As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, life was like a scene from a crime drama.  Living with parents who were both addicted to crack, Jermaine Coleman, otherwise known as Maino, meant constantly fending for himself and his little brother.  Petty crimes seemed necessary just to survive, and petty crimes lead to larger crimes,

Maino

All we need to do is get back to making good music at the end of the day because that’s what people want to hear. They want to hear good music; it doesn’t matter where you’re from. I’m not into thinking about where this person is from or where that person is from.

A Tough Start

As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, life was like a scene from a crime drama.  Living with parents who were both addicted to crack, Jermaine Coleman, otherwise known as Maino, meant constantly fending for himself and his little brother.  Petty crimes seemed necessary just to survive, and petty crimes lead to larger crimes, and one day in the early 1990s, he found himself in the middle of a drug related kidnapping, resulting in a prison term.  Life started again for Maino a decade later.

While in prison, Maino rapped to pass the time.  While writing nothing down, he developed and created raps and rhythms, all of which walked out the door with him when he was discharged in 2003.  Upon release, Maino Hustle Hard Entertainment, and a meeting with DJ Kay Slay got him some time on the radio.  This, combined with Maino's drive and a few mixtapes helped build him the beginnings of a fanbase.

Starting from Scratch

In 2009, Maino released his first album, If Tomorrow Comes, on the Atlantic record label.  The first single, Hi Hater, peaked at #16 on Hot rap Tracks and #26 on the R&B charts.  The second single, All of the Above, featured T-Pain and climbed to #39 on the Billboard Top 100.  His third single off of this album, featuring Swizz Beats, was titled Million Bucks.  The album has a recorded 65,000+ sales to date, and reached #25 on the Billboard Top 100.  Of course, sales numbers do not take into account online mp3 downloads.  

Maino's second album, The Day After Tomorrow, is due out sometime this year.  He released an extended play record in January, featuring four songs:  Get 'Em Tiger, The Realist, Gotta Luv Me, and I'm Da Future.  The entire EP is available for download on line.  In addition to the albums and singles Maino has released, he has made eight or more mixtapes since 2007.  These, too, are available for download at Maino's website.

Moving Forward.

Maino's use of the tools provided by the internet is very wise.  His plan is to release the EP digitally, which he has done.  It is a relatively inexpensive operation and it puts the music into the hands of fans very quickly.  If done right, he is promoting his album every time someone clicks a download.

Seven years out of prison, and a second album due out this summer, it can be assumed that Maino will not sit still until the album is released.  On line music fans should keep an eye on his website for new releases and mixtapes that will most likely be made available periodically between now and the release of The Day After Tomorrow.

Did you know . . .

1. Maino's release from January of this year titled Go Get 'em Tiger is about Tiger Woods and his recent sex scandal.

2. In May, 2009, Maino had an emotional breakdown onstage during a New York concert.  He explained to the crowd that his good friend had recently been shot.

3. Maino's brother appears on a few mixtapes, completed by Maino.

• Unlimited Music Access
• Music File Sharing
• Country Based Radio Channels
• Easy, Fast and Safe!
• 100% Free!