Music like Maino

Jermaine John 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.