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Who is Bo Jankans, and what’s his deal? “I ain’t out for success like the rest of ’em,” he shouts on the title track of his recent EP, Mr. Motormouth. “I’m out to spread love to my people, that’s my testament.” Still, it’s clear he wants to go somewhere: “I don’t pay attention to the names that you mention/Comprehend I’m 10 steps ahead of where you headin’.”
It’s one of several meditative moments for Jankans, a rapid-fire Herndon rapper, whose new EP was produced entirely by fellow Virginia native J-Scrilla (DR $crilla Ventura these days). Motormouth is more constrained than Jankans’ previous mixtape, Realism, which paired crackling samples with ruminating flows. Perhaps on purpose, Scrilla opts for menacing boom-bap on Jankans’ new work, so much so that it outweighs the rhymes. Jankans is earnest enough, but the instrumentals carry the project.
Listen to Mr. Motormouth below.