"You have to understand that this
DVD depicts my life from 2001 to 2005 and during that time me and
Nas wasn't cool. You've got to understand like a lot of people, they
want the truth until they get it. You understand? When they get the
truth, then they don't want the truth. So when he put that on the
trailer I wasn't mad at all because its not like 50 Cent is lying.
Like who am I for 50 Cent to lie about? So I'm glad 50 Cent said
that because he came clean. People don't understand. Like I told you
before behind the scenes, me and Nas had a lot of differences and it
was more then what people thought. That's why I love this DVD
because it explains so much."
thaFormula.com
- In your eyes how much has changed since you last put out an
album and what has changed?
Cormega -
A lot. A lot of labels have folded, independent and major and I
learned so much as far as the business aspect. I know how to
carry myself a different way business wise and I've just seen
the difference between the music man. I've seen the East Coast
decline.
thaFormula.com
- What mistakes do you think you have made business wise that
you won't make again?
Cormega -
Being loyal to somebody I should have never been loyal to and
being loyal to a person who has no loyalty. Somebody that works
at a record company and I was doing business with for years that
I should have never done business with because he is a piece of
shit at the end of the day and I tried to build something with
him, but he ain't worth it. No matter how you dress a piece of
shit up, it's a piece of shit.
thaFormula.com
- If somebody was trying to get into the independent game today
is it even worth it in your eyes?
Cormega -
If you were trying to get in the independent game, I can't tell
a muthafucka "don't get in the independent game"
because if you don't get in the independent game, you might as
well get a job because its hard to get on a major and majors
don't know what the fuck they are doing right now. If you look
at the majors right now, they are more focused on singles and
ring tone hits than they are albums with substance. So if
someone is gonna go Indy, my advice to them would be make sure
your paperwork is right and make sure you got the right lawyer,
because some lawyers don't give a fuck. All they wanna do is get
you a deal so they could get they cut. You've got to make sure
that you have a lawyer that's looking out for your best
interest.
thaFormula.com
- In your eyes who is the first person they should be hiring
when getting ready for record deals, etc.?
Cormega -
You got to get all of the above. You've got to have a good
manager and a good lawyer and you've got to be on top of your
business. You can't think ignorantly. You can't think how they
programmed you to think. You can't think about rims, jewelry or
that other shit. You have to think of the big picture because at
the end of the day you know who makes the most money off of rap?
Old, old white men (Laughs) who don't even listen to the music.
So you have to try to think like them. Like they are not
thinking about rims, they are not thinking about chains. They
will buy a fucking rim company and let you go crazy and spend
all your money on rims and they will buy a jewelry company while
you go crazy. You have to think investment wise and stuff like
that.
thaFormula.com
- When we first hooked up for our first interview with you about
6 years ago, the independent scene and Hip-Hop was kind of
similar to what it has turned into now?
Cormega -
Yeah the independent game back then especially in the East Coast
uh, nobody was Indy really.
thaFormula.com
- Right, and then the Indy explosion happened and kind of dried
up and here we are now in 2007 and...
Cormega -
Everybody is going Indy.
thaFormula.com
- Yeah, I feel like we are starting all over again sitting here
doing this interview…
Cormega -
I think the independent game is thriving right now, it's just
that certain artists ain't the ones benefiting from it. Like if
you put out an Independent album, you have to understand that if
you are getting the right cut, you are gonna make money. You
could sell 10,000 records independently and live comfortably. If
you can sell 10,000 and not have a lot of overhead, you can make
damn near as much as some doctors. You can sell 20,000 records
and not have a lot of overhead and definitely live comfortable.
Anything between 20,000 and 50,000 independently, if you don't
spend a lot of overhead and you are getting a good cut, you are
good.
thaFormula.com
- Are you happy with what you have done and where you are at
right now?
Cormega -
I could never live the way I wanna live because I have such high
expectations and I want so much more. It ain't about me right
now, it's about my daughter. I done lived already. Like in
between the time that I put out albums, I done did it. I done
had everything I always wanted, but everything I always wanted
was foolish. I was chasing a cultural illusion. I wanted a
Rolex, I wanted cars, etc., and stuff like that doesn't define
me as a person or as a man. I had cars, jewelry and all that
shit but there was other things that I want. Right now it's not
about me. Right now it's about how can I make my daughters life
incredible or how can I be the best father that I can be or how
can I be the best artist that I can be because I'm never
satisfied. Satisfaction is for the content person. I'm not
content. I think me not being content is what keeps me driven.
