Listen To This: Arkansas Bo's Natural State of Mind

LA Weekly music editor and Southern hip-hop encyclopedia Ben Westhoff brought Marlon Jennings, aka Arkansas Bo, to my attention a few months ago, and pointed me in the direction of this profile from 2010. I've been jamming last year's Natural State of Mind on and off since then, and was...

By Audra Schroeder

July 18, 2012

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LA Weekly music editor and Southern hip-hop encyclopedia Ben Westhoff brought Marlon Jennings, aka Arkansas Bo, to my attention a few months ago, and pointed me in the direction of this profile from 2010. I've been jamming last year's Natural State of Mind on and off since then, and was pleasantly surprised to see he's performing at the Prophet Bar on Friday.

He's got a bit of that Big K.R.I.T. ferocity, as witnessed on the album's lead track, "The Dream," but he evens it out by switching styles and personalities. Some of it's R&B ("Go Harder"), some is straight hip-hop, some is funk. Throughout it all, Jennings is unencumbered by his flow, effortlessly bobbing and weaving. Don't sleep on him.

<a href="http://arkansasbo3.bandcamp.com/track/the-dream-k-dub-remix">The Dream (K-Dub Remix) by Arkansas Bo</a>

Arkansas Bo hits the Prophet Bar on Friday, July 20, with CPG and Sir Barrett.

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