Interview with Cormega
It’s on stand still at the moment. The priority is Mega Philosophy, but there are songs done for Legal Hustle 2 already. The way I’m doing stuff is… say I want you to be on Legal Hustle 2 and I send you the beat, and you knock out your verse already – that makes my job easier. There were songs being done simultaneously while I was doing this. But I do have some songs done. It’s going to be easier to finish that, so look forward to that. Craig G is going to be on there. There’s going to be a lot of Queensbridge on there. I was going to do a Queensbridge project, and then I said, you know what? I might as well throw all that shit on Legal Hustle 2. I’m waiting on a verse from The Jacka. I definitely want to put a song on there with some of the new artists that are coming out that I respect. That was one of my ideas. I have one song where it’s going to be a whole bunch of artists that you’re not going to be familiar with. So it’s like giving the new guys a chance of having their cypher. I might still do Legal Hustle 2 this year, but the main focus is Mega Philosophy. That shit needs its own space.
Are you planning videos for that project?
Definitely. Especially for the song with the minorities issues, because there’s so much shit going on in America. I’m pretty sure you heard about the kid who got killed for wearing a hoodie. Stuff like that happens all the time. The other day I was on the phone, standing near the stairs of a train station, just standing there. And a cop was like – come here. I’m like: Are you fucking serious? for what? He’s like: You’re standing near the stairs, and people have to walk around you. As the cop was talking to me, he asked if I ever had been in trouble with the law. That is irrelevant to the situation at hand. Even if I have gotten in trouble before, that has nothing to do with now. I’m a productive person now. I do good things, I do community stuff now. What I did in the past means nothing. So you’re using something that’s not even a crime as an excuse to profile me. That’s what they do a lot. That song, I want it to be really visual. I definitely want to make a video and point the finger at what’s going on.
Do you consider yourself a political rapper?
I’ve never looked at myself as a political rapper, but as of lately I’ve been more open to doing music like that. The other day I did a verse for Public Enemy’s album. If that makes the album I’ll be really happy. That’ll be a big accomplishment for me. It’s obviously a politically charged song. I do give you a political view, and a street view too. But my country is a complex country. A lot of times when you begin to speak out on things you become a target. A lot of our most prolific speakers end up dying for some reason. A part of me knows that if I go full into that, I’ll become a target. Not just because I’m talking, but because I’m credible. One thing that I have that a lot of activists don’t have is street credibility, because they know that I’ve been where they’ve been. And then I speak with intelligence, so educated people will listen to me. So when I’m able to galvanize all these people, that’s a problem. I have to be careful, or there won’t be no more me, and you’ll be like: I remember I interviewed Cormega…
Are people targeting artists like Dead Prez and Immortal Technique?
I can’t really comment on Dead Prez, but Technique told me some interesting stories. I don’t know who it was, but it was definitely scary. Stic Man from Dead Prez, for my song about Haiti. Immortal Technique sent a verse too, but he sent it late. Maybe I’ll remix that song and put it on Legal Hustle 2.
You’re a rapper that never sold the most records, but you’re often mentioned by younger artists, like with Lil B and Main Attrakionz, and a grime artist from England I interviewed said you and Tragedy Khadafi were her favourite rappers…
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