Like I can go in the booth and say a rhyme and be like "nah
I want to do it over" and people will look at me like I'm
crazy. But they don't understand, I'm trying to do better then
what I have done previously or I'm trying to make sure its
perfect. So it's like I could say I'm living good or I could say
life is alright for me but there is other things that I want. I
am happy though with what I have been able to provide for my
family because when I look at my daughter, I envy my daughter. I
wanted my daughter's life to be better then mine and since she
was born, her life was better then mine. My daughter left the
hospital in a BMW and she's got her own room, a DVD player and
X-Box when she was 1. She's got everything she needs. She's got
toys, goes to school and is provided for. But at the same time,
that's just superficial stuff, it's like what more can I do? I
want her to love me and know me for more then just giving her
stuff like this. I also want her to understand that it's a
blessing for her to have these things. Every child doesn't have
this.
thaFormula.com
- When you had your daughter and now it's all about your family,
do you start to question some of the people around you as far as
motives and things like that?
Cormega -
I always question those people around me and their motives. To
be honest I don't even fuck with a lot of people that I used to
fuck with. I might be cool with them, there is no beef or
nothing, but I just don't have certain people in my circle
everyday because the way I rate people is that everybody is
gonna have bad and everybody is gonna have good, but if your bad
outweighs your good, then I don't need to be fucking with you.
So I don't fuck with niggas like that and I don't fuck with
niggas who call me every time they need something, but other
then that they don't call you. Like me being an artist and me
being a street person, I see life different. A lot of people
that fuck with me are situated. Everybody I fuck with is self
sufficient so it's like I don't really have anybody in my circle
that can't generate for themselves.
thaFormula.com
- Looking back at the Lake and Cormega album you dropped a while
back, was it all good or do you have any regrets about that
project seeing as how it seemed like you put that out there with
Lake on some homie love type shit?
Cormega -
To be honest with you, I don't know. In some ways I do regret
that I did it because at the end of the day I want to know like,
who would do that for me?
thaFormula.com
- Did everything turn out cool with that project?
Cormega -
I don't even know man to be honest with you. I don't know and I
really haven't even spoken to Lake recently honestly. When that
album was turned in, I felt that the album shouldn't have been
turned in. That's all I could say and I know because this is
what I do. You know me, I've been putting out Indy albums for
years. So I just feel that the album should not have been turned
in when it was turned in.
thaFormula.com
- Now you were originally dropping the "Legal Hustle
2" soundtrack, but you decided to drop the DVD "Who Am
I" on October 23rd, instead. What made you do that?
Cormega -
Because at the end of the day my fans wanted the DVD more and
because the person I was doing the mix tape with has a problem
with saying a straight sentence. I put in enough work in this
game to earn my respect amongst my peers and amongst labels
etc., so the "Legal Hustle" album was all about money
so when I didn't see the money there, I fell back from it. There
is no need for me to do it. If it's not about money, I'm not
doing it. It wasn't a project that was on my label. It would
have been a project that was going through somebody else's label
via some other label. So that was something I was doing just for
money and at the end of the day I had to ask myself, why am I
doing that? It's like I'm being a ho if I do something just for
money because for my fans "Legal Hustle 2" is not what
they've been requesting all these years and that's not what
they're waiting for. I mean they was appreciating the songs that
I leaked, but the "Who Am I" DVD had way more
anticipation than that and at the end of the day, I'm not gonna
be no ho nigga. I got to much dignity and respect for myself to
just do something for money especially if the money ain't even
there.
thaFormula.com
- Do you think the Major labels and the Independent labels are
pretty much run the same way nowadays?
