Like a lot of kids, I listen to rap music. But growing up in the suburbs forty miles north of New York City, a direct connection to hip-hop culture wasn't easily within reach. When we started looking for a rapper to move in with, the suggestions came back again and again - Maino. And it didn't take me long to discovered why. In many ways, Maino represents the best, and sometimes, the worst parts of what it means to live the hip-hop lifestyle. After spending over ten years in prison, he has turned his life around; producing platinum records in the process. My journey with Maino went from crazy parties and sold out shows to a visit in the neighborhood from his rough past. We definitely didn't always see eye to eye, but Maino became a larger than life figure with an energy that makes you feel like every day must be his last.