You’re from Brooklyn right? Can you start by telling me your background? I grew up like everybody else did that comes from any type of ghetto or dysfunctional situation. I’m from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. I come from the streets, man. My household wasn’t any different from any other household in the late 80s, early 90s when crack was really poppin’ off. You know, it was a lot of things in my household that pushed me into the street and my life’s been crazy ever since. When did you turn to rap music? I didn’t turn to rap until I was in prison. When I was there that’s when I started rapping. You did ten years in prison, right? So did rapping help you get through those ten years? I didn’t even start rapping when I first went to jail. It was after a couple years when I was in jail, I was getting in trouble. I was supposed to be up for parole in five years but I was getting into a lot of bullshit, so they would keep me locked me in the box for 23 hours a day. I was in the box for 23 hours a day for a couple years straight and I started rapping. I started rapping because I was bored. Ain’t too much you can do when you’re locked in one cell for 23 hours a day. I would wake up and write a rhyme, every couple of days, just for myself, for my own enjoyment. How did your career develop after you got out of prison? After I started rapping, I started to think of a way to take it serious. This was the time when B.I.G. was doing his thing, like when Big was all the way out the there, and I instantly related to that because he came from the hood. I felt like, there’s a dude that comes from the hood, speaking a language I understand. He’s saying things I can relate to. So, it was definitely an inspiration to see him come up. I was like, if I’m truly a hustler and truly a real nigga, maybe I can use this rapping thing as a stepping stone. Maybe I can go home and give this a try. That’s what I did. I tried to learn as much as I could about the business. I tried to invest in reading books. I just tried to prepare myself to come home and get into rap. Even before I came home me and my people came up with the name Hustle Hard. When I got home, we jumped right into it. You were seen a lot with Lil’ Kim in the beginning of your careet. What’s your relationship with Kim? We’re from the same hood. It was a time that we did a lot of work together. A lot of people associate me with her because when people didn’t really know me I was just coming on the mixtape scene and people would see me out with her or hear me on records, I was on her last album Naked Truth. We’re cool.
Naked Truth came out three years ago. How you been able to remain patient? If I can give these crackers ten years of my life, I can do anything in the world. It’s nothing in the world I can’t do. I had to sit up there and wait to go home, wait to be fed, wait to be clothed. I had to wait for letters, I had to wait for everything. Now that I’m free, it’s nothing in the world I can’t do. What I did, I took every opportunity as it presented itself. I stayed busy, I stayed on mix tapes, I stayed on DVDs. I’m a YouTube gangsta. I stayed doing whatever I could to keep my name in the street, because at the end of the day, that’s all I had.
I’ve seen you in a lot of videos. I was watching a video recently where you were talking about a lot of rappers in the game not being real. How do you think most rappers lives compare to your life? I don’t think I had the most crazy life. I don’t think my life wins the award for the most fucked up or the most crazy, but everybody has some trials and tribulations they went through. I come from a household where my family used drugs and shit like that but it’s plenty of other people who’s had fathers who was on crack and mothers on crack. The thing about me, what I had developed into before I became a man is definitely a true story. I really played a part in the street. I really, really played a part in the street and what I mean by that is, that you have some rappers that they think just because you come from the hood that don’t mean you was involved in the hood. Just because you come from the hood doesn’t make you a part of what’s going on in the underworld of the hood. Just because you sold a couple drugs don’t mean you was really running it. Just because a person came from a certain project doesn’t mean he’s got street cred with me. “Rumors” kinda kicked off your street buzz. At the time I was trying to make my way onto the mixtapes and I started to notice I was just an average nigga on the mixtape. So, I needed something to separate me from these other niggas because I’m nothing like nobody else. I didn’t wanna be associated [with average niggas]; I didn’t wanna be looked upon as the same kind of average nigga. That was my way of making my mark at the time, and it worked. It shone some light on me. People in