Cormega -
I don't know. A lot of independent companies are folding. There
is not even a lot of Independent companies left if you think
about it. If you understand the mechanics of the business, a lot
of these little labels are all part of the same chain. A lot of
them are either a part of Caroline, Navarre, or they are a part
of Koch and Navarre was recently bought out by Koch. So at the
end of the day, there is not too many options on the Independent
tip. There are other smaller companies, but even some of the
branded names that are established names are part of those 3
names that I just mentioned.
thaFormula.com
- So with that being the case, how did you approach setting up
your situation for your DVD and your upcoming solo album?
Cormega -
Right now, I'm not even gonna lie, I'm blessed right now. I
think I might have the best situation that I have ever had in my
life right now. I'm calling the shots. It's not Legal
Hustle/such and such company. It's Legal Hustle Music Group
point blank, that's it. I control my music. I O.K. everything.
There is no funny business with the money because I got to
approve it and I have to oversee it. Everything that I want done
right now is done the way I want it so this is the best
situation I ever had. It's not based on me putting my trust in
somebody's hand. I got my own distribution deal for Legal
Hustle. Everything from now on will be Legal Hustle Music Group.
thaFormula.com
- With that said, let's get into the DVD. How much if anything
has changed over the past couple of years with the DVD?
Cormega -
The only thing that has changed is time. We filmed between 2001
and 2005. We were supposed to come out with this DVD actually
around 2005 but you know we had delays and also it was about me
securing the right deal for it and treating the project like a
big project and not just a DVD that's thrown out in the streets
like you know them rappers do. The DVD isn't gonna be me jumping
around with a gun in my hand talking about how tough I am and
all that bullshit. This DVD is basically chronicling my life
between 2001 and 2004. You are gonna see other sides of me.
There is unreleased videos, show footage, and there is me joking
around. I have a sense of humor, but the average person doesn't
know that because they think every rapper that is in the street
is a tough guy or wanna be tough guy. I'm secure with myself.
You're gonna see me on there joking with my friends and things
like that that regular people do. There is interviews that are
done with my peers and friends who grew up with me and I'm not
around while they are interviewing these people because I want
people to speak freely. Even if you say something negative, I'm
gonna keep it on there because that's how you feel. Now one of
things that I learned about myself is that everybody that they
interview, 95 percent of the people all say "Mega is a good
person." Like, "he has a good heart" so that had
me flattered that people think that about me. Its like publicist
was saying how Cormega does good things, but the media never
talks about the things that he does, they just focus on the
bullshit. Jackie (Cormega's Publicist) stressed the fact that I
did The Great Adventures thing (Cormega took the whole
neighborhood in Queensbridge to Great Adventures). I could have
had a camera crew for Great Adventures or I could have promoted
it, but I didn't. I did that from the heart and I didn't feel
the need to have cameras that day and there was none. They also
don't see when I go visit Goldwater Hospital and I go visit
people that's paralyzed or that's in wheelchairs etc., because
85 percent of people between the age of 14 & 35 that's
Latino or Black and is in a wheelchair or paralyzed are there
from gun shot wounds. So there are scenes on there where I am
visiting people in the hospital. It's showing other sides of me
so it's not the typical promotion CD. It's just me. That's what
it is, "Who am I." Its like a question I ask myself,
"Who am I?" Am I a street dude? Am I a father? It's
like what I am. Its like everyman in existence has to ask
himself that question.
thaFormula.com
- What videos can people see on the DVD?
Cormega -
I got a video for "Are U My Ni**a"," I got a
video for "Get Out My Way," "The True
Meaning," "Live Ya Life," "Built For
This" and there might be a couple of other joints in there.
It's gonna be real special man.
thaFormula.com
- Will there be any studio footage of you working on the new
album?
Cormega -
There might be a scene of me working on the new album. There is
a scene of me and PMD working on that song "Fresh"
that is so dope. I was thinking about using it or I was thinking
about saving it for my album and doing like a trailer before the
actual album comes out. But we will figure it out.
thaFormula.com
- Will there be any snippets from your new album on the DVD?
Cormega -
I don't know. That's something I have to think about and haven't
really considered. See me, I don't want to release no snippets
until I have a real firm clue of when I'ma put out my album
after this because one of the problems with being independent is
a lot of producers that work with the majors, this is where they
get their energy from, this is where they get their ideas from.
