Cadence Weapon
Encyclopedia
Cadence Weapon is the stage name
of Rollie Pemberton, a Canadian
rapper.
, Alberta
, his father was Teddy Pemberton, a pioneering hip hop DJ on CJSR-FM
, and his grandfather was Rollie Miles
, a football player for the Edmonton Eskimos
. He began rapping at 13, and following high school he briefly attended journalism
school, dropping out soon afterward to concentrate on music. He released the underground mix tape Cadence Weapon is the Black Hand in 2005, and his full-length debut Breaking Kayfabe
at the end of the year. Breaking Kayfabe has garnered strong reviews in Canadian, American and British media, and Cadence has toured extensively to support the disc, including concerts across Canada and three shows in Austin, Texas
at the 2006 South by Southwest
festival. Cadence has said in an interview what inspired him to go into music as a career: "It was around me all the time when I was growing up, my dad was a DJ and he would play all sorts of stuff around the house, Hip hop, electro, funk and my mum would play piano. And I suppose I just randomly got into rapping. I remember rapping in math class, I failed maths, but I suppose I did OK in other things." Cadence has said that he is inspired by dance music: "I’m a big Basement Jaxx fan. I like way their music sounds really like it’s a party happening. It sounds really organic and super-tech. Switch. Obviously Daft Punk. I’m into very European stuff. I like some of the Ed Banger stuff. Dubsided Records."
Chart
magazine named Cadence Weapon one of the 15 Canadian artists to watch in 2006. In addition, composite review site Metacritic lists Breaking Kayfabe
as one of the best albums of 2006.
In addition to his own recordings, Cadence Weapon has also remixed tracks for Lady Sovereign
and Ciara
, and has written hiphop reviews for Stylus
and Pitchfork Media
.
Cadence Weapon was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize
, which awards $20,000 for the Canadian album of the year. However, he lost to Final Fantasy's He Poos Clouds
. Coincidentally, the Toronto alternative newspaper Eye weekly
' s cover photograph the Thursday before the award was presented featured both Cadence Weapon and Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett
adopting a mock confrontational pose. The accompanying article, in fact, revealed that Cadence and Pallett had become friends and both really admired each other's records. Cadence and Pallett also performed together on the CBC Radio
concert series Fuse
in April 2007.
On February 21, 2007, Pemberton announced that he signed an American record deal with Epitaph Records
sublabel ANTI-
, a move that will give him greater exposure in the United States. As a part of his new deal, Breaking Kayfabe was released in the US on March 13, 2007. In the fall of 2007, Big Dada
became Cadence Weapon's representative label in Europe.
He also accompanied Final Fantasy
on part of his 2007 tour.
Cadence Weapon's second LP, Afterparty Babies
was released by Anti-/Epitaph on March 4, 2008. In 2008 he also played at ZXZW in Holland.
He has also been a guest performer on music by other artists, including Super Extra Bonus Party
's "Radar" and Shout Out Out Out Out
's "Coming Home".
On May 26, 2009 Cadence Weapon was sworn in as Edmonton
's poet laureate
for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2009, and as such is expected serve as an ambassador of the literary arts, as well as creating original works.
In 2011, he participated in the National Parks Project
, collaborating with musicians Laura Barrett
and Mark Hamilton and filmmaker Peter Lynch
to produce and score a short film about Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park
.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Rollie Pemberton, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rapper.
Biography
Born and raised in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, his father was Teddy Pemberton, a pioneering hip hop DJ on CJSR-FM
CJSR-FM
CJSR-FM is a Canadian campus-based community radio station, broadcasting at 88.5 FM in Edmonton, Alberta. The CJSR studios are located in the Students' Union Building of the University of Alberta....
, and his grandfather was Rollie Miles
Rollie Miles
Elmer Roland "Rollie" Miles was a professional football player for the Canadian Football League Edmonton Eskimos. Miles played offence , defence , and special teams , during his eleven career with the Eskimos...
