Maino Nabs Lead Role In Musical Stage Play

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.

“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.