Raised in the infamous Queensbridge projects, Cormega is one of the most lyrical "thug poets" in hip-hop, with a knack for delivering cinematic narratives that give you a candid look into the underbelly of society, a world full of fiends and dealers, loyalty and betrayal, high life and despair. Though he'd been rapping since the late '80s, it was a prison stretch in early '90s that really put him on the map, when Nas gave him a shout on his single "One Love" ("what up with Cormega, have you seen him, are y'all together?") Once he got out, he signed with Def Jam, recorded a great record that never came out, then joined short-lived supergroup the Firm, only to be unceremoniously kicked out to begin a long beef with Nas & Nature. Undaunted, he endured and started his own label, releasing two exceptional albums back-to-back, The Realness and The True Meaning. Legal Hustle is more of a compilation project, showcasing up-and-coming artists on his label of the same name. The new jacks are cool (specifically Miz and Dona), though Mega's verses steal the show, as do the collabos with M.O.P. ("Let It Go"), Ghostface ("Tony / Montana"), and AZ ("Redemption").