Rapper Maino discusses launching his own social media platform, his new album, and how he started writing rap in solitary confinement. He credits the Notorious B.I.G. as his main influence and shares stories of fans saying his song "All the Above" helped them through crises.
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Okay, Max Marston here for Vibe with Maino Mano. How are you? I'm glad. Very well. This is good. Now, tell me, you got your own whole social media platform.
Yes, yes, yes.
What's going to be on it?
Everything.
Women.
Women making pictures, porno, everything. Explicit material, everything.
And music. You got new album out.
New album out. Now, you know, new album out. It's gonna have everything that's going on with me. Tour dates, videos, pictures, commentary, you know, everything. Everything that's going on with music video.
You've just done a new video clip. What's the clip for? Do we know that? Is it secret?
Yeah, that's a little secret.
Then don't tell anybody what you know right there.
It's like, I got a new record coming. It's a lot of things, but we already have, you know, my new album on there the Day after tomorrow, which is available everywhere, itunes, target, whatever you want.
I've downloaded it already onto my iPhone.
You'd be proud of me.
And I've got a ringtone.
Ringtone?
Yeah. No, I've got the ringtone for the million bucks. Now, why can't you buy the million bucks as a single?
And it.
Why is it the whole way, mate? Why have you got to buy the whole album and not just the single?
That's how we rigged it.
Okay, serious question. Inspiration. What got you into music? What inspired you? Who inspires you?
The biggest inspiration for me was other than what I was going through in my life, you know, if I had to put it, you know, give it to one person would be the late Notorious B.I.G. you know, he was an artist that came from my neighborhood that I felt like I really identified with. It was like, man, this dude from. He. From where I'm from, man, he ain't talking at me. Maybe I could do that, you know.
Did you know him somewhat?
Not. Not like. Not well. Not well enough. I remember seeing him, you know, I was in the street very hard, and I remember him from, you know, he used to have parties at his DJ, his DJs house. You know, I remember him rapping down there, but I never kind of paid any mind because I was not into music as far as wanting to be an artist. I never wanted to be a rapper. So, you know, that bump bit me later.
What made you. What got you into what bitters? What made you bite?
I was in prison and it was like I was in what they call special housing unit. Shu shu. Where you locked in 23 hours a day. And, man, for a year or two, you locked in like that. So it was like, out of boredom. What else can you really do? If you either read a magazine or reading a book or working out or, you know, you sleeping, there's not much you really can be doing in the cell for 23 hours a day, sometimes 24. So you writing a letter or writing poetry. And, you know, it was a couple of brothers on a tier that was into rapping, and he was rapping one night. Rapping, rapping. I said, man, I'm writing a rhyme.
And that's how you started. Do you remember your first rhyme you wrote?
I don't remember the exact rhyme, but it was about being where I was at. Man, I'm stressed out. My life is crazy, you know, I'm hopeless. You know what I'm saying?
And do you get feedback from your fans that are touched by what you write and what you do?
Indeed. You know my biggest song, all the above. You know that song right there? I've met people that have told me that it helped them through some sort of pain that they was in their life. Like, I met a woman that told me to help them. You know, she was going through cancer. I met a dude that told me, you know, my music helped him through. You know, he wanted to commit suicide and he didn't, you know, so to be able to make music that touch people is always a. It's always the greatest reward.
Yes, I've been on my iPhone.
Cause you have the whole album.
Yeah, no, that's on my other iPhone. This is my other iPhone. And I got your ringtones on here for a million bucks.
Yes, indeed.
Okay, tell me about God to you.
God.
Do you believe in God?
Yes, I do. I went a long time not believing in God. You know, so many things in my life made me question whether the existence of God was even realistic. But then, you know, I got to a point where I started to be blessed and I started to say that, you know, I'm not really religious, I'm not Christian, you know, but I do bit. I do feel that there's a higher power. You know, I believe that man, you know, destiny is in his own hands. However, you know, the things that, man, I'm blessed. Like, you know, I woke up one morning and, you know, changed my life. And for me to be here in a position I'm in right now is, like, almost unbelievable. So, you know, yeah, I do believe that there's a higher power.
And, you know, you are an inspiration for other people, for kids who see what you have made of your life from where it's come from, where it's going to. And it's fantastic that you acknowledge that and are there with that. Okay, maybe one, two word answers on thoughts on Lady Gaga.
