Edmonton: a city with concrete buildings inspired by the communist aesthetic of the Soviet Bloc, winters that rival those in Westeros and armies of gas-guzzling trucks equipped with steel testicles hanging off their bumpers. Yet, in the midst of these stereotypes lies a growing hip-hop scene spearheaded by Arlo Maverick.Maverick (born Marlon Wilson) began writing rhymes over a decade ago after he saw a girl in church penning lyrics instead of paying attention to the pastor. "I had never seen a rhyme written before, and that was the birth of me wanting to actually write my own stories," shared Maverick in a phone interview. The Edmonton-based emcee grew up listening to hip-hop and reggae with his cousins, con temporarily known around the city as Dirt Gritie and Bigga Nolte. The three spent their free time writing songs together, and in 2002, they formed an official group, Politic Live, with long-time friend DJ Sonny Grimezz. For a decade the group released critically-acclaimed albums, toured western Canada, and opened for big-name acts like Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and Nas.
Politic Live decided to slow things down in 2012. Dirt Gritie, who had recently married and was anticipating the birth of his second child, opted to focus on family. "I don't have kids—I hope to be a father someday—but I understand why he wanted to step away from music," said Maverick warmly. "If you're busy trying to schedule tours, or on tours, you miss special moments." This pushed Maverick to pursue a solo career. But to find success in Edmonton's hip-hop underground, an artist must understand the scene first. "The way I think about it is that Edmonton's hip-hop community has always been like this secret that has always existed, but you have to really be immersed in the scene to actually know about the emcees, B-Boys, and DJs," said Maverick. "I guess for me, I was just forced to connect with some of the right people and eventually find my way through the rabbit hole that is Edmonton hip-hop."Because Politic Live enjoyed notoriety across western Canada, Maverick already had a fan base and industry connections that made it easier for him to go solo. But the artist also credits independent radio for allowing him to find his place in Edmonton's hip-hop scene. Maverick volunteered with the city's CJSR FM 88.5 for 13 years as an on-air DJ for the Urban Hang Suite—a show dedicated to urban music, with a focus on independent Canadian artists. This experience led to Maverick prioritizing radio as a medium for showcasing his art. A lot of the emcee's international success comes from how well his music fares on local and on-campus radio stations. Maybe Tomorrow, Maverick's solo project, was number one on the Canadian Campus Radio Weekly Hip-Hop chart for four weeks last year, and his singles have topped local radio charts in places like Chicago, Honolulu, and Portland. "I remember when 'Too Many Toos' had reached number one on a singles chart and the blog that posted it had said 'this week's number one comes from Edmonton artist Arlo Maverick,'" he said. "It was the craziest thing because I was like 'Yo, they know I'm from Edmonton.'"Read the full interview on Noisey