Cadence Weapon captures Polaris Music Prize for hip-hop album ‘Parallel World’

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

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.

READ MORE: Protests after death of George Floyd brings racism to the forefront in Edmonton

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, was a player with the CFL’s Eskimos for 11 years.

While accepting the Polaris award, Pemberton laid out early plans for using 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 a light-rail transit line that will soon be passing through 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.

Cadence Weapon Wins 2021 Polaris Music Prize for Parallel World

The Edmonton-born, Toronto-based rapper won the Canadian award for the country’s best record of the year

By Allison Hussey and Matthew Ismael RuizSeptember 27, 2021

Cadence Weapon, photo by Colin Medley

Cadence Weapon has won Canada’s Polaris Music Prize, which celebrates the country’s best record of the year, for his album Parallel World. The award comes with a cash prize of $50,000 (Canadian) and promotional services for a future release.

Cadence Weapon is the rap moniker of Pitchfork contributor Rollie Pemberton. This year marked Cadence Weapon’s third time on the Short List for the prize. While accepting the award, he said:

If I won this, I wanted to announce that next year I’ll be using some of my resources to organize some voter registration events around the Toronto municipal election, as well as the Ontario provincial election because we need some changes to our leadership and we need to make things more equitable for people in this city to be able to vote. 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. 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.

Finally, this goes out to everybody in Edmonton and Alberta! I’m from Edmonton, 780, we’ve never been here before. I want to show everybody, all the young artists listening right now, and watching this, you don’t have to be from Toronto. Your experience is valuable. Your art matters. Coming from Edmonton, I don’t want you to forget that. The prairies got something to say. E-town.

The Polaris Music Prize is awarded to the “Best Canadian album of the year based on artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history or label affiliation,” as determined by a Grand Jury of 11 “music media professionals.” The Grand Jury is selected from the Polaris jury pool of 199 Canadian writers, editors, broadcasters, and DJs; this year’s jury pool included Pitchfork contributor Stuart Berman.

Daniel Lanois, Yves Jarvis, Bernice, and Fiver with the Atlantic School of Spontaneous Composition were among those on the Long List for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize, which was narrowed down in July. Runners-up from the Short List receive a cash prize of $3,000 (Canadian).


Backxwash won for God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out Of It last year, following previous honorees Haviah Mighty, Jeremy Dutcher, and Lido Pimienta.