They bite from independent artists then they will sell that shit
to somebody big and that makes us look stupid like we are biting
or it takes away steam from our shit. The music I got on my new
shit, I don't even wanna give niggas a snippet because somebody
might jack it and I'm gonna be mad. My album is really serious
and I'm not trying to give nobody no ideas. If you don't have no
ideas, you need to pay me for consultation and I will help you
with your album but to think I'm just gonna leak my shit to
where you can just bite my shit I worked all these years on,
hell no!
thaFormula.com
- Now we never got to sit and talk about your reunion
performance ("Affirmative Action" ) with Nas and Foxy
Brown recently. Let's go back to that moment as far as how it
felt, came together and did you wish AZ was there to make the
whole "The Firm" reunion performance complete?
Cormega -
I definitely wish AZ would have been there because that would
have been the whole cipha from that. The feeling was powerful
because I never felt nothing like that ever from a crowd. There
was literally people that said that shit brought tears to their
eyes. People hit me on the Internet and told me they had
goosebumps. That was like some crazy shit, like Nas was even
overwhelmed. Like we all were overwhelmed by it. I was nervous
because it was a Nas show. It's not like it was promoted like
"Cormega is performing." But a lot of Nas fans like me
also it's just that a lot of them was confused during the beef.
But that day I didn't know what was gonna happen. As far as I'm
concerned, I could have came out and muthafuckas could have just
booed or been like "get the fuck out of here." When I
came out muthafuckas was screaming. Like I heard grown men
screaming. It was some powerful shit put it like that.
thaFormula.com
- After the performance did you guys talk about it at all or was
that just one of those "it happened and that's it"
situations?
Cormega -
Nah, we talked about it afterwards. Like I said it surprised all
of us. Nas was fucked, like "wow." Everybody was,
L.E.S., everybody was like "yo that shit was crazy."
To me that shit was crazier then when Nas came out at Jay-Z's
show.
thaFormula.com
- What was the main thing that made both of you guys forgive and
forget the past?
Cormega -
People need to understand that me and Nas have history. Me and
Nas spoke like a year before that. Like he called me one day out
of the blue and he said what he had to say and we both said a
lot of things and you know it was just time for that shit to
end. Like me and Nas grew up together. I'm not one of them
niggas that just jumped on Nas bandwagon when he made a record.
Like if Nas would have not made a record and not blew up, I
would have still been his friend. All these other niggas that's
around them can't really say that and he knows that. When Nas
was just on the block, a regular nigga, I was his friend.
Whether it was good days or bad days or we argued then or
whatever, I was his friend. When you become a musician and you
start seeing everybody come around you that just wants something
and has their ulterior motives. You know who is real and who is
from the heart. At the end of the day, I never asked Nas for
shit. I'm not one of those niggas that depended on him
financially, I never asked him to give me a deal, I never asked
him to do shit. At the end of the day, any man is gonna respect
that.
thaFormula.com
- So have you guys talked since about doing anything together or
any Firm reunion tracks or album?
Cormega -
I mean we talked about doing shit, but right now my main focus
is me. I haven't put out an album in years. I got to do a
Cormega album, make my own noise before I do anything. Because
at the end of the day Nas is the star of The Firm regardless. If
they do a Firm album, Nas is the star. It's not about egos and
shit. You got to understand your position, like Nas is the star
and that's just point blank. I don't want to just be a nigga
that's just trying to shine under the light of that star. I want
to bring something to the table. I know people want a Cormega
and Nas record. I know it, he knows it, and everybody knows it.
So that's something that has a likelihood of happening. But I
want to put out my music and do my shit and then we can do
whatever we wanna do. I don't just wanna be like "alright
I'm cool with Nas again and Ill just jump on his bandwagon and
try to use him to get me high," I don't want to be one of
those dudes.
thaFormula.com
- What about the chances of an original Firm album or
track?
