Dirty NY3:2918Dirty Game4:00 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 titled 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 was Born and Raised. The album was released October 20, 2009. The first single is called "Journey."

2010s

Cormega's latest album, Mega Philosophy×Mega Philosophy18 July 2014 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1A New Day Begins1:422MARS (Dream Team)3:123Industry4:054More3:525Reflection0:416D.U. (Divine Unity)3:237Honorable2:198Rap Basquiat2:509Rise3:3910Home2:0811Valuable Lessons4:12, was entirely produced by frequent collaborator Large Professor.
On December 26, 2018, he released his first EP MEGA.

2020s

Cormega appeared on Nas' King's Disease in 2020, reuniting with members of the defunct The Firm supergroup.
In November 2022, Cormega released his long-awaited next album, The Realness II×The Realness II7 October 2022 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Once and for All1:562Her Name2:583Glorious3:114The Saga Resumes2:575What's Understood2:586Life and Rhymes2:287Grand Scheme2:438White Roses2:209Essential3:0610This Life of Ours3:0711Age of Wisdom1:0312Paradise2:1813Man Vs Myth2:37, to rave reviews. It served as a sequel to his 2001 debut album The Realness×The Realness24 July 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Dramatic Entrance2:192American Beauty2:043Thun & Kicko3:574The Saga4:015R U My Nigga?3:196Unforgiven2:067Fallen Soldiers3:408Glory Days3:239Rap’s a Hustle3:3910Get Out My Way4:3011You Don’t Want It2:57125 for 400:4813They Forced My Hand4:1414Fallen Soldiers (remix) / Killaz Theme II8:59.