If Tomorrow Comes: A Review of Maino's Debut Album

With a hard-knock life story à la 50 Cent, and a multi-year run on the mixtape circuit, Maino who became something of a household name among hip-hop fans with the unexpected success of last year's single Hi Hater, dropped his long-delayed solo album If Tomorrow Comes... at the end of June. Surprisingly, it is one of the year's strongest hip-hop albums.

It is surprising because most rappers who have spent serious time on the mixtape circuit are there for a reason, usually because either they cannot write hit songs or they cannot create hit albums. Further, Maino himself has never been the most lyrical emcee though he has openly professed his admiration for the Notorious B.I.G. He eschews metaphor, punch lines, and lacks even the vocal stylings of a Young Jeezy, relying mainly on simile and storytelling. However, because he presents his life story completely and passionately, unlike many an artist, these techniques are largely unnecessary.

Many rappers begin their albums with hip-hop's requisite boasting, assuming implicitly that you know their story and that it does not bear mentioning (in many cases that is, in fact, correct). Unlike many who have released their debuts after riding a wave of positive publicity, Maino shrewdly recapitulates his life-story for those who do not know who he is. This is a smart move as his buzz is not that of a pre-Get Rich or Die Tryin 50 Cent. If Tomorrow Comes... is a lyrical autobiography; and it is an album, not a loose aggregation of songs like Lil Wayne's The Carter III, or those albums of his contemporaries or legions of imitators.

And Maino is a rapper who is unambiguously, quintessentially, and refreshingly himself, one of the first in quite some time. The T-Pain, Swizz Beatz, and Trey Songz appearances are not a sign of trend following; if it were, there would probably also be some singing, a little Autotune. Rather it seems that the rapper is sincerely trying to make the most of his success, as those songs clearly sound like him.

If Tomorrow Comes... features top-shelf production from the likes of Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze, and a number of lesser-known producers, which provides a solid sonic backdrop for his narrative. Maino has achieved just enough success wherein he is still humble enough to be likable (see the single and first track Million Bucks), where he claims that his success inspires him to give his money away.

The skits are pleasantly utilitarian rather than frivolous: he narrates his life beginning with his release from prison. Many rappers proffer hedonistic and violent verses without providing context enough for the verses to mean much of anything. Here, the requisite gangster posturing occurs as, in his narrative, Maino has recently been released from jail and rather than achieve the immediate fame he hoped for, becomes a criminal again. And it is less gangster posturing than a description authentic description of his mindstate over the past few years, which as the album purports, have been rough for the rapper. It is not all dour though as of course Maino eventually achieves success (see the album's aforementioned opener and the closer Celebrate), but not before some memorable tracks, such as Remember My Name, All of the Above, Soldier, and Runaway Slave.

Maino has released a promising debut that portends a bright future for a burgeoning rap star. Buy the album, don't download it.

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