Maino Steps Off The Mic, Takes His Talent To Broadway

Brooklyn rapper Maino is ready to prove his haters he can do much more than just rap by taking part in a new hip-hop-themed stage play, Freedom.

According to reports, the play centers around a man wrongly convicted of a murder over twenty years ago.

Maino has been tapped to play the lead role in a new hip-hop stage play entitled, Freedom, about a man who is incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. The play follows the real life story of David Ranta. Ranta was arrested and convicted of the murder of rabbi Chaskel Werzberger in 1991. A murder he didn’t commit. He served over 20 years in jail for the killing and was released on March 21, 2013. The play’s focus is to bring to light the number of unjust incarcerations that happen on a daily basis. (XXL Mag)

Wrongful convictions reportedly account for a handful of legal cases.

“Jurors go into trials thinking that if a defendant was seen committing a crime, and they confessed to doing the crime, they are guilty,” according to a press release about the production. “However, statistics show that in 25% of the cases where the defendant was exonerated because of DNA, they had made incriminating statements, confessed, or plead guilty. Mistaken identifications account for a third of wrongful convictions. Statistics reveal innocent people get convicted every day.” Maino will be joined by Chicago rapper/producer Chill Ill and actress Felicia Gorham. The Brooklyn rapper recenlty tested his acting chops in the video for ItsTheReal’s “Beef Wit Us” video. (XXL Mag)

A couple years ago, Run-DMC’s DMC told SOHH he wanted to tell his crew’s story on Broadway.

“Before we do the film, we’re taking the story to Broadway,” DMC told SOHH. “We grew up big time. So when we do stuff, we gotta do it big. Yeah. We’re in discussions right now. We’re over halfway there. It’s a strong possibility that we will be taking the Run-DMC to Broadway. Then after we do the play, we’ll do the picture. We want to do Broadway first.” (SOHH)

Back in 2009, Dipset’s Jim Jones tried his hand at acting in a theatrical stage production.

The 32 year-old recently starred in “Hip-Hop Monologues: Inside the Life and Mind of Jim Jones,” an off-Broadway play which chronicles the rapper’s life on the road and on the streets. But don’t think Jones did it for the love for theater, he says making money is what pushed him onstage. Jones says he’s not one to do things for the craft of it — and that he’s all about the money. (Associated Press)