PUSH!, Lucky Don, Twigg Martin, Hustle Hard Mouse and Maino himself formally introduce themselves to rap fans with their debut mixtape.

Don’t Sleep: Necessary Notable

Mixtape: The Mafia

Essential Info: Maino has always carried himself like a boss and now the Brooklyn, New York MC has finally risen to Don status by assembling his hand-picked family of rap assassins.

On Tuesday (October 9), the “Hi Hater” spitter officially introduced The Mafia to rap fans via the group’s self-titled debut mixtape. Comprised of PUSH!, Lucky Don, Twigg Martin, Hustle Hard Mouse and Maino himself, The Mafia aim to make a major splash with this little thing of theirs.

The tape’s “Intro” finds Main introducing his team properly. “Welcome to the mob, you’ve now been invited/ To step into my world where lames get indicted/ Killers get excited, the drama gets ignited/ Through bloodshed and war me and my n—-as stand united,” Maino spits before his team display their murderous wordplay one-by-one.

On Friday, the Brooklyn bar slingers stopped by MTV News and Maino explained

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By GOTTI

“FRESSHH” as always, Push! Montana delivers “The Next One” from “When Push! Comes To Shove” Vol. 2. Instead of relegating himself to painting pictures of concrete and corners, Push! takes listeners a little closer to home with his signature force added to each word he speaks.

• …“’My girl trippin’, said ‘Nigga you need to grow up’ /

   I looked at her and said ‘You know what? / Don’t say nothing to me ’til you grow nuts’ / 
  

  ‘Cause you don’t know how it feels to be a nigga / Made small in society, with dreams of being bigger.’”

The way slots in the rap game are filling faster than they’re coming open, it’s challenging for artists to elbow their way onto listeners’ radars. We’re not even talking being able to cash in on the art, especially during a time when 64% of Americans can’t pay for a $1000 emergency. With no guarantees or benefits, rap as a career pales in comparison to the idealized version so many of us grew up seeing and I’m starting to think “making it” requires more stamina than skills.

The ones who separate themselves from the pack are either part of the small few who are uniquely talented or the next subgroup of those able to will their way to the forefront. And even though “XXL cover, I got left out,” Montana has been blessed with both of the aforementioned characteristics so his turn is coming, just like so many of us. And much like us, he just has to find a way make it to the next check.

[Link] Push! Montana – “The Next One”

Everything [is] not all dark clouds. Check out Montana’s “On Deck” Interview on MTV2′s Sucker Free Countdown where he speaks on being from Brooklyn, the blessings he has received career-wise and the game plan for 2011 ’til infinity.

- The Smoking Section