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Maino: A Gangsta & A Gentleman
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Maino
On the last leg of his promo tour for his Atlantic debut, If Tomorrow Comes, rapper Maino comfortably handles the handshaking and small talk that comes with this line of work with relative ease. If you look at Brooklyn, NY native’s history, some would say he’s not even supposed to be here. Watching both his parent struggle with drug addiction and forced to fend for himself, he went down a path that eventually led him to a 10 year prison bid. During his incarceration he discovered his love for creating Hip Hop and used it to sustain himself during the toughest of times. Those tough times also give him an authenticity that most dream of.
Once he regained his freedom, Maino set out to make his mark. Cosigns from such Hip Hop power players like DJ Kay Slay and Lil Kim (he appeared on her last album) and a constant presence on the mixtape and street DVD circuit had his name ringing on the underground. But then he set out to deliver on the buzz. And deliver he did. First with the club banger, “Hi Hater” than with its gold certified follow up T_Pain assisted “All The Above”, people started speak about Maino being one of Hip Hop’s next big stars.
When Maino graces the stage at Sunday’s Summer Jam for Hip Hop powerhouse JAMN 94.5 FM, it will be latest stop on the path of hard work. We caught up with him to talk about how a real gangsta navigates in a world of cats who wear sunglasses in the club.
Examiner: With all the adversity that you have faced, how is it that you have two successful singles and on the verge of dropping your album?
Maino: Sometimes I ask myself the same question. (Smiles) I got a lot of drive in me. I know I am built to go. Frankly it was either endure this (ups and downs of the music industry) or go back to the streets. And I knew I didn’t want to go there. One thing prison taught me was a degree of patience.
Examiner: What is it that made the industry heavy hitters jump on board and support what you’re doing?
Maino: Its persistence and consistency. Its how I present myself. When you meet me you get a chance to see how I really am. When you start to see a person a lot, you start to see how persistence they are [it helps]. I am at the places that I should be and I am not giving up. But at the same time I am respectable.
Examiner: You gained a buzz through the mixtapes and with the song, “Rumors” (in which he breaks down some of the more notorious whispers of the Hip Hop industry). But then “Hi Hater” becomes a smash. Why do you think that was the record that connected?
Maino: The thing with “Hi Hater” was “right place, right time”. I was at the right label at that time. I made “Hi Hater” a year before it came out. I held it back because I knew it was dynamite. I knew it was a song that would conquer the radio. I knew it could be that record. But a record has to have a plan. It has to have people work it. People didn’t see me coming.
Examiner: You aren’t a stranger to hitting the big stage. Last year at NY’s Summer Jam you hit the stage wit Alicia Keys. How was that first experience in a stadium?
Maino: I admitted to Swizz Beats (producer of Maino’s new single “A Million Bucks”) that I was scared. I had never been on a stage of that magnitude. It wasn’t so much about the people, it was her. I was intimidated by her star power a little bit. She is leaning on me like, “We gonna do it.” First time I talked to her she was like, “Whats up? We are gonna get busy!” And I am like, “WHAT?” (laughs). Earlier that morning me and her practice. I couldn’t believe it. She is so cool and down to earth. It was real sisterly and brotherly but at the same time you understand who you are standing next to. It was time for me to come out, I ‘m backstage the mic was getting moist in my hand. (laughs) I start thinking “what if I trip? What if I forget my words? What if I slip? What if I freeze?” It was a lot to bare. Messing up my show is one thing but messing up Alicia Keys show is another. I would be the laughing stock of the industry. But we came out and we pulled it off.
Examiner: What are you thinking about Summer Jam here in Boston?
Maino: I am looking forward to it. Because I know I get love here from the streets. Now with “Hi Hater” and “All The Above” and being on TV, being around the country, that put me in a different spotlight. I’m anxious to see what happens in Boston, cuz I know its going to be good. I cant wait!
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