Cormega facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cormega
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Cormega in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Corey McKay |
| Born | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Queens, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | East Coast hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1989–present |
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Corey McKay, known by his stage name Cormega, is an American rapper. He is famous for his powerful lyrics and storytelling in hip hop music.
Contents
Early Life and Friends
Cormega was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Queens, New York. As a child, he was friends with other future successful rappers like Nas, Havoc, and Capone.
Music Career
Starting Out in the 1990s
Cormega began his music journey by appearing on songs by other artists. He was featured on Hot Day's "Going Straight Up" and Blaq Poet and DJ Hot Day's "Set It Off" in the early 1990s.
After spending some time in jail, Cormega gained attention when his friend Nas mentioned him in the song "One Love" from the album Illmatic in 1994. This shout-out helped people notice his talent.
When he was released in 1995, Cormega was determined to become a rapper. Nas included him on a song called "Affirmative Action" on his album It Was Written in 1996. This song also featured AZ and Foxy Brown. It was the first time this group of artists, who would later be known as The Firm, appeared together.
Cormega signed with Def Jam and started working on his first album, The Testament. However, things changed when Nas and his manager decided to replace Cormega in The Firm with another artist named Nature. This led to a disagreement between Cormega and Nas. His first album, The Testament, was then put on hold for a long time.
Building His Own Path in the 2000s
In 2000, Cormega was able to leave his record contract. He decided to start his own music company called Legal Hustle Records. He released his first official album, The Realness, in 2001. Many songs on this album talked about feelings of being let down.
Nas responded to Cormega in his song "Destroy and Rebuild." Cormega then released more songs like "A Slick Response" and "Realmatic" to share his side of the story.
Cormega's next album, The True Meaning, was very successful. It won the 'Underground Album of the Year' award from Source Magazine. In 2004, he released Legal Hustle, which was a collection of songs featuring artists from his own record label. In 2005, he finally released The Testament on his own label, after it had been delayed for years.
In 2006, Cormega and Nas performed together at a concert. This showed that their past disagreements were over.
Cormega also released a collaboration album with Lakey the Kid called My Brother's Keeper in 2006. In 2007, he released a DVD called Who Am I?. This DVD showed many parts of Cormega's life and what others thought of him. His album Born and Raised came out in 2009.
Recent Years: 2010s and 2020s
In the 2010s, Cormega continued to release new music. His album Mega Philosophy (2014) was produced entirely by his friend Large Professor. In 2018, he released his first shorter album, an EP called MEGA.
In 2020, Cormega joined Nas and other members of The Firm again on Nas's album King's Disease. In 2022, Cormega released The Realness II, which was a follow-up to his first album from 2001. This new album received great reviews from fans and critics.
Albums
- The Realness (2001)
- The True Meaning (2002)
- The Testament (2005)
- Born and Raised (2009)
- Mega Philosophy (2014)
- The Realness II (2022)
Film
- Who Am I? (2007)
See also
In Spanish: Cormega para niños
