The album may have decreased in monetary significance over the years, but few can deny the calibration it stacks onto an artist’s creative worth. Who can come the most original, pick the best beats, wedge through that sliver of possibility of reinventing the wheel, all of those ideals factor into who’s really running this rap ish. Read the rest of this entry »

Tomorrow has come and gone, but Maino continues to soldier on.  On his slept-on debut, this was one of the songs that didn’t seem to fit the overall theme of the album.

But after seeing this it seems to fit in a little better.

It’s not a love song, It’s a thug (strip) club song.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Maino’s If Tomorrow Comes… is one of the best thangs poppin’ this summer year. The Brooklynite’s debut marks an eminent return to Hip-Hop from the true nature of ghetto living — not some hyperbolized horseradish where Frank Lucas posts up in corner stores for sport (looking at you buddy.)

The song “Million Bucks” marks the beginning and the end of the hustler’s tale and gives you a clear understanding the type of portraits Maino likes to paint.

Support the real.

Previously Posted — “Remember My Name” – Review Of Maino’s If Tomorrow Comes… | Maino Feat. T-Pain – “All The Above” Video

“…I just had to kill my baby mama.”

There he is. The Maino we all know and love is back as homicidal and bi-polar as ever. This time, fresh off of asking the ladies not to be scared, he contemplates sending his baby mama to Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a clown disguised as an executive somewhere that’s Hellbent on green-lighting ironically-titled tracks. Case in point, this track. Here we have Read the rest of this entry »

How can you not root for dude? “Live Your Life,” readied the masses for this sound and Maino should be able to catch that wave to some mainstream attention. Read the rest of this entry »

What up Blood? What up Cuz? What up gaaangstaaaa? Read the rest of this entry »

Think T-Pain collabos are played out? Well, they are. But when they sound this good, who cares? Read the rest of this entry »

Wow.

“Hi Hater” was big, but JR Rotem just turned this Soul II Soul sample into Maino’s longevity. Read the rest of this entry »

Featuring T.I., Swizz Beatz, Plies, Jadakiss & Fabolous.

Snagged from eskay.

Previously Posted — TSS Presents 15 Minutes With Maino

Bedford-Stuyvesant could secede from Brooklyn and still boast an unfuckwittable roster of emcees. There’s Big. There’s Jay. Mos and Fab. Can’t forget Kane. All slick wordsmiths borne of a time prior to ATL being rap’s capital (yep, it is). And all lyrically capable of switching their flow to accompany any beat they run across and, along the way, demolishing any opponent.

Jermaine “Maino” Coleman is an exception. One of the few New York emcees to break through for a minute, he doesn’t “over-rap” as he puts it. His allure is the rawness of his perspective, not witty metaphors. And unlike his neighborhood predecessors, his swag is thoroughly thug, not kingpin certified.

An embodiment of the real, the long scar across the right side of his face tells the story itself of his background and in turn, his journey. From the box to the cushy Manhattan offices of Atlantic records, the road to being a major label rapper has been winding. Building on the strength of his ’08 anthem “Hi Hater,” the next step is cementing his place among the legendary BK brethren.

As he preps for the release of his debut If Tomorrow Comes, the Crew’s D. Chanda cut it up with Maino to dig a little deeper into his story.

TSS: So what’ve you been asked the most today?

Maino: Where am I at—because I was late.

TSS: So why were you late?

Maino: Traffic.

TSS: You drove here (to the Atlantic offices)?

Maino: I always drive here.

TSS: What do you drive?

Maino: Escalade—some new shit.

TSS: You were the one that showed me those Rick Ross pics. Why’s that kinda thing such a big deal?

Maino: ‘Cause if it’s true, that’s some fucked up shit. Like “Damn, you were trying to be a real nigga!”

TSS: So for someone like yourself who prides yourself on being real, is that a slap in the face?

Maino: Yeah, but I’m not saying a C.O. nigga can’t rap. Everyone can do whatever they want to do because at the end of the day, niggas have to feed their families however that is. At the same time, you can’t have been a C.O. nigga claiming to be this kingpin. My pain over the matter is that I just represent real shit. I just don’t like phony shit. Now, I’m not saying it’s true or it’s not true. I don’t really know because the picture looks real but he said it’s not so who am I to say it is. Me and the nigga cool—I like the nigga personally. But to answer the question: that’s some fucked up shit. Real talk.

TSS: (Points to his face) How did you get that scar? Read the rest of this entry »