Gino lispi, born and raised Northeast of Philadelphia, has been surrounded by music his entire life. His father was a music major and there were always instruments around the house. At first, in his high school years, Gino’s passion for music landed him behind a drum set. Gino played in a few bands for years until one day he decided to track some lyrics he had been working on over a beat he found. The song, which was never named, began to circulate throughout their high school and although Gino continued to work with his band, he began to construct more and more hip-hop material, eventually releasing a project to nearly 400 people at a local venue in late 2006. Even with the absence of an official release, he has opened up for artists such as asher roth (x2), wu-tang clan, STS, Sean Falyon, and in 2011 his side project with fellow MC Jaeon called Game 7 provided support for lil wayne’s concert at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain. Gino’s music has a definite vibe that you can immediately sense when listening. His outside the box beat selections, catchy rhyme schemes and hook writing abilities separate him from many mainstream rappers. His songs touch on many subjects from relationships, and life lessons, to blackouts and party scenes. Mos Def, Jay-Z, Outkast and Black Thought of The Roots are a few artists that have heavily influenced Gino. His taste for all kinds of music, however, facilitates his eclectic style. In a word, Gino is versatile and loves to entertain. After the release of his 2006 project and local success, he made a move to Philadelphia where he continued writing and recording new material. In 2007, one of his songs titled “American Dreamons” was discovered by URB Magazine on his myspace page. Along with names such as Wale (Washington D.C.), Black Milk (Detroit), Gino was chosen to represent Philadelphia. Gino and the other selected artists were featured on busabeats.com Throughout 2008 and 2009, Gino continued writing, recording and performing between his hometown and Philadelphia. In 2009, Gino landed an opening slot for Asher Roth in Allentown, PA, as well as at East Stroudsburg University in front of 2000 students. In late 2009 Gino and an old friend and local mc, Jaeon collaborated on a project along with Joe Loftus of JL Studios. Over the next two years the three would construct a ten-song album from scratch, along with added production from illmind. Gino and Jaeon would call the group Game 7. In 2011, the release of the self-titled Game 7 album kept Gino busy performing. Game 7 landed an opening spot for lil wayne at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain. Unfortunately, Jaeon relocated to Jacksonville Florida leading Gino to redirect his attention back to his solo endeavor. 2011 ended with Gino opening up for the Wu-Tang Clan in East Stroudsburg in front of 600 people. In addition to the Wu-Tang show, Gino put out a digital compilation called “Shit I Never Released” including tracks such as “Hush” featuring Britt Rice, “Little Miss”, “Watch Me Chew”, and “Neverwrong”. 2012 has been a very fast paced year for Gino. He was invited back to East Stroudsburg University to perform at their annual springfest in front of 400 students. Throughout the summer gino’s songs “Neverwrong” and “Hush” featuring Britt Rice grew into crowd favorites. Gino was selected as the “Best Rapper” in Northeast Pennsylvania as voted by readers of The Weekender, a regional entertainment publication. As momentum was building, Gino was invited back to ESU to perform for their annual homecoming event along with DJ Tonez, this time in front of 600 students. Gino continues to work on new music and is always keeping his fans updated via his twitter, instagram, and facebook accounts.