Cormega: Life Of An Outlaw

Cormega isn’t the type to let obstacles slow him down. From being shelved on a major label, to releasing two albums that he feels were not promoted properly, the Queens Bridge bred rapper maintains a positive attitude. Cormega reveals the true meaning of hard work, diligence and maturity. AllHipHop.com: What’s going on? Cormega: I’m just […]

Cormega isn’t the type

to let obstacles slow him down. From being shelved on a major label, to releasing

two albums that he feels were not promoted properly, the Queens Bridge bred

rapper maintains a positive attitude. Cormega reveals the true meaning of hard

work, diligence and maturity.

AllHipHop.com: What’s

going on?

Cormega: I’m just recording

right now. I’m knocking out the new album Urban Legend. I’m in the

studio right now knocking out songs for that and I’m working on 2 things

at the same time. I’m working on the "Ayatollah-Comega" EP and

I’m working on the "Urban Legend" album. The Urban Legend is

going to be more like the "Realness" album. My last album the "True

Meaning," I wanted to challenge the critics. When I made the Realness,

people was like that’s a dope album,all you talk about is the streets.

Basically saying anybody can talk about the streets. The last album I was trying

to grow, I was talking about issues in the world and such. The new album is

going to be more street than the last album. I got production from Juju from

the Beatnuts and DR Period is suppose to work with me. I’m trying to what’s

the deal with him right now.

AllHipHop.com: What was the

feed back on the last one from your perspective – What did you get out of people?

Cormega: The last album

I was happy with the feed back I got. My biggest thing with that album was the

sophomore jinx. A lot of people make a dope album and then next one is wack.

A lot of people agree that it was a dope follow up album.

AllHipHop.com: You seem to

stay out of the lime light. What are you up?

Cormega: My life changed

in November, cause I had a daughter. Ever since I had my daughter I really haven’t

been really doing anything. I’ve been in the "father mode." I’ve

been at home a lot, but it’s like I don’t care about the industry,I

just want to be a regular dud. I’m living better than I ever lived. So

I just want to enjoy life. I got a house so I do house things, I wash my Jeep,

I play Playstation, walk my dog, regular stuff. Right now I’m working on

putting a basketball court up, a pool.…I’m trying to make my crib

dope, and I just go to the studio…

AllHipHop.com: The ghetto

gold money is kinda good then?

Cormega: Yeah. I’m

glad I’m independent because if you look at the industry now, except for

the 50 cent situation, that’s the only situation…. like Eminem, 50

Cent and DR Dre, they’re gonna sell their records but a lot of labels are

struggling right now. They don’t know what to do, cause they don’t

know whether to go back to the street now cause of 50’s success. I’m

glad I’m not on the majors. Then you got labels like Def Jam – look at

the Foxxy Brown situation – there’s no reason that they should be sh*tting

on Foxxy like that.

AllHipHop.com: That’s

an ugly situation too.

Cormega: That’s why

I may not ever go on the majors again. I mean I was on that label and I was

on the shelf like I was garbage, like I was wack or something. They don’t

care about the artist, they don’t care about they art, they just care about

the buck. I can’t see myself being successful on a major label.

AllHipHop.com: Do you ever

harbor any bitterness towards the industry – I mean really what happened to

you was pretty sad, all in all when people look at the whole situation.

Cormega: I laugh at the

industry. To be honest, it’s like my life is a book, everybody’s life

is a book. Everything that happens to me I guess was suppose to happen but for

real, I seriously laugh at the industry. Look at me. I was on the shelf for

4 years, got out of the situation, put out an entertaining album, sold 100,000

copies, then I put out another entertaining album in under a year and that sh*t

shipped 100,000. Come on. That’s not making me look like a d*ck and mind

you no disrespect, but my promotion was terrible on both of my albums, The Realness

and The True Meaning, so for me to do those kind of numbers right there? You

a rapper and say your coming out with an album next month. You want to holla

at people and they don’t want to do no song with you. Next thing you know

your sh*t blow up and your phone gonna be ringing off the hook. That goes back

to the question you asked about being real low key. I don’t like being

around industry people because they are is phony, every party – how you doing

and the fake hug, what’s going on- take my number- here – here… I’m

not dealing with all of that, I’m cool.

AllHipHop.coM: What’s

your take on the beef situation? Chris Lighty and you aren’t getting along

and it’s getting kind extra real in the industry right now, especially

about the Violator situation with there office being shot up so much, I mean

2 times?

Cormega: I can’t even

comment on Violator because I don’t even know what’s going on. I know

Chris Lighty brings a lot of problems on himself. That’s why DMX punched

him in the mouth that time, cause he talking about DMX. You go somewhere and

you got you girl with you or one of your homeboys with you and then he don’t

know that’s your friend and he sit there sh*tting on you right in front

of your friend. That’s how that situation happen so…. Chris has always

been that type of person. The beef in rap is disgusting, I think it’s degrading

right now. You got Busta Rhymes dissin people and he suppose to be above the

game. He’s supposed to have humility. I’m not making no beef records

come on, that sh*t is played out and it’s getting too personal because

I think somebody is gonna get hurt.

AllHipHop.com: Speaking on

that – one of the things that really shocked me a little bit was JA Rule’s

dis, he called out Eminem’s kid and that’s happened before, I think

even Benzino did that. Being that you are a new father, what’s your view

on people calling out kids on their records and things like that?

