Maino - If Tomorrow Comes Review

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 06.30.2009

After serving 10 years in jail, Maino releases his debut album and tells you the story of how he got here. Surprisingly, it's a much better listen than you'd think

At the age of 16, most of us were at school, enjoying holidays with friends or being forced to go to family events we’d much rather have avoided due to that one relative who always insists on telling embarrassing stories about you.

At the age of 16, Maino was involved in a drug related kidnapping and was sentenced to 5 to 15 years jail for his involvement. Both of his parents suffered from drug problems, and because of this, Maino spent a lot of his younger years committing various petty crimes. Upon his release from jail in 2003 having served 10 years of his sentence, he founded a record label, Hustle Hard and immediately began the search for a label to promote his music and make a better life for himself.

Although not explicitly stated, Maino’s debut album is a concept album of sorts, chronicling his release from jail, the threat of a relapse into his old ways, and his eventual meeting with Atlantic Records who have decided to back the Brooklyn rapper for his first album, If Tomorrow Comes.

Maino’s story is one any rap fan will have heard before, so is he really going to say anything worth listening to?



Tracks

1. Million Bucks Ft. Swizz Beatz
2. Scene 1: If Tomorrow Comes…
3. Back To Life Ft. Push! Montana
4. Remember My Name
5. Gangsta Ft. B.G.
6. Scene 2: The Meeting
7. All The Above Ft. T-Pain
8. Here Comes Trouble
9. Scene 3: Hating
10. Hi Hater
11. Let’s Make A Movie
12. Kill You
13. Scene 4: Contemplating
14. Runaway Slave
15. Soldier
16. Hood Love Ft. Trey Songz
17. Floating
18. Scene 5: The Phone Call
19. Celebrate

To be honest, when I first saw the track listing, I didn’t have high hopes for If Tomorrow Comes. It appeared at first glance to be a fairly typical mainstream rap affair, but having listened to it, I can happily say I was pleasantly surprised with the final product.

Opening with “Million Bucks”, a celebratory track produced by Swizz Beatz, the song feels like your typical “I’ve got money now” track, but actually represents a lot more when put into the context of the album’s concept. “Scene 1” has Maino informing us that “Million Bucks” represents the end of the story and he walks us through where his story in hip-hop begins. The skit blends into the next track, “Back To Life” which is a conversation style track between Maino and Push! Montana as the two discuss what’s been happening in Maino’s absence and Maino’s plans for the future – hip-hop.

“Remember My Name” showcases Maino’s hunger and determination to make something of his life. The beat from Dangerous LLC is powerful and as it fades out, Maino expresses his concerns that despite his dream to become a rapper, he could feel himself regressing to his old ways. This ultimately paves the way for “Gangsta” which may sound cliché, but is actually quite a good track. Maino initially describes his life after his father died, to his initiation into the gang life: ”Since poppa died, I was staring eye to eye. With them gangstas, those ni**** you idolize” The difference to the norm though is that Maino admits he was young and stupid at the time, cutting class and wasting his life until he went to jail.

“Scene 2” represents Maino’s meeting with DJ Kayslay and kicks off the part of the album that represents Maino’s feelings that he’s finally made it. “All The Above”, produced by Just Blaze is very similar in terms of sound to T.I.’s “Live Your Life” (which he also produced) and is the third single from the album. It’s easily one of the better tracks on the album as it once again, shows Maino’s determination to make something of himself, despite becoming a product of his environment when he was younger.

“Scene 3” is actually kind of funny but true at the same time. A conversation between two guys as one gives Maino props for surviving prison and coming home, whilst the other complains that since he’s been in jail for so long, what’s he going to rap about? ”Takin’ mad showers and shit?” “Hi Hater” which was the lead single for the album is a good example that Maino can craft catchy hooks, which has ultimately benefited the album as the guests are kept to a minimum throughout. The low point of the album comes with “Let’s Make A Movie”, and he’s not talking about aspirations to become the next Spielberg either. It does though set up the next track “Kill You” which again sounds cliché but is actually about the rage he feels with his woman to the point where he wants to kill her. To anybody who’s been through the pain of a particularly difficult relationship or been on the receiving end of having a partner cheat on you, this song will probably resonate with you.

“Scene 4” sets up Maino’s period of doubt. He was becoming discouraged with how his rap career was going and was worried that all he would ever amount to be would be a product of the hood. “Runaway Slave” showcases his feelings of angst and frustration with his situation. Likewise, “Floating” produced by Nard & B show Maino’s depression as his friends suffer from the hood life as he turns to alcohol to numb himself from the pain. “Floating” is another good example that Maino is actually quite a good hook writer too.

Closing out the album though, “Scene 5” is a phone call from Atlantic Records expressing their desire to hear some of Maino’s music and discuss a deal with him. Rewind back to “Million Bucks” and you have the story of Maino and his struggle to make a name for himself in the rap game.

There are some songs that aren’t quite as good as the others. “Soldier” and “Hood Love” aren’t necessarily bad and they work very well in the context of the album, but separately, they are a little too clichéd to be memorable. “Celebrate” is a good song, but clocks in at close to 11 minutes as Maino spends the better part of 7 minutes laughing and giving random shout outs to various people in his life. Note to Maino, that’s why we have liner notes in albums.

The 411: You may be surprised, but If Tomorrow Comes is actually quite an enjoyable listen. For a debut album, Maino shows that he has many of the tools necessary to become a mainstay in the hip-hop game: hook writing, emotion, strong lyricism and experiences to work with. Ultimately it’s brought down by a handful of lesser songs where Maino succumbs to the clichés of his story, rather than using them to his advantage. Still, it’s a very good album by today’s mainstream standards and I look forward to hearing more from Maino. Give it a listen; you may be pleasantly surprised like I was.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]