Cormega - Legal Huslte, Vol. 1

Friday, 25 June 2004 19:00

Starting an independent record label is a risky venture, but Queensbridge emcee Cormega knows all about the downsides of being signed to a major label. His record deal with Def Jam, the one that was supposed to bring Cory McKay fame and fortune, ended up in a nightmare for the aspiring rapper who made his debut in 1996 on the posse track Affirmative Action with Nas, AZ and Foxy Brown. After his debut The Testament was forever shelved by Def Jam, Cormega left the world of major labels and began his own imprint, appropriately named Legal Hustle Records.

	Record Author(s): Cormega
	Record Title: Legal Hustle, Vol. 1
	Record Producer(s): n/a
	Executive Producer(s): n/a
	Release Date: May 25, 2004

Legal Hustle Vol. 1 isn't really a solo Cormega release, but rather a compilation highlighting what his label has to offer. Originally planned to be a mixtape, it showcases the skills of some of the new artists Cormega has been working with both behind the boards and in the booth. Unfortunately, while Cormega is a great artist himself, his ear for talent may not be as sharp as his skills on the mic.

The problems begin on the album's Intro. Epic violins and lush saxophones set a wonderful atmosphere for Cormega's rhymes, and thoughts of a possible classic introduction immediately come to mind. Cormega's cadence has improved since his last record: now his flow is beginning to properly reinforce his vivid street poetry. Unfortunately, barely a minute into the track, abrupt sound of gunshuts signal the end of Cormega's sweet reminiscence and Dona, the first artist signed to his label, begins to flow about ghetto hardships with the skill of a manlier sounding Foxy Brown. No, that's not a good thing. Dona raps like a hardcore Mafioso figure would, and it's very tiresome.

Not only does Dona ruin what could have been a fantastic intro, but she plagues the rest of the album with her presence as well. She tries too hard on The Bond, which aims to be an ode to loyalty and survival. The production is horribly un-cinematic and fails at conjuring the feel of a gangster flick. Four more of the album's seventeen tracks suffer from the "Dona Syndrome". Even though Personified has some nice production and vintage Cormega flows, Dona shows up and FF button gets a healthy workout.

The best moments on Legal Hustle Vol. 1 come when the focus shifts back to Cormega, the real star of the compilation. Familiar piano keys accent Cormega's passionate lyricism on the self-produced Beautiful Mind, one of only three solo Cormega tracks on the compilation. Mega's strengths have always been his poetic nature and his ablility to paint a vivid picture in the mind of the listener, and he's only improving his craftsmanship as time goes on:

For years we ran the projects like a marathon, it's catastrophic
My time, depth of pride, became my own conquest
Subsequently, some are with me
Others ain't, yet the gutter's within me
I wish for nothin' except that my mother was with me
Some place judgment against me based on nothin but envy
They pray for My Downfall like the song by Biggie
Born in the city which never sleeps, 'till rest in peace
It's carved in stone, some starved while others bled to eat
Rap is my legacy, I leave my seed, my destiny
Except I hope she never sees the treachery success can bring

There are a lot of guests on this project, some of which are very talented. The ever-consistent Ghostface Killah exhibits excellent chemistry with Cormega on Tony/Montana. Large Professor should remain a staple guest on Cormega records

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