The True Meaning picks up where Cormega's stellar debut, The Realness (2001), left off, showcasing earnest, heartfelt, and sometimes sharp-edged rhymes over gritty street-level beats.
"Love in Love Out" -- where Cormega answers Nas' "Destroy & Rebuild" over a crackling sample of the beat from Isaac Hayes' "Your Love Is So Doggone Good" -- is sure to garner a lot of attention, but there's plenty more to The True Meaning than that one song.
The streetwise title track is an obvious highlight, graced with a soulful Diana Ross sample for its hook.
Other standouts include "The Come Up," a Large Professor production that includes a verse from the Main Source legend (the only guest rap on the entire album); "The Legacy," a stunning Alchemist production with a backward-looking lyric; and "Built for This," a tough rap with a great beat by J.
Waxx Garfield, who is credited with three songs overall.
Cormega stands tall as a fearless, confident rapper over the course of The True Meaning, calling himself "Queensbridge's most respected rapper" on "Ain't Gone Change," a show-stopping a cappella that sets up the title track perfectly.
The True Meaning is an impressive album on many counts and is sure to please hip-hop purists as well as anyone who enjoys well-crafted, intelligent New York rap.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IntrospectiveCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:00 | 4 MB | 12 MB |
| 2 | Verbal GraffitiCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:46 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 3 | Live Ya LifeCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 4 | Ain't Gone ChangeCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 00:48 | 1 MB | 4 MB |
| 5 | The True MeaningCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | A Thin LineCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 7 | The LegacyCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:47 | 6 MB | 18 MB |
| 8 | Love in Love OutCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | The Come UpCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:48 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Built for ThisCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 11 | Soul FoodCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:37 | 6 MB | 17 MB |
| 12 | Take These JewelsCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:15 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 13 | Endangered SpeciesCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 02:56 | 6 MB | 20 MB |
| 14 | TherapyCory McKay | Cormega | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 39 mins | 91 MB | |||||
| 39 mins | 265 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Alchemist | Producer |
| 2 | Ahmed Best | Producer |
| 3 | Cormega | Art Direction, Primary Artist |
| 4 | Travis Cottrell | Producer |
| 5 | DJ Hi-Tek | Producer |
| 6 | Joan Elias | Producer |
| 7 | Emile | Producer |
| 8 | D. Andrew Franklin | Producer |
| 9 | J."Wax" Garfield | Producer |
| 10 | Hangmen 3 | Producer |
| 11 | Hot Day | Producer |
| 12 | Large Professor | Featured Artist, Producer |
| 13 | Jackie Love | Producer |
| 14 | Jonathan Mannion | Cover Photo |
| 15 | Cory McKay | Composer |
| 16 | P. Dennis Mitchell | Producer |
| 17 | J. Backues Neal | Producer |
| 18 | Darryl Pittman | Producer |
| 19 | R. Scott | Producer |
| 20 | Max Vargas | Engineer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |