Cormega’s Testament resurrects previously unreleased songs recorded by the rapper during the late ’90s.

Credit: Jeremy Porter

Cormega is one dude who will explode on the hip-hop scene like protons and electrons when his album comes out. The Testament is a collection of songs he did back in the ’90s for Def Jam Records and has been described as one of the greatest unreleased albums.

The Testament is outdated, but it still delivers raw and uncut tracks. Cormega raps about issues in the ’hood, drugs, violence and robberies. He also gives warnings about the things he did and gives a few tips on how America can solve some of its problems.

“62 Pick Up” has a calm beat and piano playing. It contains murderous drug dealer slang described by Cormega in a true form, which isn’t pretty. Cormega has a soft, nice guy voice, though, which puts the listener at ease.

In “Dead Man Walking,” Cormega tells a story about the time he was shot and got revenge for it. This song was so graphic it was banned from radio.

“Montana Diary” calls Cormega “Mega Montana.” He is talking about how his lifestyle emulates Tony Montana’s from Scarface, and also features him rapping about robberies he did, money he made and bullets he gave.

“Testament” brings out the best in this album. It delivers a strong and powerful message. If he ever controls the hip-hop game, remember this lyric from “Testament”: “If there’s a throne, touching it I don’t condone/Pac and Biggie rule forever don’t get it confused.”

“Every Hood” features Fatal Hussein from the Outlaws. Cormega and Hussein present a positive message in this song by saying all ’hoods are the same, and binding them together can make a change.

“Coco Butter” is a song for the “shorty loves” out there. This song is witty and unpredictable, as Cormega tries out a lot of pickup lines. One of them states: “You nice like uptown Nikes with powder blue stripes / how would you like to go out and chill all night?”

“Killaz Theme,” featuring Mobb Deep, is my least favorite song on this album. The beat is boring and the lyrics aren’t interesting. An example is the corny chorus by Havoc, who simply raps, “We gonna kill you.” This song is a skipper.

“Love is Love” is one of my favorites on The Testament. It is the album’s last song and gives warnings to drug dealing. “Love is Love” has a slow beat with a female-sung chorus and is a great way to end the album.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Testament. It’s not his best album, but for a Cormega enthusiast, it’s enough. If you want a better Cormega album that doesn’t sound like it’s from the ’90s, then try The True Meaning, Legal Hustle or the highly acclaimed The Realness.

Contact Pop Arts reporter Jeremy Porter at [email protected].