Released on July 24, 2001 by independent labels Legal Hustle and Landspeed, The Realness is the debut studio album by Queensbridge rapper Cormega, who had (in the years prior) became a founding member of the Nas-led rap supergroup The Firm (before leaving in 1996/97) and had his first recorded album (The Testament) shelved by Def Jam.

Production on the album was provided by the likes of Havoc of Mobb Deep, Cormega himself, Ayatollah, Sha Money XL, Godfather Don, The Alchemist, J-Love, and Jae Supreme, and the few features on the album are provided by Prodigy and Havoc of Mobb Deep, as well as New York rap veteran Tragedy Khadafi (a.k.a. Intelligent Hoodlum).

Notable tracks on the album include Thun & Kicko (feat. Prodigy and produced by Havoc, it’s also a diss track directed towards Nas, which got a response later in the year in the form of Destroy & Rebuild), Fallen Soldiers, American Beauty, They Forced My Hand (feat. Tragedy Khadafi), Fallen Soldiers (Remix) (prod. by The Alchemist), and hidden track Killaz Theme II (feat. Mobb Deep and prod. by Havoc).

Potential discussion topics:

• Thoughts on the album as a whole?
• How well does it hold up 20 years later?
• How does it compare to other albums released in 2001?
• How is Cormega’s performance? How is the production?