Maino Interview with Audio

By Dirty Backpacks, producer of Late Nite Noise, Buffalo, Toronto, and Western New York’s #1 Hip Hop TV show.


Audio

Interview

Maino Freestyle
Rumors
Video


Maino is already street legend. Having blessed countless mixtapes, he’s taken the game by storm by hustling hard and perfecting his craft – which is probably why his company is called Hustle Hard Entertainment. He has a raw, gritty flow that has earned him respect and admiration from the streets to the mainstream. Without even a major label album out, he’s been on mainstream radio, been on mixtapes by DJs such as Kay Slay, Clue, Envy, and Enuff, and has done countless collabos – Papoose, Loon, Cormega, Jae Millz, and Joe Buddens to name a few. And the 1st single off his CD/DVD Real Recognize Real, "Rumors", immediately took the underground by storm and caused controversy. Read on to find out his history, his hustle, why there is no comparison to anyone out there, and why the name of his hot-selling mixtape Real Recognize Real doesn’t just describe the music – it’s a fitting assessment of the man behind it as well.







Dirty Backpacks:
For those across the nation who ain’t familiar with you, let ‘em know who you are and where you’re from.

Maino:
Ay, man – I’m the hardest thing coming outta Brooklyn right now, man. And that answers BOTH questions – I’m the hardest thing coming outta Brooklyn right now! You know?

Dirty Backpacks:
Aight, being that you coming from Brooklyn, you know, Brooklyn’s the home of Biggie & Jay-Z….are you the next big thing to hold it down for Brooklyn?

Maino:
Yeah, I mean – that’s what I set out to do and that’s what the people are allowing me to accomplish, you know what I’m saying? So far so good, ya heard?

DBP:
Word. How’s it going with the Real Recognize Real (CD/DVD), how’s that selling?

Maino:
That’s going well, man – I haven’t got any complaints. Like, it’s doing better than I thought it would do! Like, the people….I don’t know, it’s self-explanatory – Real Recognize Real, so you know, if you look at me, you’re looking in the mirror at yourself. That’s the type of sh** I’m on, know what I mean?

DBP:
True, true, true. Now – it says here that you did a little time, man, and you came out. Did you develop your flow before you went in, or while you were in there?

Maino:
Nah, I started doing it while I was there. I wasn’t even into rap, as far as writing music before. Like, I was always a fan. I was always on my sh**; I always knew what was what as far as the fan perspective, but while I was in there, this was the way I picked up the craft.

DBP:
So, you got the Real Recognize Real CD AND DVD, it’s selling like hotcakes….when can we expect a major label debut from Maino?

Maino:
Well, I want everything to be right, so it’ll probably be the 1st quarter – that’s the beginning of next year. Because the buzz is building now, and we good now, but we gotta keep building. So, the anticipation level is crazy!

DBP:
Is independently marketing your product the way to go? I mean, are you concerned with people taking your stuff and bootlegging it and you NOT getting a cut of the profit?

Maino:
I’m not worried about that because at the end of the day you gotta give to get. You have to give to get. So, I’m not too salty about that. It’s all good because it’s a hustle; it’s like an investment – you don’t always earn. You may invest in something and you don’t start earning until 5 or 6 years later. So, it’s all good, because it’s the build-up, it’s the branding of my name. It’s the branding of my company’s name. So now, people out here that wanna make DVDs or take music or pictures or images of me and throw it out there and they getting all the bread off it….it’s alright, because at the end of the day, that’s gonna help the people, the fans out there, really, really connect with me, you know what I’m saying?

DBP:
Yeah….

Maino:
So, if you not getting bootlegged, that mean nobody give a f**k about you!!!

DBP:
True…that’s a good way to look at it. Let’s talk about some of the songs on the album, man. You got a song, it’s very popular, but also controversial….it’s called "Rumors". And, you basically putting it out there – all the rumors in Hip Hop as everybody in the streets know ‘em. Are you concerned about getting any feedback from some of the people you name on the song?

Maino:
Nah, I ain’t concerned with that, man! I been getting real feedback all my life on some other sh**, man! Like, this is Rap, man – this is WWF! I’m not worried about none of that. That’s not even an issue of mine, right there. I got more realistic problems than that. A rapper approaching me is not even an issue; it’s not even a problem, cuz if a rapper approach me, more than likely he gonna have his hand out for a handshake. He’s NOT going to come at me in any aggressive way, so that’s the furthest thing from my mind right now.

