Brooklyn rapper Maino hit the scene in the early ‘00s, coming with an aggro, hustler-gangster style ideal for listeners and labels looking for the next 50 Cent. He dropped a gang of mixtapes, generated a lot of buzz (especially in New York), and eventually landed a major label deal with Universal, before getting dropped and being picked up by Atlantic. His debut album, Until Tomorrow Comes featuring heavy-hitter guests like Swizz Beatz, T-Pain, and Trey Songz, spawned a few singles, but never really blew up. His EP Unstoppable followed in 2010, setting the stage for this 20-track offering The Art of War. He’s got seemingly limitless verses about prison time, crack dealing, and enemy eliminating — all backed by standard issue beats and catchy R&B hooks. But for what it's worth, he does it well, and sounds a lot more convincing than most. For fans of club-ready felony raps, this is pretty solid, especially tracks like "Maino Nation," "Brooklyn Way," and "It's On Tonight" featuring Snoop.