Jermaine Coleman
| Maino | |
|---|---|
Maino in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jermaine Coleman |
| Born |
August 30, 1973 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, songwriter |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Hustle Hard, E1 (current), Atlantic (former) |
| Associated acts | The Black Flag Mafia, Lil' Kim, T.I. |
| Website | mainohustlehard |
Jermaine Coleman (born August 30, 1973), better known by his stage name Maino, is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York City, New York. He is perhaps best known for his debut single "Hi Hater," as well as its follow-up "All the Above," the latter of which features American singer T-Pain and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). To date Maino has collectively sold just under 4 million digital singles globally.
Maino was born in New York City. By the early 90’s, Maino found himself in the middle of a “drug related kidnapping,” that led to a 5-to-15 years prison sentence: “We didn’t really know what we were doing,” he recalls. “We had a great idea, I guess, but we wound up getting caught.” During his decade-long prison term, Maino began rapping as a result of boredom: “I’d be in the box for twenty-three hours a day, I just started rapping as something to do. I feel like hip hop kept me alive.” While listening to DJ Clue mixtapes featuring some of “Brooklyn’s Finest” – Notorious B.I.G, Jay-Z, Lil’ Kim – the vibe only got stronger. Maino adopted the “no writing” technique of emceeing: “I was never comfortable writing my raps down.” Upon his release in 2003, Maino immediately launched independent record label Hustle Hard Entertainment. After several mixtape releases and key guest features, in 2005 Maino was offered a recording contract by Universal Records. Maino split with the label in 2007.
In 2008, Maino later signed himself and his Hustle Hard imprint to Atlantic Records. He then began working on his debut album, If Tomorrow Comes.... His commercial debut single, titled "Hi Hater," was released in April 2008. Maino later released the song's official remix, featuring fellow American rappers T.I., Swizz Beatz, Plies, Jadakiss and Fabolous. The album's second single was "All the Above," featuring T-Pain. "All the Above" is Maino's first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It debuted at #54 and then rose to #39 the next week. It also had peaked at #10 on the Hot Rap Tracks, #59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #46 on the Pop 100. The single is certified platinum and is Maino's only Top 40 hit to date. The album's third single "Million Bucks," features vocals and production from Swizz Beatz. If Tomorrow Comes... debuted at number 25 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 18,000 copies in the United States. In 2008, Maino also crafted an original song titled "Getaway Driver", for the Grand Theft Auto IV video game.
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