Eternally yours and a girl’s best friend, Trina is draped in diamond-encrusted longevity. It’s been over 10 years since she didn’t know “Nann” but she could probably teach you a thing or two about laying around in Twenty Eleven. Wait, that came out wrong. Fiddlesticks. Moving on, the Diamond Princess is cementing her royalty with DJ’s Ill Will and Holiday for her Diamonds Are Forever extravaganza. That’s VVS, Tiffany & Co, better-than-the-album action for your ass. Read the rest of this entry »

Something weird happened earlier today. I received an e-mail with the subject line saying “Happy Biggie Day!” The thought process was understandable, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I have lost my fair share of bets over the years, but I feel confident in saying Voletta isn’t somewhere celebrating today. May 21st? Yeah. But March 9th? Maybe, but I doubt it. She lost her only child, at the end of the day. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night, around 11 p.m., Carmelo Anthony was finally traded to the New York Knicks. It took several months of dizzying rumors, involved almost half the teams in the league and allowed Isiah Thomas to worm his way back into James Dolan’s ear, but it’s finally done. Read the rest of this entry »

Maino’s BK all day and obviously a pretty tough character. But I’ve bumped into the guy twice in my lifetime and he’s a pretty swell guy. Very jovial and likable, minus that time he touched my camera @ the BET Awards. Did I ever tell that story? Read the rest of this entry »

You know you’re on to something when you make a storied rap career just by being yourself. Even when cracking a smile, Maino remains the gangsta’s champion and he’ll gladly whip you with the belt as well as rock it with pride. Pound for pound, he’s looking to body any jerk, Jenk or joke of a rapper that has the audacity to get in his way. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that Maino’s three years in with his “Prediction” songs, it’s safe to officially call them a series. I’m not gonna spoil the fun for everyone, but after Lamar Odom’s nuptials, I wouldn’t put it past Kat Stacks snaring an NBA player. Read the rest of this entry »

Maino prescribes the “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” ideology, even if he has the kick the enamel right out of your mouth. Basically, when you’re dealing with The Art Of War, there are no rules and revenge, retaliation and getback are all fair game. Sun Tzu never had to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge after midnight so Maino is adding his own legacy to the history books in the name of Hustle Hard. Read the rest of this entry »

In an interesting turn of events, Maino and Swizz Beatz round up fellow NYC ambassadors in Jim Jones, Jadakiss and Joell Ortiz and instead of having an East Coast pow-wow kicking rhymes about bodegas and Belvedere®, the G-Men opt to revisit a West Coast staple that is instantly recognizable the moment the needle hits the vinyl’s groove. Which, poses a problem, for Hip-Hop enthusiasts such as myself. Read the rest of this entry »

NYC stand up. Your subwoofers are about to be lyrically inclined with a verbal blitzkrieg from Queens and Brooklyn leading the charge. Still going strong from peddling cassettes for a healthy amount of cigarettes, Skyzoo & !llmind invite the hungeriest G-Unit member and Maino a.k.a. “Slap-A-Jenks” into the cypher for some 4th quarter heat. Read the rest of this entry »

Like PUSH! stated, this isn’t a mixtape. It’s an album, constructed of a studious grind that depicts the weathered life of someone who made out of situations that most would deem insurmountable. Whether it was blood, sweat or cocaina spilling through his pores, the Brooklynite has showed more hustle in his muscle over the past few months. So now that the hour of FreshDope is upon us, his reality raps being cashed in the Money In The Bank headquarters have generated a great deal of interest. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re familar with Maino’s debut album, you already know his luck with the ladies wasn’t the best as he threatened to send his baby momma packing to the afterlife, courtesy of a thirty-story building swan dive. But the storm doesn’t hail forever and now our BK hero is celebrating the fact that he’s made proper investment of the company of the right lady..er…ladies. Read the rest of this entry »

Action packed remixes have become somewhat of a fixture in Hip-Hop but on occasion, they can still deem themselves to be noteworthy. Such is the case for the Lone Star State’s most improved player, Dorrough. By snatching Puff and Maino from out east, fellow dirty-dirty neighbors in Bun, Gotti, Diamond and Carlos and getting DJ Drama to scream everything together, this event is kinda like a big effin’ deal. Read the rest of this entry »

The Art of War is here. Perhaps this is Maino’s statement to his doubters or his call to arms for his supporters. Either way, he’s serving as commander in chief and he’s taking his listeners to battle. In collaboration with DJ Drama and The Aphilliates, Maino spits more of his trademark simple, yet emotional raps that connect with most in some form or another. Jermaine’s found his niche, and revels in it for all to hear in this preemptive strike before The Day After Tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, it looks we are all wrong. Despite crickets from his camp over the past year, the slab-rider known as Dorrough has returned from falling off the side of this square earth of ours to ride candy-paint once again. Read the rest of this entry »

Honestly, the first two times I listened to Maino, it was for the other emcee on the track. And both times Maino ripped it. Then, I heard “Retaliate” and it was game over. Whether it is sorrow, elation or rage, the man possesses the widely coveted ability to convincingly portray his mentality and emotions in a very raw and uncensored fashion. Read the rest of this entry »