Maino: Smart Is The New Gangster

With a decade behind bars under his belt, Brooklyn native rapper Maino continues to "Let It Fly" over the odds of gangsters not being equipped to being established. In the year 2003 after his release from prison Maino launched Hustle Hard Entertainment under Universal Music Group. "The likeliness of coming home and winning in a corporate environment was slim to none. So I knew that music was the quickest ticket out of here," Maino explained.

Due to politics and differences, Maino and Universal decided to part ways in the year of 2007. Shortly after the split with Universal, Maino landed a deal with Atlantic Records. Under Atlantic Records, Maino has had many hit singles such as "All the Above" ft. T-Pain, "Hi Hater", "Million Bucks" ft. Swizz Beatz which all come from his album If Tomorrow Comes which debuted #25 on the Billboard top 200. Maino recently released his second studio album in February 2012 The Day After Tomorrow where his lead Single "Let it Fly" ft. Roscoe Dash reached the Top 50 on the Hip-hop/R&B billboard chart.







Maino used the mixtape circuit to reach outside of New York for followers and unlike other mixtape artist Maino turned his craft to selling albums and hitting the charts with singles. "At the end of the day it came day to making hot songs not just hot 48 bars. One of my strong points is that I am a songwriter and many artists who were on the mixtape game couldn't master that. Their music couldn't leave New York" supposed Maino

With a handful of altercations, Maino has left the hip hop beef behind him Maino has grown not only as an artist in the recent years but a person as well. He goes by the saying "Smart is the new gangster" Maino continues to state "It isn't a secret I come from the streets but I had to let the certain ideology that these other rappers aren't real out here go. Gangster to me is to being able to transition your environment. Using this helped me be a better businessman and thinker."

Throughout the years Maino's hustle has definitely got him his shine. Maino specified "Going through different stages in your life, different tribulations and roadblocks you overcome them and become unstoppable by continuing to work, putting out great music and keep pushing!"