NEWSLETTER

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Everything was so simple back in 1993. All Nas had to do was shout out Cormega on his classic “One Love” and the incarcerated rapper got signed by Def Jam the minute he came back to NY.

Then Cormega didn’t pay his membership fees and Nas changed his mind. Cormega was abruptly excluded from Nas’ supergroup The Firm and the highly anticipated debut never saw the light of day. This is nothing new for Cormega. The Queensbridge rapper’s career has been nothing but obstacles and conflicts since before it began.

Even now, during this vicious lyrical battle with all the East Coast top dogs, Cormega is getting shit on. While Prodigy, Nas and Jadakiss take turns dissing Jay-Z, Nas is in there throwing darts at the one whose career he helped launch. Meanwhile, Core’ is only trying to promote The Realness, his first independently released LP. Can he live?

The public became aware of you when you were still up North doing time. What was the cause of that run-in with the law?
I went to jail in 1992 for armed robbery in the first and second degree. But I ain’t even do the shit. The detective set me up because he wanted me off the street. He and I had developed like a personal beef ever since I beat an attempted murder charge and an assault case. When I was walking out the courtroom they was like “Come to the precinct for the identification of somebody involved in a robbery.” So I went and all along I was like “Ha!,” cuz robbery wasn’t my MO, my crew was already getting crazy paper. But the rest is history, I had to get bailed out and everything. I ended up doing three-and-a-half years.

When you were released, were you kicked out of The Firm because of a beef with Nature?
Hells no. If I would have paid my money I would have been part of the group. Bottom line. I’m so firm with my conviction that I’m willing to hang up the phone right now and reschedule this interview and do it with me to a lie detector. That whole thing between me and Nature is a smokescreen. He couldn’t have beef with me. These little tiffs that you hear about between rappers; that ain’t beef. Beef is when actual shit can happen.

I’ve always wondered: with all the emcees dissing each other right now, how come nothing ever happens to them?
Because nobody really wants that. Come on man, niggas is living good, niggas is superstars, they got nice houses, cars, a lifestyle, who wants to go to jail? Niggas can’t handle it. I’m the type of nigga that as long as I have money for commissary I’m good. I could live in jail. But a lot of these artists talk shit but they’re not ready. They see each other in the streets and don’t do nothing.

So you’re basically saying that all those rappers who beef are pussy.
I don’t respect rappers because it’s like they savages. If you look at any other art, Elvis Presley’s been dead for nearly 30 years and he’s still the king of rock n’ roll. Motherfuckin’ Bob Marley been dead for nearly 20 years and he’s still the king of reggae. Biggie and Pac only been dead for like 3 years and motherfuckers is fighting over who’s the next king! That’s savagery. And cats who’s doing it are the same ones who were down with B.I.G and Pac back then, so that’s even worse. That’s not gangsta.

BUSTA NUT
The Realness is out now on Legal Hustle/Landspeed.il?

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