DBP:
What about lyrically, though? I mean, you named some pretty big artists.

Maino:
Lyrics is all good, I’m all good wit that! If a dude wanna do that, or challenge me, it’s all good! I don’t mind fighting in any kind of way; like I said – it’s the furthest thing from my mind! So, if a dude wanna say something or disrespect me in some kind of way, then so be it! But, you know, "Rumors" been out for a while, and really nobody said nothing about it, so I doubt if anybody will.

DBP:
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, so this ain’t gonna be the first time you heard this, but I gotta ask….there’s a comparison that’s been out there for a while, with the way you’ve been hitting the mixtapes, spitting hard, and making your way around….and with the controversy with your single "Rumors" and everything. People have been comparing you to a certain G-Unit leader….

Maino:
(Laughs) A certain G-Unit leader? (Laughs again) I like that, I like that.

DBP:
What do you have to say when people compare you to 50, and what do you think about 50?

Maino:
First off, one - I don’t really see the comparisons! The only comparison I could possibly come up with is the fact that, alright – you gotta a song like "Rumors", then you gotta a song like "How To Rob". That, to me, is where the comparisons should begin and stop, because…(pauses) they’re both challenging songs, and I can understand when people say "alright, they’re both…." - and those songs ain’t even the same!!! He talking about robbing people, and I’m talking about rumors! What makes it stand out in people’s mind is you got two ni99as that weren’t afraid to say what they felt. It challenges the game when right now you got ni99as that’s making music on a formula. It’s formula music. But, you gotta also take into account that B.I.G. had a record like that too! He had "Dreams Of F**kin’ An R&B B****!" You know what I’m saying?!? So, you know, every few years a ni99a comes along with a good idea and that shock value comes with a novelty song. Now, other than that, I don’t see where the comparisons could even be made, because we don’t sound alike, we don’t look alike, we don’t move alike – you know what I mean?!? I don’t sound like nobody. You can’t mix me up with nobody, so there’s not too much of a comparison between me and anybody because I got my own sound, I move where I move. Other than that, duke (50) is out here opening up doors for ni99as with the things he do. As far as homey’s business mind, he out here doing things on a whole ‘nother level. He showing me, and he should be showing other ni99as that – yo kid, you gotta brand yourself, you can do anything the f**k you wanna do. So, you know, I definitely respect that.

DBP:
Okay. Let’s kind of move in another direction. Talk to me about…you’ve worked with a lot of people. You done did stuff with Jae Millz, Joe Buddens, Cormega – you been all over the place, man. Talk about some of the collabos you did and some of the collabos you’ll do in the future.

Maino:
That was part of my come-up, (being) on the mixtapes, getting with other ni99as and doing freestyles together. That was like my thing. It helped my situation, but now I’m on it like if I don’t really f**k wit a ni99a and me and a ni99a ain’t really too cool, then I’m not really into collabo-ing. I’m not gonna really break myself, and the people need to connect with me. And on my album, you not gonna really see too many collabos on there. I got Lil’ Kim on there, and I might have one or two other collabos, but other than that – I’mma market myself, I’mma brand myself, not another ni99a that’s already out there.

DBP:
You mentioned Kim…you kinda ride or die for Lil’ Kim, ain’t you?

Maino:
Yo, that’s my dog right there! That’s my people, that’s my sister, man!

DBP:
Have you talked to her since she was hit with the sentence?

Maino:
Yeah, I speak with her every day.

DBP:
She good?

Maino:
Yeah, she good man. She’s a strong person, so some time you know that sometimes you gotta go through hell to get heaven. As far as things happen in our lives that force us in a position that we gotta go through some struggle before it all comes out right. So, she’s good.

DBP:
Cool, cool. Your mixtape, man….it’s real underground, it’s real street. On your major label debut, can we expect more of the same, or are you going to switch it up to make it more accessible to the mainstream?

Maino:
I’mma have to make music that….put it like this. The music that’s gonna come out, cuz I already started, it’s gonna be broader, but at the same time, it’s gonna be the same. Because, it’s still going to come from my feelings, and it’s still going to be ME. You’re not going to see me stretching myself too thin. You’re not going to be like "aw, ni99a – why he do that?" YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO THAT. I guarantee that. Because I’m not going to make formula music. I’m going to stick with my concepts, and I’m going to stick with trying to make music that allows me to feel free. That’s what I’mma continue to do.

