Customer Reviews

Realness & True Meaning (Spec)

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Those who've been sleeping on Cory McKay for awhile now are running out of excuses. With a double-disc re-release of his first two albums put together for the price of one with six brand new songs and a enchanced video preview of his upcoming DVD, you may just have to go and pick this one up. Cormega's "The Realness" and "The True Meaning" were both viewed by the underground as instant street classics. There aren't too many who can argue.

Cormega's "The Realness" was viewed by many as the hottest debut since fellow Queensbridge artist and former friend, Nas dropped "Illmatic" in 1994. Mega's touching tales of struggles within the hood on "The Saga" rivaled rhymes of 2Pac as far as depth was concerned. His duet with Mobb Deep's Prodigy on 'Thun And Kicko" was solid as well. While the album only ran 14 tracks deep, few could deny that Cormega was a talent to be reckoned with.

I actually found Cormega's follow-up, "The True Meaning" to be even better than "Realness". Highlighted by "Love In, Love Out", a record that most view as a diss track to Nas but is actually more of a personal recount of Mega's falling out with Esco than a verbal attack on him. Tracks like "Live Ya Life" and "Built For This" further showcase his raw lyrical talent.

While a number of re-issued "bonus tracks" are often just mediocre leftovers and filler content, the songs included within the second disc of "Special Edition" are all actually good enough to compete with those that proceeded them. The remix of "The Saga" improves over its original courtesy of a piano-based instrumental while "All I Need Is You" with Jonell is also an outstanding track. A few of the bonus songs are actually from his unreleased album, "Testament", which is reportedly going to finally see the light of day in 2005. If you don't own either of Cormega's first two albums then you definetly need to go and scoop up this special edition release.

While it's probably not quite five stars, it's better than four... so I had to give it 5. Honestly, I had downloaded a lot of these cuts on Napster while trying to find the song "Fallen Soldiers" because I didn't know the name of the song -- and after downloading a bunch of them, I found out that "Fallen Soldiers" (a great tune) isn't even one of the better songs on this compilation - I didn't think, anyway. "Glory Days" ranks among my favorites on "The Realness" while Track 18 on "The True Meaning" (the name of the song escapes me) has this piano riff that's got to be heard to be believed. If you like rappers with good lyrical content and an interesting cadence/flow, you'll dig Cormega -- the only thing I can say is that if you buy his most recent album, Legal Hustle, and try to listen to all three of these albums in a short period of time, I think you'll realize that a lot of Cormega's beats are pretty similar. Although most of his beats are good, they can get repetitive when you layer the albums one on top of the other.

Mega is one of the most slept-on New York rappers yet arguably one of the most talented. This combination pack is ideal to a fan of hip-hop in general that actually wants to listen to lyrical genius, with mind-numbing beats from a REAL mc. The only other alive-mc displaying the same hood respect as Mega is Scarface. I would say Mega is a mix of Talib Kweli and Jay-Z. Many say Mega is the most heartfelt and emotional rapper since 2Pac yet he retains his hardcore appeal.

The 2 albums included are a must for any fan of lyrics and will not disappoint anyone

Blakey84

What else can I say.

Classic

Cormega fo real!!!

Check it out

Queensbridge rapper Cormega has achieved the status of an underground legend, and is one of the most powerful and emotional lyricists that you will find in hip hop. He was signed to Def Jam in the mid-90s on the heels of classic LPs by his friends Nas, Mobb Deep, AZ, and Tragedy Khadafi, but his 1995 album The Testament was shelved and he soon left the label. Mega finally resurfaced in 2001 with his independent debut The Realness, which gained huge critical acclaim and cemented his status. He followed it up only a year later with another classic LP, The True Meaning. As these were both independent releases, they went out of print after only a few years, but this "Special Edition" double-disc release packages his debut and sophomore efforts in one box for the price of one disc. For two classic LPs of raw, poetic hip hop, you're hard pressed to find a better purchase.

Something I have always admired about Cormega is that despite his elevated content, his words always hit home on a level you can feel. On "The Realness," he talks about where he comes from, with his background as a drug dealer and hustler. He reminisces over times past and friends lost. Cormega strikes me as one of most realistic rappers around, and his words are true commentary of life in the projects. The beats on "The Realness" maintain a pretty low-fi feel, and they aren't yet the more dramatic, nostalgic music that he would later embrace. It's a gritty sound that works well.

