Today in Hip-Hop: Cormega Drops ‘The True Meaning’ Album

On this day, June 11, in hip-hop history...

2002: Queensbridge rapper Cormega has not had an easy rise to rap notoriety, but on June 11, 2002, the young MC got everyone's attention when he dropped his second studio album, The True Meaning.

The True Meaning was the follow-up to Cormega's 2001 debut, The Realness, an album shrouded in controversy because of diss tracks at fellow Queens MC Nas. Independently produced under Cormega's own label, Legal Hustle Records, The True Meaning showcased Mega's growth as a rhymer. With only one feature from Large Professor, Mega showed he could stand on his own separate from his conflicts with Nas and The Firm.

Singles off the album include "Built for This," "The Come Up" featuring Large Professor, and "Love In Love Out" which chronicles his beef with Nas from Mega's point of view. The True Meaning debuted at number 25 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop chart and number 95 on the Billboard 200. The album received oustanding reviews among hip-hop critics and won 2003's "Independent Album of the Year" at the Source Awards.

Since then, Mega has kept his finger on the pulse of New York hip-hop, released six more albums and collabed with the likes of Sadat X, Inspectah Deck and Gunplay.

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