24: You were a dominant name in the mixtape circuit, now that your name is flowing on the mainstream level. How does it feel?

Maino: It feels great. I’m blessed we bringing the streets to the mainstream, it feels good. I built a foundation on a mixtape level and that’s something no one can take away from me. I did that on my own with my team.

24: You got T-Pain, B.G , Trey Songz, and Swizz Beatz as features, these are names that were imprinted already. How does it feel to work with these guys on the album?

Maino: It was good, it makes sense. I don’t have too many features, those were the features that made sense to me. Most of them are hooks. B.G. is the only other rapper on my album. Everything I do has to calculate to make sense.

24: You did the ten year Bid. How does that motivate you to keep doing what you do as an artist now?

Maino: It’s my life. My life motivates me to know that I don’t want to go back to where I just came from. It’s just as simple as either I make this music thing work or go back in these streets.

24: I was listening to a record you recorded titled ‘Be Me.’ Can you explain to the world what that record meant?

Maino: Well it’s me saying to the world, I can’t be another Jay-Z, I can’t be another B.I.G., I can’t do it like Snoop, and I can’t do it like Diddy. All these people are great, but I feel like I’mma be great in my own way. You need to respect me for who I am, I can’t be like them, I can’t follow in their footsteps, I can’t mimic them, I can only be me. I was declaring my independence in the game.

24: The performance you had that was posted all over the web with you performing ‘All the above,’ you stopped and cried on stage. It was such a pure moment. Would you be able to explain that moment?

Maino: It was something I was going though in my personal life and that was thw first time that I was able to let it out, so it was just me sharing a moment with my people and I knew they would understand. At the end of the day, regardless of what, I’m human. I was just going through something.

24: Your album, ‘If Tomorrow Comes’ is in stores now, tell all the Maino Lovers what to expect get from this album ?

Maino: Real music, it’s a story of my life, from me coming out of prison trying to get in to the game. It’s just me going from nothing to something and me having a lot of odds to fight against and how I overcame all of it.

24: I always ask artists this, what’s your definition of progress?

Maino: My definition of progress is when you can go from one level to another level. That’s all I’m about, I like movement. We grinding for purpose everything about me is going from one level to another.

24: The record with Swizz Beatz. How did that come about?

Maino: Swizz is my homie. We went in the studio, we cooked it up, and we just came out with a hit. It’s another hit for all the haters that didn’t think I was coming back with another one. So that’s for they ass right there.

24: You proved to the Hip Hop world that you’re here to stay. You hold it down for the listeners of real rap. So what’s in the future for Maino?

Maino: Big things homie. Get use to me since you been seeing me for years get use to seeing me on every level. I went from the streets to the mainstream and I’mma continue to conquer the mainstream.

24: The hood love you’ve been getting before you turned into mainstream artist, what would you tell them?

Maino: Thank you for showing me that love, I need that love. It’s important for me to get that love but they understand that I’m the same person I was it’s just the music is more broader. It’s important for me to win cause if I win, the streets win.

24: Any last words?

Maino: Go cop the album. I’m here to stay. Get use to me. I’m here to stay, I’m a ride for my people. It’s bout time we see New York come again.

24: Speaking of that, I got another question. You got this quote “I’m bringing New York forward,” can you explain your meaning behind that?

Maino: Yeah, I’m bringing New York forward. I don’t want to bring it back. Everything that has been done is done. Let’s bring it forward new music, new artists, new era!