Cormega -
Like I told AZ one day, I'm like "yo B, there was a Firm
album and I wasn't on it." As strong as everybody is with
this Mega and the Firm shit, I think the same way everybody is
affiliating me with the Firm now, I think muthafuckas should
have been more opinionated about me being in the Firm when the
Firm album was being made. That's my whole thing. What I'm
saying is, what if that Firm album would have blew up and did 10
million or something? Then nobody would even be asking about
Mega.
thaFormula.com
- Now that trailer you put out recently for the "Who Am
I" DVD dropping October 23rd has a clip with 50 Cent
speaking on what Nas tried to do to you back then. Why would you
put that on the trailer like that now that things are cool?
Cormega -
I didn't have nothing to do with trailer. That's a Jordan Tower
question. I mean I guess he did it because controversy sells.
thaFormula.com
- Did it kind of bug you a little seeing that you and Nas are
cool now?
Cormega -
Nah it didn't bug me because you have to understand that this
DVD depicts my life from 2001 to 2005 and during that time me
and Nas wasn't cool. You've got to understand like a lot of
people, they want the truth until they get it. You understand?
When they get the truth, then they don't want the truth. So when
he put that on the trailer I wasn't mad at all because its not
like 50 Cent is lying. Like who am I for 50 Cent to lie about?
So I'm glad 50 Cent said that because he came clean. People
don't understand. Like I told you before behind the scenes, me
and Nas had a lot of differences and it was more then what
people thought. That's why I love this DVD because it explains
so much. When you see this DVD it's gonna explain a lot of shit,
but the beautiful thing about it all is that that was the past.
Maybe there will be a "Who Am I" Part 2 and then you
will see what happened after that and see the reconciliation
with Nas or shit like that. Or what's the new plan for Mega or
what's next for me. But from 2001 to 2005 you're gonna get
everything that's a part of my life. You're gonna see my friends
who are on there, you are gonna see people dead. Not literally
dead like you not gonna see the bodies, but you gonna see like
the funerals. It's real. Like from 2001 to 2003 there is one of
my friends who is on the DVD a lot and then after that he gets
killed by the police. That's on there and then we got footage of
when the police was about to fuck us up and the only reason they
didn't fuck us up is because we had a film guy there and he
happened to be white and they didn't know who he was. We knew
they was gonna fuck us up because police don't come with shields
and helmets and batons just for nothing. So I'm telling you that
there has never been a DVD like this, I guarantee you that. And
you are getting a soundtrack with it and it's all for the same
price of one CD.
thaFormula.com
- People also seem to love your chemistry with Prodigy and
Havoc. What's the deal with you and P nowadays?
Cormega -
I mean I don't have no beef with P. I ain't speak to P in a
while but you know I would love to do something with P. It's
nothing like that, it's all about what do you want to do.
Everybody knows me. This is what we do, we rap man. At the end
of the day, rappers disappoint the fans and they take away from
themselves by not doing what they do. What we do is make music.
So it's like I understand that me and Mobb Deep make incredible
songs but do they understand that? I spoke to Havoc last week.
thaFormula.com
- Sometimes it can get upsetting because when you guys do end up
getting in the studio again, it might be at a time when nobody
cares anymore. It's like Marley and KRS-1 recording an album
together 10 years too late. It was like nobody really cared when
that dropped because it was just the wrong time…
Cormega -
Exactly, that's what I'm saying. A lot of people do things for
the wrong reason. Like you know a lot of artists when they make
their reunion albums or "get back together" albums,
they do it when they are no longer relevant or for financial
reasons. Like "The Firm" album, like let's be
realistic. Niggas in the Firm because I been around everybody
from the Firm, everybody is talking about money. Like I don't
know who is saying "let's do a Firm album because this is
the way it should have been done so we can make a dope album and
leave our stamp and gain our spot back." The only person
that has talked like that so far is Nas. AZ is like
"whatever." He is with it, but other people it's like
the first thing they think about is cake like, "oh we are
about to get cake." That's a quote. It ain't about no
"oh we are about to make some incredible music" or
"yo we are about to restore our place." I don't want
to do something just for the money because that's where that
being a ho shit comes in again. So it's like I don't want to
make a fool out of myself for bread. Because at the end of the
day you are still a fool. When I do something I want it to be
dope. Every song I make, I want it to be dope. It could be a
nigga that's not even known but I will try and give him the best
verse I can give him. So it's like whatever you do son it's got
to be right. That goes from The Firm, Mobb Deep, everybody. It's
just got to be right when everybody does shit.
thaFormula.com
- Now let's talk about the soundtrack that you are dropping with
the DVD. What's the deal with that?
