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Cormega - Drop A Gem On ‘Em
Interview By: Danielle Stolich
 In 2007, Cormega needs no introduction. Love him or hate him, ‘Mega has solidified himself as not only a premier lyricist but a self-made entrepreneur and budding mogul in a cutthroat industry that many thought he wouldn’t survive. Nobodysmiling.com recently discussed with ‘Mega his newest releases, the GOT Beats? The Producers’ Series CD and Who Am I?, a DVD and soundtrack chronicling the pivotal 2001-2005 period in his career. Never wasting a word, Cormega gives the realness on being an ‘indie’artist as well as the true meaning behind what the streets really think about him.
 Nobodysmiling.com : You just dropped a personal, dope DVD and soundtrack, entitled Who Am I? on your own Legal Hustle label. Do you think being independent allows your more freedom to do such a personal DVD than if you were signed to a major label?
Cormega : I wanted to do it but I guess I could have still done it if I was on a major. But remember the DVD market is still new, so let’s say this project does well and a lot of artists start doing it, then the majors will probably start doing it. I wasn’t afraid to be myself.
Nobodysmiling.com : In the DVD you visited a lot of BK’s projects (Hammel Houses, Far Rockaway)…a lot of dudes praised you for your realness (in front and behind the scenes)…As a vet in this game, how much does it still mean to you that the streets respect you?
Cormega : I value it a whole lot. At the end of the day that’s like a security blanket. ‘Cause if you don’t have respect in the street, then you’re not really. There’s dudes that have sold more albums than me or are bigger artists’ than me but when it comes to street respect I am quadruple platinum.
Nobodysmiling.com : With that said, do you ever feel like there’s no need for you to prove yourself anymore?
Cormega : Yeah, I don’t feel there’s a need for me to prove that anymore because at the end of the day having respect or being real is due to circumstance. Like you can’t be a fake dude and say you real. Like I got my respect due to circumstances, due to the fact that I lived in Far Rockaway, due to the fact that I was jail and you never heard I got
punked. And I’m not glorifying any of this. And you can’t sell that to street n*ggas; either you know about it or you’re a fake dude to them. But I don’t have anything to prove so what can somebody say about me? Everything that you could do, I’ve did. But I’m not proud of that. I want my daughter to be proud of me because of my music not because I sold drugs. That brings me to one of my favorite quotables from the DVD is “Rapping was something I could do but it was like a dream; hustling was a reality. I thought I was gonna sell drugs forever…”
Nobodysmiling.com : What and when made your mind change?
Cormega : When I went to jail I was facing 5-15 years. I had more time than anyone in my crew. But I came home on appeal…do you know how hard it is to get an appeal in America?!? So when I came home and had the opportunity to rap I wanted to take full advantage of it. My success wasn’t just for me; there’s over 60,000 inmates in New York state and over a million inmates in America. A lot of inmates’ mind states are that they can’t make it. There are a lot of talented people in jail, better ballplayers, rappers, whatever than what’s out here. I just looked at my life...I was losing friends either to jail or to death. It was a pivotal point that made me change my mind.
Plus my ex-girlfriend was also very dedicated to me during that whole ordeal, so I owed it to her, myself… a lot of people depend on me. I put my life in perspective and remembered that the streets ain’t promised. I got a mission and that’s what made me change my life around. I motivated a lot of dudes in jail to go to the law library and fight their case and if they could rap, to pursue a rap career when they went home.
Nobodysmiling.com : Your DVD shows you on that “mission” often…You give a lot from the heart, for example the all-expenses paid trip to Great Adventure Park that you sent a whole housing community on. So many rappers don’t do that…Why not publicize that?
Cormega : You sound exactly like my publicist (laughs). She was like, “No I’m telling the press!” Like when I had differences with Nas, he tried to make me out to be some mad rapper. But when you see that DVD I’m probably one of the most fun people you could be around. I don’t stress nothing. But I’ve done a lot of things like that trip…I’ve given brand-new cars to people, given money to individuals. One time I paid for an entire girls’ basketball tournament in the projects…The woman was asking for donations and I just paid for the tournament on the spot. But one day I was reading something religious
and it said, “The people that do it from the heart get the blessing.” I don’t know that ‘s just how I am, I just wanted to touch people that have touched me and share my wealth. I felt so blessed at that moment in my life; there was nothing I couldn’t have bought that I wanted. I wanted to share that. And if you notice there’s nofootage of the trip on the tape because I just wasn’t interested in publicizing it. If I do it again I might but I just wanted to do it from the heart.
