Cadence Weapon wins Polaris Music Prize for 'Parallel World'
Cadence Weapon has won the 2021 Polaris Music Prize for his album "Parallel World."
The Edmonton-raised rapper's full-length record -- which fuses hip-hop, electronic and grime music into 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 prize and heightened awareness for the artist who's been part of Canada's music industry for well over a decade but is still widely considered underground.
"I can't believe this is happening, I feel amazing," he said by webcam on Monday as he accepted the honour from his home.
The 35-year-old musician's win comes after two of his previous albums were Polaris shortlisted, 2006's "Breaking Kayfabe" and 2012's "Hope in Dirt City," but didn't take home the prize.
"Parallel World," his fifth album, was already a darling of music critics who applauded how its 10 songs that play out over a brisk 26-minutes left a lasting impact. Some credited the record with capturing a uniquely Toronto perspective on the Black experience in Canada that grapples with gentrification, technology and history.
"I definitely made music with a journalistic lens," he said, acknowledging much of the album's inspiration came from watching the George Floyd protests last year.
Cadence Weapon, born Rollie Pemberton, moved to Toronto in 2015 after spending many of his formative years in Montreal. But before that, he was already on the radar of Canada's arts scene, named Edmonton's poet laureate for two years in 2009.
His familial ties to Edmonton run deep. His late father, Teddy, was a hip-hop DJ on campus radio while his grandfather, Rollie Miles, spent 11 years playing for Edmonton's CFL team.
While accepting the Polaris award, Pemberton laid out early plans to use some of his "resources" to organize voter registration events around the Toronto municipal and Ontario provincial elections.
"We need some changes to our leadership and we need to make things more equitable for people in the city to be able to vote," he said, calling on other interested musicians to join him in his quest.
In a news conference after the award announcement, he told reporters that he also plans to use a portion of the prize money to help some Toronto crowdfunding campaigns cross their goal, including one for the Little Jamaica community, which is being impacted by construction of a light-rail transit line nearing completion in the area.
Pemberton also reflected on the political landscape of the nation a week after polls closed for the snap federal election.
"I also just want to take this time to mention that Justin Trudeau has worn blackface so many times he can't even remember how many times, and he was just given a third term," he said in his Polaris acceptance speech.
"And that's exactly why I need to be making rap records that are political, that are about these subjects because that's still a fact today."
The Polaris Music Prize awards the artist or group that created the standout Canadian album of the previous year -- irrespective of genre or sales -- as chosen by a team of journalists, broadcasters and bloggers.
It is considered one of the country's most prestigious music awards. Former winners include Backxwash, Haviah Mighty, Jeremy Dutcher and Kaytranada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2021
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
A Washington police officer killed 3 people in 8 years -- and faces a murder trial for the last one
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a suburban Seattle police officer charged with murder in the death of a 26-year-old man outside a convenience store in 2019 — the third person the officer had killed in the past eight years.
3 children injured after truck and school bus collide in Russell, Ont.
Three children and a driver were taken to hospital after a school bus and a truck collided on Route 400 in Russell, Ont.