Anyone hear Cormega's album (The Realness) yet?

[Top-Dogg2001]

I was at y2hiphop.com and I read this review of Cormega's new album The realness which came out on the 24th.  


They gave it 4.5 mics out of 5. I'd really like to hear another person's opinion on this album.

check this review:


"Testament"...coming soon" has been advertised in The Source and many other hip hop magazines for as long as 1997. But due to numerous amounts of delays due to shady label politics -- the album was scrapped. Ever since then, Cormega's been putting out enough mixtape freestyles and songs to fill up 2 LP's. The year is now 2001, and Mega finally drops his extremely long anticipated debut, entitled "The Realness". Even though it's been a 4 year wait, it ends up that it was definitly worth it. Mega says this album was completely untouched by corporate evil, and it shows all the way from the
opening track to the hidden bonus track at the end. So expect nothing but stunning street poetics that haven't been heard since Nasir Jones was hungry on "Illmatic", and raw, grimey production that hasn't been heard since Havoc crafted "The Infamous". That's pretty impressive company, and Cormega lives up to it on this release.

Although Mega isn't as good as Nas lyrically, he still packs the same kind of street poetics that will grab any listener's attention. On "The Saga", "Glory Days", "Unforgiven", "They Forced My Hand", "R U My Nigga", and both versions of "Fallen Soldiers" -- Cormega paints vivid descriptions of street life; whether it's about friends, enemies, lost ones, incarcerations, or life in QB. That may sound like nothing new, but Mega brings sincerity and amazing storytelling that'll leave the listener hanging on to every word. There's more though, as "Thun & Kicko" (LOL, these QB cats have some crazy slang) and "Killaz Theme" are two gritty street bangers featuring Mobb Deep, "American Beauty" is a street twist of Com's metaphor on "I Used To Love H.E.R.", "5 For 40" is a short acapella, and "Get Out My Way" addresses the beef between Cormega and Nas.

Production wise, the album is completely flawless. This is easily the best QB produced LP since "Illmatic" and "The Infamous", and all 15 tracks are excellent. Alchemist and Havoc are the only big name producers on here, and they contribute some of their best work. Havoc uses sinister orchestra strings on "Killaz Theme", and delivers dark, gritty production on "Thun & Kicko". Alchemist is one of the most diverse producers in the game, and his beat on the "Fallen Soldiers Remix" is no exception. Italian strings, harp sounds, and the background effect of a glass pouring out liquor sets the perfect atmosphere for Mega's lyrics on this track. Voice samples are also put to excellent use on this release, and it's evidenced on "Glory Days", "Rap's A Hustle", "Dramatic Entrance", "Unforgiven", and "They Forced My Hand". "R U My Nigga" and "You Don't Want It" are piano laced tracks that are worthy of cinematic proportion, and "American Beauty" is made up of 2 familiar samples.

So there you have it, the best QB album to hit the streets since "Illmatic". The title of this LP couldn't be anymore appropiate, as "The Realness" is what Cormega is bringing back to NYC hip-hop. After so many watered down releases from mediocre thug rappers who are best known for their one-dimensional jiggy punchlines, it's very refreshing to hear some authentic hip-hop music coming out once again. Unfortunately, this album is on an independent label, so promotion outside of the internet and the streets will be very little. That shouldn't matter though, since this album's intended audience already knows their collection isn't complete without "The Realness". And with some time -- this album should add on that missing .5, making it the classic LP that goes up there with the best of them.

[Don Jacob]

3.75/4 mics

it's not classic  or near classic but it's a good album take it from me  the review master