Features

Interview Conducted In Tha Middle of 2003!!!

ThaFormula.com - So how has the album been doing Mega…

Cormega - Yeah "The True Meaning" is doing decent. The album is doing good. The promotion I'm getting from the distributor sucks but the album is still doing good and the response from the publications has been overwhelming. People like Murder Dog and XXL showed me love. It's like I'm starting to get a little respect as an artist from this album so I'm real proud of that.

ThaFormula.com - So have the major labels still been trying to get at you?

Cormega - I don't know 'cause I'm the type of dude that's not easy to holla at but niggaz is still trying to reach out to me.

ThaFormula.com - How is the Mega and Ayatollah project going man?

Cormega - It's gonna be real hectic. Its gonna be a real Hip-Hop album so all the people that's Hip-Hop is gonna love it, maybe other people won't but I'm not doing it for sells, I'm not doing it for magazines, I'm doing this for the fans. This is a Hip-Hop album. We got 2 joints so far and we got "Raps a Hustle" of course from "The Realness" album. We got a special version of that for the album. That's gonna be like a bonus cut. We got joints!

ThaFormula.com - So what exactly is going down with the project man, is it gonna be an EP or LP?

Cormega - It might be an EP. We gonna do a EP first 'cause we wanna just get it out there and just get niggaz thirsty and shit and we want it out there quick so you know it's gonna be an EP, and then another reason with an EP it always gives us room to grow and put out another LP within a years time 'cause its gonna be consistent. We gonna be like the new Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. I'm trying to come with Hip-Hop man, that's it, that's all I'm trying to do.

ThaFormula.com - How did the two of you hook up and become so tight like that?

Cormega - Every producer that I work with got love for me and I got love for them. Every producer that I work with I've got a certain type of relationship with them and it's just that Ayatollah makes that soulful shit. I gravitate towards his beats and a lot of people like the way we sound together. Like this last album "The True Meaning," a lot of people questioned why he wasn't on the album but they didn't question why other producers weren't on the album and we got a lot in common. It's like we both have done so much for the game, we both been so influential yet we haven't received the credit that we deserve so we're both underdogs.

ThaFormula.com - So what are you guys gonna call the album man?

Cormega - I don't even know man. A name might come at the end of it but right now we just gonna call it "Ayatollah and Cormega."

ThaFormula.com - So how many tracks are you guys into it now including unfinished tracks?

Cormega - We got like five. I got one that I got to drop the vocals to next week so we got like four. Everything is getting crazy as it goes along. I'm just trying to get more poetic and more poetic as opposed to just being a grimy street rapper. I just wanna be a poet on this album and Ayatollah wants to be a DJ. Like on "Verbal Graffiti" from "The True Meaning" album, Ayatollah did the scratching so its like I want people that's into Cormega and I want people to realize that the DJ element is a part of Hip-Hop so I'm putting that in my album so we just real excited.

ThaFormula.com - I've got to give it to you on your beat selection man, you can grab a good beat off of any producer out there. Like that "Verbal Graffiti" track, I couldn't believe that Hangmen 3 did that track 'cause I had never heard a dope track from those guys before...

Cormega - (Laughs) Somebody else just told me that to the other day. It's like you got to listen to music with your soul. A lot of artists get dictated by the industry and the industry doesn't care about the culture. Also a lot of artists tend to be dick riders like they will be like "I want a beat from this nigga," and just go by the name. I don't just go by the name. I close my eyes to listen to music so its not like I'm being preferential. Like you could come into the room with a dope beat and if its dope and I feel it, I'm using it. There's been top of the line producers that have submitted beats to me and I never used it 'cause I wasn't feelin' it. There have been producers that are new to the game or unheard of that I really felt their beats so I used it and I'ma continue to do so.

ThaFormula.com - What label are you guys planning on dropping the Cormega and Ayatollah project on?