Cormega -
I took some of the people that are on the actual DVD and I got
songs from them. Like I got a Tragedy record, Jacka, and a Style
P record on there. I got the record I just did with Dwele
"Sleep Well" and a lot of other shit on there. Right
now we are doing the DVD and I also got an instrumental record
called "Got Beats" coming out October 9th. For all the
people that just like to rhyme over instrumentals and stuff like
that, I got tracks from like DJ Premier, Emile, Alchemist, Ski,
and J Garfield. I'm just trying to put out some music for people
that just want tracks because sometimes people hit me and talk
about they want tracks so I'm gonna do a "Got Beats"
every season. So you got the "Got Beats," the
"Who Am I" DVD with the soundtrack, and you got the
Cormega solo album. I got a lot of projects lined up.
thaFormula.com
- So now that you've got your label stuff straight, releases
ready, etc. , are you a little nervous because it's been so long
since you last dropped a solo album? Do you ever think that
maybe the industry has changed so much that maybe some of the
fans have moved on or maybe some of the kids have moved on to
other things?
Cormega -
Honestly yeah sometimes I do. It's funny that you say that
because a lot of people be like "yo mega you have die hard
loyal fans." And I say "well we will definitely see
because you know I invested a lot of money in these projects so
hopefully I will see." I know the fans fluctuate, but you
know one thing I notice. I don't make music for kids. It's like
some of the songs I say you could keep with you for 10 or 15
years like "R U My Ni**a." "Live Ya Life,"
or some of the songs where I just give you jewels about life. I
think that if you was in High School and now you're in College,
you could still listen to my music because it applies to you. I
just hope for the best. But I also look at other artists such as
Prodigy. Like he recently put out that 'Return of the Mac"
and it did real good. I know the Common just came out and he had
the number one album. I noticed that when Nas made "Hip-Hop
Is Dead" it did real good initially. So I'm starting to see
that there is a pattern. It's like people want what they want. I
think if I give the fans what I've been giving them, they will
be there. I hope so. If they not then that's something else I'm
gonna have to learn to deal with. Like my next solo album, I
invested a lot in it and I'm not just talking money wise. I'm
talking about mentally and energy wise. If I feel like the love
ain't reciprocated, then I'm gonna have to consider other means
of doing things. Maybe it's time for me to just do other things.
I mean I'm gonna do other things regardless, but its like if you
give so much and you get so little back, what are you doing it
for? What people don't understand is that by the time my record
comes out, there is gonna be so many dope records on it. I'm
willing to put my credibility on the line on my next solo album.
I'm telling you this is gonna be my best solo album. Put it this
way, you know how every rapper say that their new album is their
best album, I'm telling you my new album is gonna be my best
album. Like this is my third solo album and my third solo album
is so good that I don't even know what I'm gonna do for a fourth
solo album. I got some songs in mind but I don't even know yet.
I would really have to surpass the third album in order to make
a fourth album.
thaFormula.com
- It's been almost 5 years since your last solo album. How much
of that time has been spent working on this new album? Would you
say all these years have been spent on this album or have you
been sitting on this album for a while now?
Cormega -
It depends because I got a song that I just mixed that I just
put together like two weeks ago. Alright my first album
"The Realness" had two guest appearances, one was
Tragedy and the other one was Mobb Deep. So the other day, I
said I'm gonna give people "The Realness" all in one
song because I'm not gonna have a bunch of features on my album.
Because I got the song "Fresh" and I just did that
song the other day with me, Tragedy and Havoc so it's like
alright, you got "The Realness" features right here on
this one record. The song is dope and then you got the song
"Fresh" and that's my most proud guest appearance
record because it has KRS-1, Big Daddy Kane, Grand Puba, and PMD
and all those artists that I look up to and respect.
thaFormula.com
- Personally, that is one of the best KRS-One verses I have
heard him spit in years...