Nobodysmiling.com : A lot of people feel you epitomize the “independent success story”…You went from being blacklisted to owning your own label. What advice do you have for independent artists?
Cormega : I would just say, when you independent it’s not gonna be glamorous. Do not put yourself in the situation of an artist on a major label. You might not get the radio play that another artist’s gets, whether you are better than him or not. You might not get the videos that other artists get. It’s gonna be hard work, no one’s gonna cater to you. You have to work. You gotta grind, believe in yourself and have the right team. You got have the right legal person, the right publicity and the right person giving you advice. Also develop relationships with people in the industry. You gotta understand, even
though you ‘indie’ you still are a part of the industry. Be cool to everybody you meet, because the same person you try to style on f*ck around and be a VP exec one day and he’ll veto your ass. Also know your market; don’t try to make a radio record if you’re not a radio artist.
Nobodysmiling.com : That’s true because today’s Hip-Hop has so many artists trying to fit a format instead of just being themselves and being organic. Why do you think that is?
Cormega :You gotta understand the majors are what messed up the music’s quality. There was time when East Coast rap, we didn’t care what it sold! It was just magical music. You know that feeling you get when you’d hear A Tribe Called Quest, Boot Camp Clik, Wu-Tang, Slick Rick…nobody cared what they sold. East coast rap? We might have gone platinum at the most back then.
Then when some artists began selling multi-platinum the labels stopped wanting quality. They were more concerned with the quantity and how much you sold. For example an artist like Papoose, let him do what he does. He’s a lyrical beast. Let him make the songs he makes. Just like AZ. Let AZ be AZ. Labels try to make you do something, then it doesn’t work out you don’t sell and the label deserts you. Then your original fans feel betrayed. At the end of the day, the artist(s) loses.
Nobodysmiling.com : AZ just released the Memphis Sessions. You just released your GOT BEATS? Producers’ Series CD and your new DVD. I’m noticing a movement where rappers that came out with you in the 90’s (Common, AZ, Nas, etc.) are making more creative, mature music that is still relevant. What are your thoughts on this ‘Grown Man Music’ movement?
Cormega :If you look at rap, you look back Hip-Hop wasn’t never a kiddie thing. My first Hip-Hop records I heard were from my parents. The corporations try to make it cater towards kids to stretch out the sales. Now rap is doing a 360; it’s coming back to Hip-Hop. I’m glad for all of their success because these artists are allowing people to grow with the music. As far as the GOT BEATS? project, now that I got my own label, I gotta have product. I’m a fan of Hip-Hop so I put out product that people really want but they can’t get it. Now recently I noticed people had been buying a lot of mixtapes just
for beats but the mixtape scene in New York was kind of decimated. So I decided to make a beat CD with a whole bunch of dope name producers and a few new cats. So this project appeals to not only people who want beats but also the listener. I also wanted to pay homage to the producers. There are so many elements of Hip-Hop that are neglected. The most neglected parts of Hip-Hop to me are the DJ, female MCs and Latinos.
Nobodysmiling.com : How do discern a good beat from a bad beat? Do you dabble on the boards?
Cormega : When I hear a beat that I want, I don’t just go by a producer’s name. That’s where a lot of artists fail; they chase the illusion. Right there you are subliminally setting yourself up. So when I hear beats, I don’t care what your name is. If I hear a beat that’s dope, it’s dope. A beat shouldn’t have to grow on me. When I hear people say, “oh I didn’t like that but that beat grew on me”, that changes the state of the music.
When I pick beats I don’t go by what’s gonna ‘grow on me.’ I go by what moves me because what’s gonna move me is gonna move my audience. What’s the deal on the long-awaited album? I was gonna call it ‘The Inevitable’, I liked that but it doesn’t roll off people’s tongues real easy. I may self-title it as it stands right now. But the album is almost done and quote me on this: ‘It’s my best album.”