Cormega - I don't know man. I don't think I'ma be putting this on Landspeed 'cause I don't know if they have he power to push a project like this. If they could push it then maybe we'll talk but right now we're not even thinking about that, we're thinking about making the best album that we could possibly make, that's our main objective. I've heard over 40 beats by Ayatollah so it's like I'm just selecting what I wanna choose as opposed to me just grabbing everything. We just trying to make history man.

ThaFormula.com - What about your next solo project. How is that looking?

Cormega - Oh you know that's coming and "The Testament," I'm still trying to get that. I got a few joints done for that. I'm not gonna rush it though and I might not come out next summer. It depends. I mean I've yet to really push "The True Meaning," so once I start to push that album I'm just gonna try to stretch it as far as I could stretch it and then we gonna come with the next Cormega album, but I'm not gonna rush with it like with "The True Meaning" coming out a year after "The Realness."

ThaFormula.com - Why don't you put out a Cormega DVD man?

Cormega - I'll tell you what, help me find a distributor and I'll do it, matter a fact I'll even cut you in because that's what we plan on doing. I got a video for "The True Meaning," I got a video for "Live Yo Life," I got a video for the Large Professor joint, "The Come Up," I got a video for "I'm Built for This." Then we have the video for "Get Outta My Way" and "Are U My Nigga" which were from "The Realness" and then we gonna do live footage.

ThaFormula.com - It's a shame you didn't get on the Large Professor LP man?

Cormega - It was too last minute. By the time he did it, it was too late. I wasn't offended by the move you know, and plus you know how the politics be, we don't have to get into all that but I still did my job. Meaning I did Hip-Hop a favor. I did my job because a lot of the younger dudes wasn't into him or people were sleeping on him or wasn't trying to give him the time of day, I gave him a new life on my album so I feel like I did my job and it was just an honor to work with him.

ThaFormula.com - Are you planning on working with other artists like Extra P for your next album?

Cormega - My next album, I'm coming with it man. I got this new artist named Donya, we just did the "Built for This (Remix)," she's tough yo. My next album I'ma have some features but its not gonna be a lot. We gonna stick to the same formula.

ThaFormula.com - You plan on working with any producers like Primo or Pete Rock?

Cormega - I will probably holla at Pete Rock this time. I might hit up Marley Marl cause he's one of my mentors. I wanna work with Primo. I tried to work with Primo in the past but he's a hard brother to get in touch with like me, but I respect him and I really wanna work with him now that a lot of people in the industry are starting to playa hate and sleep on him 'cause I don't like doing what everybody else is doing. I just did something with DR Period. My new album will definitely have more DR Period production, there is definitely gonna be Beatnuts production too. That's production that's definitely gonna be there. Ayatollah is definitely gonna be on there.

ThaFormula.com - You've had two albums now and only 2 guests on them, that's pretty damn good compared to most solo albums nowadays?

Cormega - Yeah 'cause the reason I did that was 'cause there was a lot of hate attached to my name like non-believers and powerful people in the industry didn't wanna give me my props so I didn't wanna give people no excuses and no format. I didn't want people to say "oh his album just solid 'cause of his guest appearances," or because of this or that, so that's why I try not to use a lot of guest appearances. Plus like we discussed in L.A., some of the best albums in Hip-Hop history was "Paid in Full," "Follow The Leader," "Criminal Minded," "Adventures of Slick Rick," Main Source, "Illmatic," and Tribe's albums. They didn't have a bunch of guest appearances. These albums were dictated by the artistry of the artists, by the beats and the rhymes. That's what Hip-Hop is and that's what I wanna be. I don't wanna follow this trend cause trends is bad.

ThaFormula.com - I know you had Mobb Deep on your first album, what's the situation with you and the Mobb right now?

Cormega - Right now I'm trying to achieve my pinnacle. I wanna shine under my umbrella and I didn't feel I could do that constantly being in the shadows of my peers. I didn't want it to be like "yo he's just shining cause he came out with Mobb Deep." When you're under that umbrella, it's like that umbrella could hurt you or it could help you and a lot of times your only as hot as the umbrella you're under. What about when that umbrella is not hot no more?