the industry, just as well in the street, started to notice me. It’s two kinds of buzzes: street buzzes and industry buzzes. I needed both. I needed them to know who Maino was, and that’s what “Rumors” did for me What happened to your deal with Universal? “Rumors” is what lead to my deal with Universal. That was a learning experience but I don’t think I was even ready or prepared the way I am today. T.I. was instrumental with you getting signed, right? How did you meet him and hook up? I was already signed. I had known T.I. for a while. It’s a real friendship, real brotherhood. It ain’t even so much about business with him. I really got love for dude. Grand Hustle, that’s all family. He’s a real dude. How did you end up with Atlantic? I had relationships at Atlantic. My man Jean Nelson was instrumental in my whole career, from my Universal days. He had become the Executive A&R at Atlantic. I was still signed to Universal but I had better relationships at Atlantic. So, when I was getting out of my deal at Universal, it was only right that I wanted to be with my people. I felt like if I had a chance in this game, I’d rather take a chance with people that really cared about me. So, that’s what you’re hearing right now, the affect of dealing with people who really give a fuck about Maino. Let’s talk about the “Hi Haters” single. I was just riding around vibing to the beat and that’s where the beat lead me. I guess it was just meant to be. I don’t even write my rhymes, I think them. I went to the studio and that’s what came out. This is the type of record that everyone can relate to.
Did you ever think “Hi Hater” would be the one to put Maino on the map? I knew I was onto something when my people came to the studio and were like, “Yo, this record is crazy.” So, I started to feel like I was on to something. So that single put the momentum behind your album. Can you talk to me about your album? Of course, its setting off the movement because people know me from the DVDs, mixtapes and being affiliated with Lil’ Kim at one point, but now once you have all that, you have to put a record out that will give you attention nationally. This is the record, and you’re about to witness a movement like you ain’t never seen coming out of New York. That’s a guaranteed fact. Why do you think New York hasn’t been popping lately like it was in the past? I don’t know, man. I don’t know the problem with a lot of niggas, man. I mean, I just feel like we need to get to the music. A lot of these niggas got gay qualities. I really can’t explain it. All I can do is do what works for me. A lot of the older dudes wanna keep competing. I don’t know, it’s no one answer for that. I just figure that the only way to propel New York back into the race is to come with something new and fresh. I don’t think a rapper that was out 10, 15 years ago is going to reinvent himself to bring New York to how it was before. We just need to move forward with this new shit. What kind of new shit are you bringing on your album? It’s just real talk, from a real dude. It’s my life, my nigga. It details a portion of my life after I came from prison and wanted to be an artist. It details that whole transition. After I came from prison I was on parole, so I was still dabbling in the street. I had just had a baby and I was trying to be a rapper. I had to deal with a lot just trying to be a rapper, so it was hard for me to even try to make that transition. I think trying to make that transition from the nigga that I am at heart to becoming a rapper was harder than me doing prison because I was entering something I had no idea about. I was so used to my ignorant life, I thought prison was an extension of my life. You grow up in the street, you selling drugs, bustin’ your gun, shooting up shit, getting shot, shooting back, getting money, losing money. When you live like that, you know prison is gonna come. It was a time in my life when I couldn’t wait to go to jail. I swear to God I grew up thinking that jail was a part of something we had to do. Going from that [mentality] to try to be an artist was a harder job for me. So what do you say to people that say Maino is just a street nigga, he’s just known for knocking out Lil Cease and he ain’t really a rapper? Well, the proof is in the pudding, my nigga. Look at how my record is spreading like a disease. I’m just gonna let the music speak for itself. For any hater, I’m just gonna demonstrate. I’m not gonna talk back, I’m not gonna acknowledge bullshit, I’m not gone say nothing at all. Real recognize real, I don’t give a fuck if I’m from Bed-Stuy and OZONE is a Southern-based magazine. Real niggas recognize real. We all have the same struggles from all over. Who I am and my music is gonna speak for itself. I will have the last laugh. Like I said, you’re bout to witness something big coming out of New York. //
OZONE MAG // 69