Cormega: If you are a parent

you gotta have more restraints with your words. If you are a parent you should

be a ashamed with yourself. I didn’t have no daughter last year, so I don’t

know if I would’ve went that far to dis somebody’s kid. The way I

feel right now I would never disrespect nobody’s child and if I ever did

before please forgive me, cause I love the hell out of my daughter. It’s

like your kid is a total different entity from you. If I’m a scum bag,

like if I’m a piece of sh*t, no matter what you did in your life, everybody

wants their child life to be better that theirs was. I don’t ever want

my child to be ever disrespected or hurt or go through any of the stuff I went

through. Somebody have to show respect, that’s why I don’t respect

Russell Simmons. You would get on TV and tell people to boycott Pepsi, but aint

telling motherf*ckers to fall back. People listen to him, but that n*gga is

a clown to me. He’s like Ronald McDonald is to McDonalds, like Ronald McDonald

don’t eat the French fries, he’s just that face out there. Somebody

like him, somebody big like him is suppose to step up to motherf*ckers step

to both sides and just try to dead that sh*t.

AllHipHop.com: I think he

actually tried to do that with Murder Inc and Chris Lighty, it just didn’t

work.

Cormega: Well if he did

then pardon me for my statement then.

AllHipHop.com: I think Russell

is a little tired of it, he did it before with Beanie and Jada and then this,

(that’s what I heard at least).

Cormega: Right now…see

the movie CB4…That’s what it’s like. The most worst thing about

rap music is creditability means so much as far as the artist’s success,

certain people can’t just fallback.

AllHipHop.com: You seem like

you have matured a lot since your last 2 albums – cause you were the man going

at Nas at one point.

Cormega: We have our differences

at the end of the day, like anything I do isn’t dictated or predicted off

record sales. Let me tell you about the industry. When a major label artist

comes out, the first thing they worry about is Billboard. They are reading the

magazine the first week, seeing how they sh*t did, If they didn’t do this

amount of numbers they product is a failure that’s not what my life is

based on. Me and son had our differences. I wasn’t doing that like "oh

let me dis a dude, let me get record sales." We had legitimate differences,

but there comes a time when you get tired of that sh*t. I don’t want to

keep beefing, I couldn’t keep beefing with Nas cause for one – like it

or not I’m a realist I deal with reality – Nas is one of the greatest rappers

of this era; so for me constantly sit here and dis him, I’m going to be

the one looking like a fool. It’s so much politics. He can make a record

dissing me and they’ll play it on the radio but my sh*t aint gonna get

played. That don’t pay if they don’t play my record. So I deal with

the reality. The odds are stacked against me. I’m not gonna go against.

I don’t want my career to be based on my differences with that dude. His

career is solidified, his place in greatness is already engraved, so I’m

not in not position to challenge greatness. I don’t feel like I accomplish

anything yet. I just got two albums out, so I just want people to respect me

as an artist as opposed to trying to live off the strength of some beef.

AllHipHop.com: At one point

it seemed liked the whole Queens Bridge was like mad unified and now it seems

like it’s not.

Cormega: Let me be real

with you, Queens Bridge was never unified, history will show you that. People

in Queens Bridge used Esco as a crutch, like every n*gga that come out of Queens

Bridge, they wanted to do a record with that n*gga out the gate. They’ve

always been bullsh*t in Queens Bridge back stabbing, back talking, etc,etc….always

been like that and it always is gonna be like that because it’s too competitive.

It’s like being on a basketball team when you have a whole bunch of all

stars, somebody’s not gonna get run. If Queens Bridge was nice we would

probably been on the 4th or 5th installment QB albums.

AllHipHop.com: Have you …

I don’t want to say outgrown QB but you have said a couple of times that

this is not Queens Bridge album. Mentally are you in a different space?

Cormega: All of the above

that you have said. First of all, music isn’t made to be contained. Music

is like oxygen, music is like air, that sh*t could go anywhere. When you see

me, you already know I represent Queens Bridge. I don’t scream Queens Bridge.

If you listen to every new motherf*cker that’s from Queens Bridge, it’s

like they f###### trying to live off the hype of Queens Bridge, or they trying

to make a brand out of it, you can’t do that. So I don’t scream QB.

My music is a reflection of the struggles I’m going through in the hood.

There’s people in New Jersey going through the same struggle, California.

Etc.etc…I don’t want to be stereotyped as just a QB artist. I am a

worldly person. I don’t live in the projects right now. I got a house and

I’ve had a house for years. I don’t try to floss. I got everything

it the world I could want. I got platinum Rolex. I don’t care about that

sh*t. When I wanted things I didn’t have them. Now I am not that cosmetic.

I don’t care about stuff. All I care about is my family, my friends and

God. Man I got everything I want. I had the H2 before everybody. I got other

vehicles, I got like 4 cars. I don’t even wear jewelry or nothing. I got

it but I don’t even wear it.

AllHipHop.com: For all those

youth that are trying to get into the game, what advice would you have for them

from your perspective because you have a unique perspective on what they should

do to get in the game or to even just succeed as an artist, maybe not even get

in the game?

Cormega: To succeed as an

artist I think you should stay true to your belief, to your style and don’t

let nobody try to change you. That’s one of a lot of people down falls.

Labels will try to change you. Stay doing what you do and just be dedicated.

This is not easy work. Don’t think once you make a record your whole life

changes and everything is laid out for you because it takes work to get anywhere.