ThaFormula.com - Now Ayatollah, most people don't know much about you except for the tracks that you've been hookin' up for people...

Ayatollah - Yeah its bugged out, I need a fucking publicist that's why! (Laughs). I done joints man, independent, major, you know.

Cormega - He did that "Ms Fat Booty" for Mos Def.

ThaFormula.com - That's right.

Ayatollah - Yeah "Ms Fat Booty 2," I did some stuff for Shyne before he got locked up, Ghostface, Cappadonna. The list goes on and on and I'm working with Mega.

ThaFormula.com - Well you got some of that soulful old school flava that I like man...

Ayatollah - Yeah, I'm just trying to keep it grassroots like almost like the golden era of Hip-Hop.

ThaFormula.com - So let's get into how you got started in this man?

Ayatollah - I started Dj'ing actually. A lot of people don't even know that I'm a pretty decent DJ as far as like mixing and scratching and stuff like that, I was DJ'ing before I even messed with beats. I used to DJ in battles and competitions and stuff you know. I'm cool with the X-Men those are my boys and everything. I DJ'd for about 10 years starting in like '84 and stopped DJ'ing in competitions in like '98 and you know just got into the music.

ThaFormula.com - I had heard you were out here recently working with some people?

Ayatollah - Yeah I was just out in L.A. not too long ago with Kweli. We were mixing some songs out there. We were actually out there with Quik. Me, Quik, Xzibit, Roscoe, Phil, Krondon and a lot of cats. We were just doing what we do.

ThaFormula.com - So what got you into the beats?

Ayatollah - Like my man, this kid from back in the day named DJ Sage was cool with Tragedy and at the time Tragedy was looking for a DJ to go on tour with him and do the shows and stuff. So he hooked it up where I met Tragedy. He came to the crib saw me DJ and said "yo you wanna do shows?" I'm like, "hell yeah I'ma do it." So I started to do shows and from there after DJ'ing for Tragedy for a couple of years or whatever, Tragedy was like "yo you should try to fuck with some beats." I'm like "aight cool." So he called Marley Marl and Marley had like mad MPC's in his crib that was always being used. So we drove up to Spring Valley and Marley gave me one of his Mp's and that's how I started making beats.

ThaFormula.com - So you got a beat machine from the man himself huh?

Ayatollah - After I got nice on the machine he took it back, I had to buy my own. Marley took it back. He was like "you learned on it, now you gotta get your own."

ThaFormula.com - So Tragedy had a lot to do with you being connected with people?

Ayatollah - He birthed me. That boy 'Trag birthed me. He's the one that birthed everything.

ThaFormula.com - So what did you do from there?

Ayatollah - From there I was shopping some tracks. I did a lot of independent records but as far as like one of the biggest songs I produced was "Ms. Fat Booty." That one came about with my manager shopping my beats, he went down to the studio and played some joints for Mos Def. He was like "Mos heard some joints and he wants to meet you, come down to the studio with the machine and bring those same beats that you had on the CD." So I'm like "aight cool." He heard them and he's like "yo where you been all these years?" He's like "I needed you years ago." So we did the joint and shit came out from what I hear crazy.

ThaFormula.com - So would you consider that the track that basically put you on the map?

Ayatollah - I would say yeah that song was the groundbreaker to like get peoples ear like "yo who is this kid right here? I never even heard of dude." So more than likely that was the one.

ThaFormula.com - So what did you do after that?

Ayatollah - The "Ms. Fat Booty Pt. 2" came out which did pretty good. I did a joint for Cormega, a Rawkus single called "Take Minez," did some stuff with R.A. The Rugged Man ft. Havoc, did some stuff with High & Mighty, with Talib Kweli, Cella Dwellas, and I did a 12" single with Tek of the Cocoa B's called "All Massive," which was like a real hot joint. Tek did his thing on that. I actually did a joint on Ruck's album that's coming out. I did a joint for Rakim, and I did a joint for Shyne.

