True Meaning
In an era of celebrity rappers and prefabricated beef, Cory McKay speaks  much needed truth. Picking up where his long-awaited debutThe Realnessleft off,  'Mega's latest set of rhymes address the type of reality most MCs only pretend  to live and don't necessarily even understand. Songs like "Live Ya Life" and  "Soul Food" deal with the specifics of street life, while "Verbal Graffiti" and  "Take These Jewels" focus on Cormega's evolution as an artist and a man. For  those who like public drama, the appearance ofIllmaticandStillmaticproducer Large  Professor on "The Come Up" adds validation to "Love in Love Out," 'Mega's quiet  yet firm rebuttal to the heated name-calling ofNas's "Destroy and  Rebuild." Listen toThe True Meaningand you'll be able to grasp how  Cormega's street credibility has enabled him to sell 100,000 records without any  major radio airplay or having a video in heavy rotation. Outrunning the clichés,  Cormega's a genuine thug poet, andThe True Meaningis an album worth  owning.--Rebecca Levine