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Brooklyn-bred rapper Maino has definitely helped bring New York rap forward with his raw, emotional, and at many times, inspiring brand of music. Since bouncing onto the scene in 2008, the rapper has been a mainstay on the Hip-Hop charts with songs like the platinum-selling “All the Above”, “Million Bucks” featuring Swizz Beatz, and one of his latest, “That Could Be Us”.

But, for his legion of fans – one song stands out among the rest.

One of the first songs that Maino released that really stuck was the catchy club anthem, “Hi Hater”. Upon its release in 2008, “Hi Hater” was inescapable. From the music video being on heavy rotation on the BET and MTV, to the song constantly playing on the radio, to the culture that the song created – “Hi Hater” was everywhere.

“It’s like the gift and the curse. With something like that that just taps into the culture with the shirts and everything, it was like this whole fad that I started,” said Maino.

Maino has been able to escape the “one hit wonder” label and has used the song to help further his rap career, but for the rapper – “Hi Hater” has been a career blessing and a burden.

“What urks me a little bit is the fact that people think that’s my biggest song, and it’s not,” explained Maino. “It’s not my biggest song, and it’s like, damn, is that the only one you know?

“The curse part of it, is the fact that people put you in a box [and say], ‘Oh, Maino’s wack, he made “Hi Hater”; he gotta be wack’, because it was so dumbed down.’ It was so dumbed down that I feel like people feel like I don’t get busy.”

Check out our exclusive interview with Maino below where he talks about “Hi Hater” being a career gift and a curse, and why if you ever see him walking down the street, don’t even think of saying, “Hi Hater”: