A dilemma with urban music in America involves regional credibility. If the town you rep has no notoriety, chances are you’ll have a hard time making it in the industry. Hip-hop is a territorial regime, especially in the states. And embodying your home turf is simply part of the how the game is played. However, there’s always the odd case of an artist or collective putting their city/state on the map with no previous representation (i.e., someone had to first associate Houston with candy gloss and entrepreneurship in dental ornamentation). Lil’ Flip brought Screwston to the forefront, while David Banner demonstrated his Mississippian “crooked lettaz” mentality.

Most states in the U.S. lack such representation, thus nixing most any rapper from those respective regions. Arkansas is no exception. And while this particular state has yet to break into the urban music mainstream as such, there’s fortunately hope for such musings. Little Rock-based MC/producer 607 could be the antidote, as suggested by his years of weighty contribution to and dominance in the humble-but-established Central Arkansas hip-hop scene. Six is probably one of the hardest-working musicians in the state to boot, dropping an entire full length every three months or so. Since the South is known globally for its stylistic stagnancy over the past eight years, Six comes as a breath of fresh air, as he’s is just as quick to flip a Björk sample as he is to drop a more traditional Dirty South palette. He’s sampled Crash Test Dummies, Contra (the NES title) and “Toxic,” the latter of which earned him a Stereogum post in late ‘04.

“Black Man Smyle” is an uplifting, racially conscious track from his 23rd and latest album, The Devil’s Violin.

2/21 Little Rock (@ Whitewater Water)
2/23 Fayetteville (@ The Gypsy)
3/05 Little Rock (@ Marathon Path)
3/24 North Little Rock (@ Fatback’s)

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