ThaFormula.com - What was up with that Rakim track you did man "A Cold Feeling"?

Ayatollah - That one is supposed to be on Rakim's album but its kind of up in the air right now.

ThaFormula.com - How did the two of you get hooked up man?

Ayatollah - My manager he sent a CD out to Rakim's manager out in L.A. and Rakim heard it and was like "Yo I need that right there," and the next thing you know I'm one my way to the studio and we linkin' up you know doing a joint and that was the first time I met Ra so it was like yo, working with him… my production career is complete 'cause I worked with Rakim, so I'm happy.

ThaFormula.com - So let's break down what was it like in the studio working with the God?

Ayatollah - I'ma pt it to you like this man. Being in that guys presence in that studio is like being with an entity. You're in there with somebody that's a legend. There's just no real words to put on the description of how I felt. It was just ill working with Rakim. Sometimes cats come in sometimes with like a little bit of an uppity attitude you know, like "I'm this person," and I gotta work with them and I gotta deal with their attitudes and stuff but when Ra came in he was mad cool and you know he gave me a hug, gave me love like "Yo, boom, boom, boom." We start talkin' and figure out we were into the same things me and Rakim. He used to write graffiti, I used to write graffiti. We start really having stuff in common other than the music and it was just bugged out. So it was just an ill bond. But I'm trying to get him some more material as of now. Gotta give him them bangers, he needs those man. You can't give nothing less then bangers to Rakim.

ThaFormula.com - Does Rakim work fast in the studio?

Ayatollah - Nah actually it took him, I'd say a day to actually lay his part and me lay the track and mix it. It came out crazy too.

ThaFormula.com - Now what about 'Mega man, how did you guys hook up?

Ayatollah - Me and 'Mega we hooked up on that 12" single we did for Rawkus. That's how I met Mega for the first time. He heard a beat CD and we just linked up through Rawkus, but it came to be that a good friend of mine is 'Megas cousin and I went to school with his cousin for like 4 years and me and him were mad cool. Came to find out 'Mega was his cousin and it was so hilarious, shit was ill. So it's like I would have known him anyways sooner or later. 'Mega is a cool dude man and he's like the underdog in the industry because he had a lot of drama with a lot of cats in the industry. It's like a lot of people kind of shut away from him. It's kind of ill. He deserves every sell he makes cause he's keepin' it the real deal as far as the music goes.

ThaFormula.com - How did the idea of the EP come about?

Ayatollah - I think J-Love might have given me the idea of doing an EP with Cormega, so I was like "yo we spoke about it and he was like wit it," and we started working. We already got 2 songs that are done and we're gonna put one of the old songs off of like "The Realness" that I did. But yeah that's how we came about with that. The beats are already done. I didn't really have to make any tracks for the album. I just had old tracks that nobody has even heard yet so I didn't have to make any track for the album. As far as like a street record I think this is gonna be one of the illest projects I do to date.

ThaFormula.com - Will you be dropping any instrumental LP's soon?

Ayatollah - I'm thinking of doing one on BBE cause they want me to do a Beat Generation album. I gotta do a Beat Generation 'cause I like the people that have already done it. I got approached on the BBE situation after Pete Rock finished his album. I was like "all right" and they started putting my name in the ads like "Coming Soon." But it's still something I'm thinking of 'cause I need to see what they are talkin' about as far as finances.

ThaFormula.com - How do you usually work out those situations as a producer? I mean are most of the things you do paid up front, points, or what?

Ayatollah - Well for like independent little underground records, your more than likely better off to just take like a cash advance or a check rather then just getting like royalty points because a lot of those underground records don't really sell that many units anyways. So you might as well just get the cash advance. With a major record you will get your points and your publishing so that way you're guaranteed a nice royalty check through a major artist especially if he's new.

