Seventeen-year-old Paulie Fusco was the first cast member of MTV's controversial show, 'Made In Staten Island,' to be introduced. Nicknamed "the hustler," Paulie was quick to let the world know that he is a hot head and will stop at nothing to chase dollar bills.

He is also dating Karina Seabrook, another cast member of the show, daughter of the executive producer of the series and 'Mob Wives' star Karen Gravano. The pilot episode of 'Made In Staten Island,' was enough to establish that Paulie has a rather "toxic" relationship with Karina, as other crew members have pointed out. The number of fights the couple has on several issues in the premiere itself raises a lot of questions.

However, in an exclusive interview with Meaww, Paulie defends his years of relationship with the granddaughter of Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano. "We have an up and down relationship, but we never lose sight of each other. It's just like anybody else's relationship everybody fights just that not everybody sees it," says Paulie. "We are not shy to show you the real meat of our relationship," he shares.

Paulie grew up in the streets. He lost his father when he was 11, but he shares a close bond with his mother and elder brother. In one scene we see him having a heart to heart talk with his mother and brother, where his brother tells him to stay away from the street life. "My brother has been with me since I was born. We obviously love each other and as an older brother, he is always offering me good advice," says Paulie.

Another person whom he credits for keeping him off the streets is Karina. "I was a kind of a lost cause but she came into my life and whipped me up into shape," reiterates Paulie, who is currently waiting tables at a restaurant but has big dreams to be a billionaire by 33." Paulie does not share his plans but says the mantra lies in "hard work, dedication and never losing focus." Just like in the trailer, the 17-year-old is "just getting started."

Even though it sounds like he's got it all figured out, Paulie admits that it's difficult to stay away from the "street life." In the introductory trailer, he proclaims: "You’ll never be able to leave the street. Even if you do, you’re never out." Paulie says this is a "broad statement," but what he meant was that there will always be an urge "inside of you to want to jump back," mostly because of money issues. In the episode, we do see the tough guy break down and cry, and we also see him angry, a lot of times. Paulie assures that he has been working on his anger management issues and as the episode progresses, he does make an effort to change that. 

MTV's 'Made In Staten Island,' airs on January 14 10/9c.