Arlo Maverick

Marlon Wilson, known professionally as Arlo Maverick, is a Canadian hip-hop artist and filmmaker based in Edmonton, Alberta.

Personal life

Maverick grew up in a working-class family in Edmonton and listened to hip-hop and reggae with his cousins. He first tried penning lyrics at the age of eight when he saw a girl in church who was writing a rhyme rather than listening to the sermon.

Maverick's partner is the painter and filmmaker Natalie Meyer. He works for National Oilwell Varco.

Musical career

Wilson first adopted the name Arlo Maverick when he and his cousins Dirt Gritie and Bigga Nolte joined his friend DJ Sonny Grimezz to form the hip-hop group Politic Live in 2002. Politic Live toured across Canada and opened for acts like Busta Rhymes, Nas, and Snoop Dogg, but wound down in 2012. This EP was inspired by reflections on humans' relationship with technology, prompted in part by Black Mirror, and was originally planned for release in 2018,

Other pursuits

Maverick has been described as an important mentor figure within the Edmonton hip-hop community, helping to explain the steps in writing grants and producing and marketing an album. He has also long volunteered as a guest DJ for the community radio station CJSR-FM. In 2025, Maverick and Meyer released the documentary Batting Beyond Borders about West Indian cricket players in Victoria Park, Edmonton.