ThaFormula.com - Is it sometimes hard to get paid for your beats?

Ayatollah - Labels yeah. Labels can be funny with their payments. They will make you wait a little while but for the most part I've been treated well but you know I heard stories. Basically you just gotta make sure your paperwork is right so that way you get what is supposed to be coming to you as a producer. Make sure you got a good manager that's in your corner, that likes to work for you and is not looking out for his best interest. You got to have a good manager, you gotta have a good lawyer, someone you can trust and that's it for the most part, just make sure your business is right as far as producers and you will be okay.

ThaFormula.com - So when do you see the EP droppin'?

Ayatollah - If anything it might be maybe late this year or early next year. We will probably go the independent route.

Update: February 1, 2004 Press Release

After releasing two critically acclaimed LPs, The True Meaning (June 25, 2002) and The Realness (July 24, 2001), and winning a 2003 Source Award in the new category of Independent Album of the Year for The True Meaning, Cormega returns with the Legal Hustle album to be released May 11, 2004 on Legal Hustle Records distributed by Koch. “Legal Hustle showcases everything that we’re trying to bring as a company in 2004 and 2005. It’s like giving you the access code to Legal Hustle’s vault.” The album features Doña (pronounced Donya), the first artist signed to Legal Hustle Records, MOP, Kurupt, Jayo Felony, and introduces new artists like Banger, Lake, Miz, Chaundria Brown, and DMP with production by Ayatollah, Emile, and Knottz among others and was recorded in Los Angeles, Miami, and Virginia.

Unlike the average artist who only collaborates with the hottest artist out, Cormega likes to work with people he’s feeling, not based on sales, popularity, or who they’re down with. “For this album, I decided to do collaborations with artists who are either close friends or artists who I respect.” On “Let It Go,” featuring MOP, Cormega explains, “I always wanted to do a song with MOP because they’re real. We talked about doing something together when I recorded The Realness in 2001, so when we had a chance to get into the studio, this time we made it happen” On “Deep Blue C” featuring Kurupt and Jayo Felony , Cormega offers, “Kurupt and Jayo Felony are two west coast MCs who I respect, so I went out to Los Angeles to record with them.” On the song, Cormega experiments with a completely different sound. “This year I’m coming with a lot of projects, so versatility is important or else my fans will get bored with all the music we have coming out. Plus Jayo Felony kinda flips his flow and he got me hyped, so I flipped mine.”

Several producers featured on Legal Hustle have been featured on Cormega’s previous album including Ayatollah and Emile, but others make their Legal Hustle debut including Bear One, Robert Rieves, super-producer Knottz who features his group, DMP, and Queens producer AX , who provided the beats for the majority of the compilation. “AX is from Queens and he’s hot, but overlooked, so I had a lot of good beats to select from. Knottz has worked with some of the hottest artist in the industry and his beats are crazy, so I went to VA to record with him.”

Doña, Legal Hustle first signee is highlighted on at least six songs on the Legal Hustle album. “Doña is incredible!!! I can’t even explain how she rhymes. She’s the only artist – male or female - I’ve collaborated with that has made me go back and rewrite my verse after hearing theirs. When you hear her, you’re gonna be curious to see how she looks because she sounds like she’s real gutter and ugly,” Cormega explains. Doña’s album, My Brother’s Keeper , will drop late 2004.

Following the Legal Hustle album, Cormega will release his third solo album, Urban Legend , Dona’s solo album, and a DVD featuring behind the scenes footage. The DVD will also include never before seen exclusive music videos from The Realness and The True Meaning including “The Come Up” featuring Large Professor, “Built For This,” “Get Out My Way” and “RU My Nigga.”

Be  sure to join the over 300,000 Industry Heads that have signed up to our exclusive mailing list!!  Click here to join and receive exclusive interviews only available to members. Leave contact info ( name & email address) at info@thaformula.com and we will contact you to confirm your membership.