Edmonton Rapper Arlo Maverick Unleashes New Album 'Blue Collar'
RAPPER EMERGES AS POWERFUL WORKING-CLASS VOICE ON SECOND SOLO EFFORT
Today, Edmonton rap veteran Arlo Maverick unleashes his second solo, Blue Collar. The album draws on personal experiences to give a compelling account of the grind and hurdles of a blue-collar worker.
Much of the themes on Blue Collar revolve around a universal pursuit of purpose, prosperity, and happiness, from the disillusionment of the job market after graduating from college to the gratification of indulging in material things to being undervalued at a 9 to 5. It’s an album that tries to capture the seemingly endless balancing act to meet our personal needs, satisfy our wants, and get ahead in an economic environment, making it harder and harder to do so.
“This album comes from a personal place, but the overall message of hard work, self-determination, and perseverance is universal,” said Arlo Maverick. “I hope this record resonates with blue-collar workers in Alberta and across the country – people who are working hard, trying to keep their head above water and make their dreams a reality no matter how out of reach they may seem.”
On “Night Shift,” the album’s centerpiece, Maverick ponders the tension between balancing making ends meet and material success and the overwhelming sacrifices to reap the rewards. In sharing his story of real-life hurdles, he offers an empowering anthem to the bleary-eyed workers of the world navigating similar experiences.
Elsewhere, the experienced rhymer takes his sound into bold new directions, experimenting with UK drill (“Retail Therapy”) and flexing his vocals on the soulful trap number (“Day Ones”), all while keeping true to his appetite for old-school hip-hop flavors and gospel (“Losing My Religion”).
Maverick holds nothing back on tracks like "On Me," about taking accountability to build a legacy, and the album closer, “Nothing of Value,” which details the effects of an abusive shop floor supervisor and a worker's eventual breaking point: “Walk away from everything/You’ll be lucky if I leave a note.” It’s an explosive finale that speaks to self-determination in the workforce and the ability to take back control of one’s fate.
Having spent the entirety of his solo career delivering scathing social critiques with Blue Collar, he continues to spark conversations about the frustrations of work life and professional ambitions. An instantly relatable collection of songs, Blue Collar positions the rapper as a powerful voice for the working class.
Find Blue Collar now on all streaming platforms, and see the rapper live on October 21 at Edmonton’s Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre for the album’s release party.
More about Arlo Maverick
An elder statesman of Canada’s underground hip-hop scene, Arlo Maverick is rarely at a loss for something new and compelling to say, proving the enduring power of aan intelligentmessage. He is a founding member of the seminal Edmonton rap crew Politic Live and has recorded one full-length album and two EPs as a solo artist. Weaving brainy wit into his wordplay and far-reaching influences, from jazz and soul to electro, each resulting track comes with Maverick’s defining hip-hop stamp. His forthcoming release, Blue Collar, is the third release in a loosely based trilogy, including 2016’s Maybe Tomorrow and 2021’s Soul Merchant, which garnered attention from Exclaim, CBC Radio’s The Strombo Show, and RANGE and earned him a 2023 Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Best Rap & Hip Hop Artist. Maverick has headlined festivals in Western Canada, shared stages with hip-hop icons (Classified, Shad), and showcased in the Netherlands, England, Estonia, South Korea, and Wales. Also an emerging filmmaker, he recently directed the 2023 documentary Untouchable Crew on Edmonton's 1980s breakdance scene, which can be seen on TELUS Optik TV..