DBP:
The music that you make is obviously based on your background and where you from, obviously presents an edge of reality; a street edge to it. Are you concerned with anybody in the industry, or maybe the reverends, or the moms and pops who would say something like your music is glorifying drugs and violence?

Maino:
Man….I mean, you can’t single – you can’t single me out, man, when you got a bunch of other ni99as out here that wanna be as tough as me and wanna be as hard as me out here doing or saying some things even on the same level or even worse. So, that’s definitely not a worry of mine, cuz I know how to mix sh** up, I know how to switch it up. The same way I could make a song about shooting a ni99a in the head, I could (also) talk about a b**** in the same breath and still make it hot! So, it’s all good with me, man.

DBP:
My favorite song on the CD is "In My Hood". Tell me how that song came about.

Maino:
Yeah, yeah….see, like "In My Hood", that’s universal! It’s real talk, it’s a real song, it’s something real that you can feel without me glorifying anything! And, without me stretching myself so thin, it’s just so real. We just shot a video for that.

DBP:
Oh word?!?

Maino:
Oh yes!! I’m ‘bout to hurt these ni99as!! I just shot a street video for that joint right there! It’s the best one I ever did.

DBP:
When we gonna see that? We gonna see that on another mixtape or a Smack DVD? What’s up?

Maino:
It’s gonna be on the next Smack and then after that we servicing that, so you might see that on BET and all that, you know what I mean? You gonna feel it; it came out that good. We really took our time with that one. It came out real decent, and I guarantee, if you like that? It’s your favorite song? You gonna love this video.

DBP:
Talk to me about who you working with in terms of production-wise.

Maino:
Aw man, yo – I got my ni99a GQ Beats, first and foremost. That’s the ni99a that I started with, and we still riding high together, know what I mean? We still riding large. I got a joint from Green Lantern, I got a joint from Swizz Beatz….oh, not Swizz Beatz, uh, Scott Storch. I got a joint from Dot called "Make It Hot", Denaun Porter from D-12….I got a few joints.

DBP:
Oh, you working with some heavy hitters!

Maino:
Hey man – people f**king with me, man! Not just in New York, but all over! So, it’s all good. But the sound when you hear the beats – it’s not gonna be like those poppy type of records. It’s still gonna be Maino.

DBP:
You get a lot of respect in the streets AND in the Hip Hop community, but I’mma flip it on you – who are YOU feeling right now in Hip Hop?

Maino:
Believe it or not, I like everything that’s hot right now. Everybody that’s hot. I’m more of a fan than any of you understand, son. Like, I been running around with Jeezy’s s**t in my CD player all week! And that ain’t no d**k-riding sh**, I’m not too high on a pedestal to say I’m a fan or too much on my own d**k to keep it real, like – these ni99as is frontin’, I keep it real. I f**ks with Jada, I f**ks with all that hot sh**, everything that’s hot. I f**ks with T.I., I f**ks with Fat Joe, I mean who ever, whatever.

DBP:
Anybody besides the producers and rappers that have already been named that you really wanna work with in the future?

Maino:
Any producers? Nah, I don’t really have a specific producer in mind, because it’s been tested, and I know for a fact – hot beats can come from anybody, man. A hot beat can come from ya MOTHER, it don’t even matter! I’m all for who ever got the heat, let’s get it. Other than that, I ain’t really into the names. If a ni99a with a name happen to have it, then it’s all good, but other than that – let’s do it.

DBP:
So what do you want the fans to know first and foremost about Maino?

Maino:
I want the fans to know and understand that they need to get used to me. If they haven’t, then put on some mixtapes. Within these next few months, you gonna see a change, and I’m trying to help bring part of the change back, cuz I’m from New York, right? I feel like New York, NY music is kinda like….we not on our game, and I feel like we have an identity crisis, an all that. I don’t ni99as know who we really wanna be over here. I don’t know if they wanna be from Cali, I don’t know if they wanna be from The South, you know what I’m saying? But I don’t think they really know, so what I’m trying to do….you know, hopefully I can help The Movement and bringing our own identity back, man. Making us feel good and proud of where the f**k we from! We used to be the leaders of this sh** and now we following. So I think with my music it’s challenging, it’s exciting, and it helps bring the hypeness to the game so I hope with that, I can help The Movement. And that’s what it is.