Cadence Weapon has won the Polaris Music Prize 2021 for her album Parallel world.
The Edmonton-raised rapper’s full-length album, which fuses hip-hop, electronic music and grime in a reflection on social injustice, was selected by an 11-member grand jury as the best Canadian album of the year, based on its artistic merit. .
The recognition comes with a $ 50,000 award and increased awareness for the artist who has been a part of Canada’s music industry for more than a decade, but is still widely considered underground.
“I can’t believe this is happening, I feel amazing,” she said on webcam Monday when she accepted the honor from home.
The 35-year-old musician’s victory comes after two of his previous albums were selected by Polaris, 2006. Breaking Kayfabe and from 2012 Hope in Dirt Citybut did not take home the award.
Parallel world, his fifth album, was already a favorite with music critics who applauded how his 10 songs, played for 26 minutes, left a lasting impact. Some credited the record with capturing Toronto’s unique perspective on Canada’s black experience dealing with gentrification, technology and history.
“I definitely made music with a journalistic lens,” he said, acknowledging that much of the album’s inspiration came from watching George Floyd’s protests last year.
READ MORE: Protests after George Floyd’s death bring racism to the forefront in Edmonton
Cadence Weapon, born Rollie Pemberton, moved to Toronto in 2015 after spending many of her formative years in Montreal. But before that, he was already on the radar of Canada’s art scene, named Edmonton Poet Laureate for two years in 2009.
His family ties to Edmonton run deep. His late father, Teddy, was a hip-hop DJ on campus radio, while his grandfather, Rollie Miles, was a CFL Eskimo player for 11 years.
By accepting the Polaris Award, Pemberton laid out early plans to use some of its “resources” to host voter registration events around the Toronto municipal and Ontario provincial elections.
“We need some changes in our leadership and we must make things more equitable so that the people of the city can vote,” he said, and asked other interested musicians to join him in his search.
At a press conference following the award announcement, he told reporters that he also plans to use a portion of the award money to help some Toronto crowdfunding campaigns cross their goal, including one for the Little Jamaica community, which it is being affected by a light. Railway transit line that will soon pass through the area.
Pemberton also reflected on the nation’s political landscape a week after the polls closed for the early federal elections.
“I also want to take this moment to mention that Justin Trudeau has worn the black face so many times that he cannot even remember how many times, and he just received a third term,” he said in his acceptance speech for Polaris.
“And that’s exactly why I need to make rap records that are political, that address these issues, because that is still a fact today.”
The Polaris Music Prize honors the artist or group who created the most outstanding Canadian album of the previous year, regardless of genre or sales, chosen by a team of journalists, broadcasters and bloggers.
It is considered one of the most prestigious music awards in the country. Past winners include Backxwash, Haviah Mighty, Jeremy Dutcher, and Kaytranada.
Watch below: (As of September 18, 2018) A Polaris Music Award winner hopes that converting songs written by his ancestors a century ago will help inspire indigenous communities for years to come. As Ross Lord reports, Jeremy Dutcher says his music is helping fuel an indigenous renaissance.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca