Maino
From
Brooklyn, NY
Label
Atlantic Records
Members
Maino
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Bio
Biggie said it best back in 1997: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems. It’s a sobering reality that whacks anyone ascending to a higher profile or wealthier tax bracket. Fast forward a decade and a half and it’s another Brooklyn rapper, Maino, who’s caught within the whirl of this heavy realization. Having converted a potholed past into mainstream music stardom, Maino is done paying dues, yet invoices the price of fame on his matured sophomore LP, Day After Tomorrow. “I’m not coming from the perspective of a dude trying to come out of the street—I’m out,” says Maino, whose true-to-life debut album If Tomorrow Comes… follows an ex-con gone legit. “When we actually start living these dreams out, you have different kinds of issues. It’s pressure from everywhere: your family, loved ones, relationships. Just the pressure to maintain.”
Maino (né Jermaine Coleman) hasn’t always been so comfortable resisting duress. Born into the slums of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the oldest of two boys was literally parented by the vicious Crack Era. His father, an electrician, became addicted to the epidemic drug while mom waged her own battles between working odd jobs. Hip-Hop was always there, though, to soundtrack the troubles, triumphs, frustrations and growing pains. Yet it wasn’t until the increasingly rebellious Maino found himself crouching in the darkness of prison’s solitary confinement that he began rhyming his own words. “You’d be in the box for 23 hours a day; it was under these conditions that I started rapping,” says the father of one, who remembers gravitating towards Run DMC, LL Cool J, N.W.A. and Rakim as a kid. “I would come up with songs and concepts and think about it, like, I should go home and try this shit.”
Once released from his 10-year stint, Maino swapped the streets for the studio. After a mutual friend introduced him to DJ Kay Slay, Maino slowly infiltrated the mixtape circuit, politicking with local DJs to get his name and music buzzing. “I knew that the industry wasn’t going to come to me,” says Maino, who won hardcore rap heads via street-tailored tracks like the eyebrow-raising “Rumors.” While a 2005 deal with Universal led only to a shelved first project (Death Before Dishonor), the rapper persevered and was signed—along with his own Hustle Hard imprint—to Atlantic in 2007. He made his mark quickly on his rookie album If Tomorrow Comes…, spearheaded by the hood favorite “Hi Hater,” an ultra-catchy ode to naysayers that quickly became a fixture in hip-hop vernacular and even inspired it’s own T-shirts. Yet it’s the million-selling, Just Blaze-produced “All of the Above,” featuring T-Pain, that launched Maino into the mainstream consciousness. “‘Hi Hater’ felt big because it hit the culture, but ‘All of the Above’ crossed over for me. That’s the hit that changed my life,” he says. “I know what it felt like to get a platinum plaque, to have a record playing all over the world. I want that again.”
With its broader, more sophisticated focus, Day After Tomorrow looks to yield yet another crop of anthemic hits. The project’s Roscoe Dash-assisted lead single, “Let It Fly,” is already a winner on the charts and in the club, powered by piercing synths and celebratory lyrics. Its smoother follow-up, “That Could Be Us,” focuses on the ladies, showing another side to the BK rap torchbearer. “Every girl was like, ‘You’re a fly dude, why don’t you come out with girl songs?’” says Maino. “I wanted to make sure I was saying things that’ll make a woman feel good.” There are emotional lows, too, such as “Heart Stop,” a contemplative record that gives insight into the dilemma of balancing success with personal life. “Winners have a price to pay: You keep winning ’til your heart stops,” he says. “I’m talking about trying to gain the world yet not having the time I want with my son. I try to substitute that with buying all the things he likes, trying to make up for lost time, but I really can’t.”
Set for release in early 2012, Day After Tomorrow will continue pushing Maino beyond the Big Apple. “I’m not making music for just New York. I’ve done that. That’s why we’re in the box we’re in now,” Maino says. “I have a lot more growth, a lot more to say. I’m more versatile than these niggas really understand. I just want to take it to the next level.”
Maino (né Jermaine Coleman) hasn’t always been so comfortable resisting duress. Born into the slums of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the oldest of two boys was literally parented by the vicious Crack Era. His father, an electrician, became addicted to the epidemic drug while mom waged her own battles between working odd jobs. Hip-Hop was always there, though, to soundtrack the troubles, triumphs, frustrations and growing pains. Yet it wasn’t until the increasingly rebellious Maino found himself crouching in the darkness of prison’s solitary confinement that he began rhyming his own words. “You’d be in the box for 23 hours a day; it was under these conditions that I started rapping,” says the father of one, who remembers gravitating towards Run DMC, LL Cool J, N.W.A. and Rakim as a kid. “I would come up with songs and concepts and think about it, like, I should go home and try this shit.”
Once released from his 10-year stint, Maino swapped the streets for the studio. After a mutual friend introduced him to DJ Kay Slay, Maino slowly infiltrated the mixtape circuit, politicking with local DJs to get his name and music buzzing. “I knew that the industry wasn’t going to come to me,” says Maino, who won hardcore rap heads via street-tailored tracks like the eyebrow-raising “Rumors.” While a 2005 deal with Universal led only to a shelved first project (Death Before Dishonor), the rapper persevered and was signed—along with his own Hustle Hard imprint—to Atlantic in 2007. He made his mark quickly on his rookie album If Tomorrow Comes…, spearheaded by the hood favorite “Hi Hater,” an ultra-catchy ode to naysayers that quickly became a fixture in hip-hop vernacular and even inspired it’s own T-shirts. Yet it’s the million-selling, Just Blaze-produced “All of the Above,” featuring T-Pain, that launched Maino into the mainstream consciousness. “‘Hi Hater’ felt big because it hit the culture, but ‘All of the Above’ crossed over for me. That’s the hit that changed my life,” he says. “I know what it felt like to get a platinum plaque, to have a record playing all over the world. I want that again.”
With its broader, more sophisticated focus, Day After Tomorrow looks to yield yet another crop of anthemic hits. The project’s Roscoe Dash-assisted lead single, “Let It Fly,” is already a winner on the charts and in the club, powered by piercing synths and celebratory lyrics. Its smoother follow-up, “That Could Be Us,” focuses on the ladies, showing another side to the BK rap torchbearer. “Every girl was like, ‘You’re a fly dude, why don’t you come out with girl songs?’” says Maino. “I wanted to make sure I was saying things that’ll make a woman feel good.” There are emotional lows, too, such as “Heart Stop,” a contemplative record that gives insight into the dilemma of balancing success with personal life. “Winners have a price to pay: You keep winning ’til your heart stops,” he says. “I’m talking about trying to gain the world yet not having the time I want with my son. I try to substitute that with buying all the things he likes, trying to make up for lost time, but I really can’t.”
Set for release in early 2012, Day After Tomorrow will continue pushing Maino beyond the Big Apple. “I’m not making music for just New York. I’ve done that. That’s why we’re in the box we’re in now,” Maino says. “I have a lot more growth, a lot more to say. I’m more versatile than these niggas really understand. I just want to take it to the next level.”
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