Cormega -
Yeah, I take it as a compliment sometimes and it's like Red
Alert is on it now. When you heard it Red Alert wasn't on it. So
certain times delays can benefit you because you get things you
didn't have before. Like I didn't have a Pete Rock beat before.
thaFormula.com
- Havoc recently said some comments about the South in an
interview, in your mind, what is your view on what he had to
say?
Cormega -
I mean I'm not gonna say nothing that's gonna put my foot in my
mouth. I don't got no problem with no coasts. I don't know what
Havoc said so I can't really comment on it. Only thing I can say
is, the South, East and West, everybody is different cultures.
Like the way you all talk out in Cali and the way you dress and
live and the way we talk, dress and live are all supportive of
our way of rhyming. So it's different. So I can't criticize the
South because I'm not from the South. If you go down South and
you get exposed to their culture then you will understand what
they are doing. So I can't knock them because at the end of the
day, listen because this is one thing I say, when you think of
BMF like everybody was on their dick because they getting money
and they are doing their thing. So if you could respect niggas
from the street that's getting their money and doing their
thing, why you can't respect another rapper that's getting his
money and doing his thing? It's the same thing. We are people
that came from nothing, we are minorities and we're getting
money and that's the bottom line. So I can't knock nobody for
getting their bread. It's just that we're different. I'm a MC,
I'm not a rapper so I can't speak on rappers because I'm not a
rapper. I can't say "rappers suck" or this and that
because what they do doesn't apply to me so I can't diss them. I
used to be like that but I learned from that now that I've been
to so many places, like I been to Atlanta and I stayed out there
for weeks and weeks at a time. So I can't criticize nobody
because everybody is poor and trying to do their thing. I'd
rather see a minority getting his money, then him doing a crime,
so fuck it.
thaFormula.com
- People talk a lot about the Black and White fans supporting
Hip-Hop but never really mention the support the Latin community
has given to hip hop over the years. How much of an impact do
you think they have had on Hip-Hop?
Cormega -
To be honest the Latin community doesn't get the respect they
deserve. I can't say out in California because I'm not out there
and I don't know. Like from what I understand Psycho Realm is
doing their thing crazy right now out there, but I wouldn't know
because I'm on the East Coast and they don't play that over
here. But from what I understand is that Latinos have always
contributed to Hip-Hop. They haven't gotten the credit they
deserve. From day one there has always been Latinos in Hip-Hop.
It's just some of them are dark and you might not know they are
Latino. Like AZ is half Dominican and Big Pun when he died,
people didn't really speak about it like they spoke about it
when Biggie died or someone else died when Pun was just as good
as anybody. Yo, Latinos and women are two of the most overlooked
things in Hip-Hop who have been some of the biggest contributors
since day 1. If you really study demographics and stuff like
that, anybody that has any common sense knows that the Latino
population is the fastest growing population in the country so
if the population is growing they have to be contributing to the
culture because they listen to it. But everybody has their day
in the sun.
thaFormula.com
- So close it out with when is the DVD is dropping Mega?
Cormega -
The release date is October 23rd man, go buy that, In fact go
buy two.
Performing Live
In Los Angeles @5pm Sharp "Straight Outta Queensbridge" Cormega Backed
On The Turntables By DJ FM Of Sick Symphonies Sounds Provided By: DJ Lord
Ron...
Plus: Live Graffiti By EZRA & More
TBA, Cookout (Caribbean Food), A Sneak Preview Of Cormega's Upcoming DVD
"Who Am I" & More... When: Saturday September 22nd, 2007 Time: 4pm-8pm
Where:
33third L.A. 5111 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles 90013 Info: (310) 694-3460
Cost: $10 NO TICKETS SOLD
AFTER 4PM DAY OF EVENT!!!
sports
features
Nick Diaz.
They might win but that's gonna be a whole fight...
.....................................
Quinton Jackson.
I don't care about what Chuck is gonna do or how he...
.....................................
Dan Henderson.
That fight was probably an example of how the sport...
music
features
DJ FM Of Psycho
Realm.
It's a game of politics with this music, but what can you do...
.....................................
Devin The Dude.
I am really true to it & I try to do the best that I
can...
.....................................
Bishop Lamont.
There
are many more brothas like me, but they never get heard...