Maino - Hi Haters...

This song by rapper Maino, "Hi Hater," is the new joint here in New York City. Already, it's been making noise on the radio. But, when I first heard the song I recognized the beat immediately. It was taken from the remixed version of Mary J. Blige's, "Be Happy," from her My Life album.

I recognized the beat because that album was ground-breaking for Mary and all her legions of fans. But, the song, "Be Happy," was my theme song. It was 1994 and I was dating a professional model. I was madly in love with the 6'1 cocoa-colored hued brother. He was from the south and his southern charm won me over. I actually met him in his hometown in the DC/VA/MD area. I was already living in New York, and he moved to the city to be closer to me. However, we were both young and I wanted so much more out of life. I had just finished working on a few projects with Spike Lee, and my model boyfriend's thriving modeling career had taken off. The relationship ended, we lost touch, and I've thus seen him in magazines and on television. I briefly ran into him in Harlem a year ago. It was great seeing him, but time and maturity was definitely in between us. The song, "Be Happy," always makes me think of him.