The Realness

The Realness is the debut studio album by American rapper Cormega. It features guest appearances from Mobb Deep and Tragedy Khadafi, as well as production from Havoc of Mobb Deep, J-Love, and The Alchemist, among others. It was released via Legal Hustle Records and LandSpeed Records.

The Realness was re-released in 2007 with The True Meaning, Cormega's second album from 2002, in a double special-edition package. The album's sequel, The Realness II, was released on October 7, 2022.

Background
Cormega rose to fame in the mid-90s as an original member of The Firm hip hop group, along with Nas, AZ and Foxy Brown, appearing on the song "Affirmative Action" from the Nas album It Was Written. After being booted from the group, Cormega signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings, and recorded his first album The Testament. The album was eventually shelved, and Cormega was dropped from label, joining LandSpeed Records for his first official release.

Critical reception
The Realness received mostly positive reviews. J-23 of HipHopDX praised the album's production, calling it a "pleasant surprise". Matt Conaway of AllMusic stated that the album paints Cormega as "one of the most promising thug poets to emerge in quite sometime".

Track listing
Sample credits
 * American Beauty
 * "I've Been Watching You" by Southside Movement
 * R U My Nigga?
 * "Night Moves" by Frank McDonald
 * Unforgiven'
 * "4th Movement: Passacaglia" by Yusef Lateef
 * Rap's a Hustle
 * "I Choose You" by Willie Hutch
 * Fallen Soldiers
 * "Beggar's Song" by Wet Willie
 * They Forced My Hand
 * "Signal Your Intention" by Hodges, James and Smith
 * Glory Days
 * "Each Day I Cry a Little" by Eddie Kendricks
 * You Don't Want It
 * "Alone in the Ring" by Bill Conti
 * Fallen Soldiers (Remix)
 * "Time" by Morning, Noon & Night