The album opens with the well-titled "Dramatic Entrance," an introductory track with some slick production and words that set the tone for the album. "American Beauty" takes a metaphorical look at hip hop in an "I Used to Love H.E.R." way, speaking of the music as a woman. The beat is familiar and effective, the type that Mega shines over. Mobb Deep's Prodigy guests on "Thun and Kicko," a gritty collaboration, followed by a highlight in "The Saga." This track showcases Mega at his dramatic finest, reflecting on the personal struggles of urban youth and hustling, using a great narrative. "R U My N..." has some more deep and thoughtful reflections, and I also like the brief "Unforgiven." He drops some philosophy on death, in a 2Pac-like manner, on "Fallen Soldiers," and on the great "Glory Days" he reminisces over growing up and acknowledges the former "ghetto legends." "Rap's a Hustle" has a great beat and fits right into the tracklist. The horn fanfare pumps up "Get Out My Way," a powerful statement. He spits some fury on "You Don't Want It," and recites some a cappela on "5 for 40." My favorite song is the incredible "They Forced My Hand," a Tragedy Khadafi collaboration that I first heard on Khadafi's 2000 album Against All Odds. Spunk Bigga's gorgeous beat provides a perfect backdrop for the Queensbridge legends to drop philosophy that still gives me chills. The hook is awesome, and this song showcases two of the best at their best. The album closes with a nice remix of "Fallen Soldiers," anchored by the sound of an emptying liquor bottle, and a cool bonus track with Mobb Deep.

"The True Meaning" is one of the best lyrical albums of the last 5 years, he puts so much feeling into every verse and always speaks the truth. I actually slightly prefer this effort to his debut, but I seem to be in the minority in that opinion. The production here is very good, he maintains a nostalgic tone musically with lots of instrumentation and vocal sampling. The album is short, almost like an EP, he keeps the songs very short, saying his message and ending the song, and I like that.

"Verbal Graffiti" begins the album, a raw, simple track musically and Mega tears the bars apart. "Live Ya Life" is a heartfelt track, Mega gives advice to people in hard times and the chorus is good. He recites a capella on "Ain't Gone Change". The title track is another raw street track, he speaks of experiences and what he knows, well produced too. "A Thin Line" has an awesome beat, great guitar, it feels hard. He verbally murders someone who "snitched" to the DA in trial, it's great to listen to. He shouts out lost friends and his childhood in "The Legacy" and paints a short Queensbridge hip hop history. "Love In Love Out" is the response to Nas's diss on "Destroy and Rebuild" from Stillmatic. It has great production, and he responds to it well. He doesn't try to shoot Nas down, he really explains how the beef happened and almost reaches out to his friend, saying he will continue to support, not wanting beef. It's easy to almost support Mega with this track, it's great to listen to. My favorite track might be the Large Professor collaboration "The Come Up", an awesome song lyrically and musically. "Soul Food" has grimy production and verses to match. "Take These Jewels" is another heartfelt track, an excellent one, and "Endangered Species" is also very strong.

Both "The Realness" and "The True Meaning" showcase some of the most powerful, effective, lyrical, and heartfelt hip hop around. Cormega is truly one of rap's greatest poets, and too many folks are still sleeping on him even today. "Special Edition" is a wonderful purchase, because it packages his two original classic LPs for the price of one. If you've been sleeping on Cormega all this time or just haven't picked up either of these albums, this is a must-buy.

Cormega is a true lyricist. As one of the most slept-on MC's in the game, what more could you ask for than two CD's for the price of one. Cormega's True Meaning and the Realness together in this Special Edition. I would give True Meaning a slightly higher rating due to the production being a little better than Realness. Standout tracks on Realness include Rap's A Hustle, Unforgiven, and American Beauty. Standout tracks on True Meaning include Verbal Graffiti, The Come Up, Love In Love Out, The True Meaning.

Both CD's are a must have for any Hip Hop head looking to expand his library of classics or if you are just looking for dope music. So if you are looking for a new album to check out, pick up Special Edition and get two birds with one stone. It's official.

The Music is worth 4 Mics and the fact that they gave us 2 CD's and 7 bonus tracks for the price of one is a great idea. Cormega is deffinantly a hustla and he created 2 big street albums. Deffinantly worth checking out

These are two of the greatest CDs EVER... NO JOKE. If your one of those ignorant people sleepin on mega... then wake up... cop this CD and then go get his new CD ... "Legal Hustle".. you dont know what your missing. My Favorite song would have to be "Get Out My Way" on "The Realness". Definitly buy these CD's. they are a must have

Everyone who listen to rap should buy this CLASSIC....Cormega is the man. He is sooooo underrated. And I know why, because people don't want to listen real mc and real hard lyrics....they just want beats......But Cormega hes one of the best mc in the game, don't sleep on this....you have 2 cd plus bonus tracks and a video for 21$$ Come on!!!!!!! Peace