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Cormega first burst into national consciousness in 1996 when he was featured on ?Affirmative Action? from Nas? sophomore album, It Was Written. He joined the all-star supergroup, The Firm ? originally Nas, Foxy Brown, and Cormega (later replaced by Nature). The alliance with The Firm was short-lived, but Cormega?s lyrical prowess and street credibility landed him a contract with Violator/Def Jam. He recorded a critically acclaimed album called The Testament, which although never commercially released was praised by industry insiders. Source Magazine selected four tracks for its coveted Fat Tape Section while Vibe Magazine and Ego Trip?s Book Of List named The Testament one of the best unreleased album in hip-hop history. Bootleggers, fans, and industry insiders went into overdrive everyone claiming to have The Testament, but Cormega kept the full album under wraps.

Appearances on Mobb Deep?s ?Murda Muzik,? Prodigy?s solo album ?H.N.I.C.,? Funkmaster Flex?s Vol II and a host of other underground mixtapes, strengthened Cormega?s underground following. Fans craved anything remotely close to the priceless Testament cuts that made their way via mixtapes and samplers in 1997. But the street props were not enough for Violator/Def Jam to release the highly anticipated debut album. Frustrated about being shelved by his label for 5 years, Cormega requested a release from his contract from then Def Jam President Kevin Liles. ?I never got dropped from Def Jam, I went to them and asked to be released because they had me on the shelf for nearly five years with no intention of releasing my album,? he explains. After several setbacks, Cormega was finally released from the deal.

In 2000, he started his own label, Legal Hustle Records, he says out of necessity, ?At the time, I was blacklisted in the industry. The powers that be were trying to stop me from releasing my music, so I had no choice but to put out my own music.? The decision was made out of frustration, but resulted in several critically acclaimed albums. The Realness (2001) sold over 130,000 copies in just a few short months, an extraordinary accomplishment for an independent release with little radio airplay or video promotion. The True Meaning (2002) won Cormega two awards, the 2003 Source Award for Independent Album of the Year and The Underground Music?s Impact Award for making the most impact as an independent artist. A collaborative album followed Cormega Presents Legal Hustle (2004) featuring guest appearances from MOP, Ghostface, AZ, Kurupt, Jayo Felony, Large Professor, reggae artists Vybz Kartel and Unda P. For those new to his music Cormega dropped Special Edition (2004) a limited edition double CD reissue of his first two albums The Realness and The True Meaning. The retrospective included 7 bonus tracks and a 15 minute trailer of his upcoming DVD, Who Am I.

The Testament is a return to the beginning, but for fans of Cormega, it?s yet another testament of his staying power. Through the ups and downs of his career, Cormega has taught us all that there?s a difference between following the trends and recording classic, timeless hip-hop that?s still relevant.