A late arrival to the Queensbridge canon of classics, Cormega’s The Realness strikes a middle ground between Illmatic’s wistful nostalgia and Mobb Deep’s ice-cold aggression. Mostly produced by a cast of little known QB beat-smiths with choice contributions from Godfather Don, Havoc and Alchemist, The Realness is an exercise in good taste with Mega picking nothing but gems. Embroiled in a feud with former associate Nas at the time of recording, almost every track on the Realness features an underlying theme of betrayal and vengeance culminating on the orchestral “You Don’t Want it.” But it’s the more thoughtful moments such as the melancholic “Fallen Soldiers” and the sunny “Glory Days” that elevate the album into the top strata of Queensbridge Hip-Hop. Fun fact: the album sold over 150K on an indie, enough money to keep Cormega living large for the rest of the decade. Now THAT’s gangsta.–Sach O
Download:
MP3: Cormega-“Fallen Soldiers”
MP3: Cormega-“You Don’t Want It”
