Okayplayer Exclusive: Maino on Giving Back and Why Rappers Have a "Duty" to Lead by Example

Kids of all ages ran between bouncy houses and amusement park-style rides as their parents lined up for fried fish, chicken and just about every soul food favorite you could think of. Just a few feet away, people laughed, hugged and dapped each other up as the crowd settled in for a day that felt equal parts block party, festival and community giveback.

Welcome to Maino Day.

Now in its third year, Maino’s annual Bed-Stuy event returned to Marcy Avenue on Sunday with something for nearly everyone. There were local vendors and healthcare resources, a stage for emerging artists and, earlier in the day, backpacks and school supplies for kids heading back to school. He also received support from his Let’s Rap About It podcast cohosts, Fabolous, Jim Jones and Dave East, as well as Lola Brooke and Power 105.1 radio host Angela Yee and more.

But despite the name and proclamation he received in 2024, Maino will tell you the day isn’t really about him.

“It’s Maino Day, but it ain’t about me at all,” he told Okayplayer.

Instead, it’s what he calls a “festival-style give back.”

“I’m from Bed-Stuy. I’m from these buildings right here,” Maino explained at the event, just a few feet away from where he grew up. “So it was important for me to do something that I felt like represented me.”

That distinction feels particularly relevant more than 20 years into Maino’s career. Hip hop gave him a platform through records like “Hi Hater” and “All the Above,” and these days, he’s in a different phase of his career, one where part of how he uses that platform is through what he can do for others.

“I don’t think it’s no better feeling than that,” he said of giving back. “The way people look at you and they feel inspired and relate to who you are as a person, as a man, that’s what it’s about.”

Maino Day is one example, but the rapper believes the conversation is bigger than any one artist or event. Hip hop’s influence has proven to be bigger than music, shaping everything from fashion and language to business and culture. And for the artists who benefit from that influence, Maino believes some responsibility comes with it.

“We all got flaws, and I don’t think we come into this feeling like we are role models and stuff like that,” he said. “But I feel like we have a duty and a responsibility to kind of lead by example.”

For Maino, that doesn’t necessarily mean presenting himself as someone who has everything figured out. Instead, he wants what people see in him, and what kids growing up in communities like his see, to represent what’s possible when you keep going.

“When people see me, I want them to see resilience,” he said. “I want them to see hope. I want them to see what it looks like to keep believing and never give up.

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