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Cormega - Who Am I? The SoundtrackAlbum Review by:
Danielle Stolich
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
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While loyal fans patiently await his follow-up to 2005’s Testament (solo) album (compilations and underground mixtapes aside), Cormega blesses listeners in the meanwhile with Who Am I?, the unique soundtrack to the intimate documentary by the same name that chronicles Mega’s life and career from 2001-2005.
Not to be mistaken as a distraction from his long-awaited, pending solo release, the Who Am I? soundtrack will surprise and impress listeners with its unexpected guest appearances (Keak da Sneak, Hell Rell and Little Brother) and new twists on the East Coast boom-bap Cormega is praised for. Gritty, introspective street gems make up the majority of the album but the innovative production and rare collabos make this soundtrack worth a listen.
Sounding fresh instead of forced, the collaborations highlight some of the best tracks on the album. The Heatmakerz’ melodic masterpiece “Sleep Well” sets an introspective, soulful tone as Cormega’s bars are flattered by soul singer Dwele’s crooning. The eerie “Use Mad Clips” (produced by newcomer Emile) has a contagious hook and finds the “Ghost” Styles P and Cormega bringing the East back in a real way. Keeping it real about fake rappers in the rap game ‘Mega admonishes the guilty parties with, “You rap about gats/Feel mine/A real nine/Millimeter eating up ya insides/My procedure persecuted indeed/ I was the first to use it/Hip-Hop’s was once an art/These bird n*ggas hurt the music/The flow is blended/The beat is my co-defendant/The pen’s the other kid I meet before we go and set it/And take it to streets/Run up in cribs and blaze n*ggas Jeeps/By the way, I stays with the heat.”
Dope songs aside, the real treat is the title track “Who Am I” featuring AZ and a memorable verse from the one and only Nature. QB Hip-Hop connoisseurs will thank Cormega for this standout track with the three lyrical gods flowing like it’s ’95 again. (Could a new and improved Firm Part II be in the works? Wishful thinking never hurt.) Rounding out the gems on the album are the funky head-nodder “718” featuring MOP’s Lil’ Fame, “Stuntin” (feat. Hell Rell) and the Cali-influenced “Lookin’ At It” featuring Keak da Sneak & Yukmouth.
While Who Am I? can be critically-acclaimed for its originality and organic universal appeal, it is not without some missteps. Songs like the dull “Time” (feat. Ransom and Nicole Wray) fail to retain your attention lyrically and musically. Other joints like Agallah’s “King Me” and Tragedy’s disappointing “Ryder Muzik” become fast-forward material after the first few bars. Both songs would have fared better if they were collaborations instead of solo tracks due to their repetitive subject matter.
If this soundtrack’s high quality Hip-Hop and originality are any indication of the Who Am I? documentary, then both are worth copping. Cormega has done it again, creating relevant, genuine music without compromise while pushing creative boundaries that keep Hip-Hop fresh. Now if only that solo album would come out.
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