Nobodysmiling.com : Is “Fresh” (feat. PMD, Puba, Kane, KRS-ONE & DJ Red Alert) on the new album?
Cormega : (Laughs) Hell yeah. “Fresh” was made for this album.
Nobodysmiling.com : You have a lot of interesting collabos (Hell Rell,Little Brother) and guest appearances (Kurupt, Jacka) on the WHO AM I? DVD and soundtrack…what brought those on?
Cormega : Strategy. When you independent, everything you do is a campaign. What do politicians do when they campaign? They visit state to state…one day you’re in Massachusetts, another day you’re in New Jersey. I don’t want to be just a New York rapper. There’s people that have love for me in California but there’s also people who aren’t up on me in California. So when I do a song with these artists help familiarize me with their fans.
I do different songs with people I respect. Like Little Brother, that’s my second song I did with them. But I respect them first. I don’t just do songs with people because they’re from another place; I have to respect you first. I always try to be myself no matter who I do a song with. I always remain myself no matter who I collaborate with.
Nobodysmiling.com : What attracts a lot of people to your music are the themes. You always drop a lot of jewels in your music to your fans…but what’s the best advice someone ever gave you?
Cormega : I get so much advice. I mean I get jewels that’s not even advice, you know? Like Lyor Cohen once told me that “one out of 100 rappers makes it” and when he said that it scared me. But he also said, “you have to figure out how to make yourself that one” and that always stuck with me. Hmm… what else can I think of? I got so much I can’t even think of the top three things right now.
Nobodysmiling.com : Well what are the top three you would tell your child?
Cormega : Wow, damn that’s real right there. The first thing I would reinforce in her is to ‘love your family’ first and foremost. Next I would tell her to make her own footprints in the sand. Whatever you decide to do I’m gonna be with you.
Nobodysmiling.com : Speaking about your daughter, other than her birth which was announced on ALLHIPHOP.com once, you are very private about your personal life. But on the DVD fans can see you at your baby shower, in the ‘hood, etc.
Cormega : You know why I do that? Because I’m not a rapper that’s in character. Some people rap like they are gangster but never did anything they rap about. Now here’s a dude that really got respect in the streets as a gangster, really been to jail but I’m not afraid to laugh on my DVD or be proud of the birth of my child. I don’t have any insecurities. A lot of people that’s cool with me were tired of people having misconceptions of me like I’m this ‘mad rapper’ or the bad guy. This DVD really shows you what I’m about.
Nobodysmiling.com : Now that you’ve released this DVD, did you ever think about writing a book on your life to uplift people with similar minds like yours: street intellectuals that are seeking a legal way out of the ‘hood?
Cormega : Yes. I want to do a book about my life and a book to help people get on in the independent game. I’m looking into publishers as we speak.
Nobodysmiling.com : In the WHO AM I ? DVD, Queens’ rapper Tragedy calls you ‘honorable’. He says he respects that honest quality in you because “a lot of people in life hide behind themselves.” How does that make you feel?
Cormega : To be honest with you, I was flattered when I heard it because I wasn’t there. A lot of things people said on the DVD really touched me. Because at the end of the day, you really don’t know what people really think about you. So to hear that, it makes me feel good.
To hear what Marley Marl said about me, it felt good. I felt vindicated when he said I started the street rap movement in Queens. He didn’t have to say that. There’s people that know stuff about me but they don’t’ give me my props. I wrote a lot of rhymes for a lot of people but I’ll never say names. But you never hear about that. I was touched by a lot of what was said in the DVD.
Nobodysmiling.com : Has your honesty ever hurt you in the industry?
Cormega : Hell yeah. That’s why Tragedy said what he said Sometimes people don’t’ want to hear the truth. A lot of shit happened in the industry with me as a result of being honest. I’ve learned to shut up when I’m around certain artists. I remember one time, when Nas was working on ‘Illmatic’ and I said one of the tracks sounded like a shampoo commercial. And everybody stared at me and acted like it was the end of the world.
When I was on Def Jam, certain things I just wasn’t with like when they wanted us to wear suits. When I spoke up, I was pegged as being “uncooperative”, etc. People always want the truth until they get it. Me and Trag got our own rapport that’s why I understood what he said. I’m honest, that’s just how I am with my friends.
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