Exclusive Interview with Maino

Maino - If Tomorrow Comes...
Words: Low

This Brooklyn bred MC claims to be "the realest dude in the game," he also claim that he's "the last real nigga alive." While during a 10 year bid for a drug-related kidnapping is when Maino first decided to give rap a try. Now that he's no longer in the belly of the beast he's ready to give rap fans that real talk from a real person. Maino let us know what's annoying him in regards to the rap game within NYC's five boroughs and he also wants to greet all his haters!

Who is Maino and where are you from?
Maino: Maino is from Brooklyn. Maino is the realest dude in the game. The last real nigga alive.

How you come up with the name Maino?
Maino: Jermaine is my full name. Maino is just a nickname, a portion of that.

What made you select your current career path?
Maino: I kind of initially stumbled over it. I was in prison for a very long time. I started rapping under those circumstances, I was getting into a lot of trouble in prison. I would be locked in for 23 hours a day and there's not too many things you can do under those circumstances so I started rapping out of board um. This was the time when B.I.G. was all over the place, it was just like crazy, so I decided to give it a try. I stuck with it and now it's on.

What was the reason for your incarceration?
Maino: A drug-related kidnapping.

How much time you get?
Maino: I got 5-15 and did 10.

What did you learn from that experience?
Maino: I learned a lot of things. I learned to be patient. I learned who I was as a person and as a man. I learned how to deal with certain issues. I learned how to get out here and deal with life in a better way.

How did you get signed?
Maino: I got signed because I was out here on these streets and on these mixtapes and on these dvd's doing my thing creating a buzz for myself. I was here building a name for myself and one thing led to another. I originally got signed to Universal, that deal didn't work out the way I wanted it to and then I got signed to Atlantic. So you know, now I'm in a better space. And now we up and running.

Was that an easy task?
Maino: What?

Getting signed the second time around.
Maino: Mmm... Well, I kind of... Nothing is easy but it wasn't as easy as, you know waking up and getting out your bed. But I don't think it was that hard. You have to understand I don't think anything is as hard as what I've been through already.

Right
Maino: I take everything, you know what I mean? With a grain of salt.

Were you working on a plan of what you were going to do to make it happen while you were locked up?
Maino: Yeah, I didn't know exactly what steps I was going take because it's hard to predict the exact route you're gonna go. But I did know that I wasn't taking no for an answer. I knew I was gonna get out here and go hard. That was the whole basis of the situation.

What was running through your mind when you penned "Hi Hater?"
Maino: When I make music I try to make it not only for me but I try to make it for regular people. I want them to be able to sing it like they wrote it, like it's coming from them. Certain aspects of the song it's like people can say it because it's true. It's only one truth and regardless how you look at it everybody got haters. There's people who have been through some of the same things I've been through so why not share it.

What's the title of the album?
Maino: "If Tomorrow Comes..." And it drops in February 2009.

And the meaning of the Album?
Maino: Well, we all know and understand that tomorrow isn't promised for anyone of us. It's a statement that's saying, if tomorrow comes I'm gonna go harder than I've ever been going. If tomorrow comes I'm going to make up for all the lost time that I had. If tomorrow comes I'm going to win and show 'em no mercy. If tomorrow comes I'm going to live my life to the fullest, you understand?

Yeah, that's what's up
Maino: Yeah

Is the album completed?
Maino: Just about

What can we expect from it?
Maino: Just uh.. Real talk from a real person. My life experiences from a point of coming home from a decade of prison and trying to become an artist.

Collaborations?
Maino: Not many.

What about production?
Maino: I got a little bit of production from everybody man, as far as my man GQ Beats, you know I came up with him. My man Mr Rogers, he helped me do "Hi Hater," we produced it together. Uh... Dangerous LLC, JR Rodam, Cool and Dre. So, you know I'm here.

What do you think it takes for a rapper to be successful today?
Maino: Like anything, work hard.

Do you have any issues with the current state of Hip-Hop?
Maino: One thing that annoys me and kind of bothers me is the lack of comradery between the older generation and the newer generation here in New York. I'm not belly aching about it, I'm not whining about it. I'm out here on the front lines trying to do something about it. I just feel like a lot of the artists we stuck on, I just feel like... If you look at any other market, you look at these other places you see new artist all the time. I don't see new artists coming out of New York. We get buzzes and people start to notice us on the streets. But when was the last time you seen a new New York artist go national? Video? Album? It's not too many. The only artists that come out here are the same ones that's been around 10 to 15 years. But again I'm not going to cry about it, I'm gonna get out here on the front line and do something about it.

Who are some rappers that you look up to?
Maino: I look up to all the greats man. If I said that I wasn't a student of the game then I would be a hater. Everybody who has done their thing and played their part in developing Hip-Hop as a whole. I grew up on this, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them.

What do think it's going to take for you to be relevant in this game ten years from now?
Maino: Just doing what I'm doing right now, working hard and putting out good music, because at the end of the day that's what it comes down to.

Exactly, good music... no doubt.

Right now I'm going to mention the names of a few rappers and when you hear their names drop the first thing that comes to your mind.
Maino: Aight

LL Cool J
Maino: The greatest.

MC Lyte
Maino: Ah man... beautiful you understand?

Snoop Dogg
Maino: Pioneer

DMX
Maino: Ah man... Superstar, he's like a rocket that went up and had a lot of potential then came crashing down. But I can't take nothing from him.

Any promo tour dates over the summer?
Maino: Yeah. I'm all over. Your readers can check for dates at www.mainohustlehard.com or myspace.com/maino, I'm out here man.

Anything you want to say to your haters?
Maino: How you doing? I want to greet 'em!