, a football player for the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
. He began rapping at 13, and following high school he briefly attended journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
school, dropping out soon afterward to concentrate on music. He released the underground mix tape Cadence Weapon is the Black Hand in 2005, and his full-length debut Breaking Kayfabe
Breaking Kayfabe
Breaking Kayfabe is the debut album by Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon, released in 2005 on Upper Class Recordings. It was also released in the United States by Anti-Records on March 13, 2007. The title refers to a term in professional wrestling which is synonymous with "breaking character" .The...
at the end of the year. Breaking Kayfabe has garnered strong reviews in Canadian, American and British media, and Cadence has toured extensively to support the disc, including concerts across Canada and three shows in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
at the 2006 South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival. Cadence has said in an interview what inspired him to go into music as a career: "It was around me all the time when I was growing up, my dad was a DJ and he would play all sorts of stuff around the house, Hip hop, electro, funk and my mum would play piano. And I suppose I just randomly got into rapping. I remember rapping in math class, I failed maths, but I suppose I did OK in other things." Cadence has said that he is inspired by dance music: "I’m a big Basement Jaxx fan. I like way their music sounds really like it’s a party happening. It sounds really organic and super-tech. Switch. Obviously Daft Punk. I’m into very European stuff. I like some of the Ed Banger stuff. Dubsided Records."
Chart
Chart (magazine)
ChartAttack is a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine called Chart, which was published from 1991 to 2009, the web version continues operation....
magazine named Cadence Weapon one of the 15 Canadian artists to watch in 2006. In addition, composite review site Metacritic lists Breaking Kayfabe
Breaking Kayfabe
Breaking Kayfabe is the debut album by Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon, released in 2005 on Upper Class Recordings. It was also released in the United States by Anti-Records on March 13, 2007. The title refers to a term in professional wrestling which is synonymous with "breaking character" .The...
as one of the best albums of 2006.
In addition to his own recordings, Cadence Weapon has also remixed tracks for Lady Sovereign
Lady Sovereign
Louise Amanda Harman , better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is an English rapper & grime artist. She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males...
and Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
, and has written hiphop reviews for Stylus
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
and Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
.
Cadence Weapon was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize
2006 Polaris Music Prize
The inaugural edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize presented on September 18, 2006, at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre. The winning album was Final Fantasy's He Poos Clouds.-Nominees:...
, which awards $20,000 for the Canadian album of the year. However, he lost to Final Fantasy's He Poos Clouds
He Poos Clouds
He Poos Clouds is the second album by Canadian indie rock artist Final Fantasy, released June 13, 2006 on Blocks Recording Club in Canada and Tomlab internationally....
. Coincidentally, the Toronto alternative newspaper Eye weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
Owen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
adopting a mock confrontational pose. The accompanying article, in fact, revealed that Cadence and Pallett had become friends and both really admired each other's records. Cadence and Pallett also performed together on the CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
concert series Fuse
Fuse (radio program)
Fuse is a Canadian radio program, which airs on CBC Radio One and on CBC Radio 3's satellite radio channel. From March 25, 2007 to August 2008, the program was also aired on CBC Radio 2, becoming the only program which has aired on all three networks...
in April 2007.
On February 21, 2007, Pemberton announced that he signed an American record deal with Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
sublabel ANTI-
ANTI-
ANTI- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label of Epitaph Records.While Epitaph's focus has shifted over the last decade from mostly punk rock, nowadays ANTI- has a more diverse roster, ranging from country , hip hop , reggae , Soul , folk , rap-rock , indie rock...
, a move that will give him greater exposure in the United States. As a part of his new deal, Breaking Kayfabe was released in the US on March 13, 2007. In the fall of 2007, Big Dada
Big Dada
Big Dada Recordings is the Hip Hop imprint of London-based independent record label, Ninja Tune. It is best known for being the home of prominent British hip hop artist Roots Manuva. It was started by reputed hip hop journalist Will Ashon in February 1997...
became Cadence Weapon's representative label in Europe.
He also accompanied Final Fantasy
Owen Pallett
Michael James Owen Pallett is a Canadian composer, violinist, keyboardist, and vocalist from Toronto, Ontario. He won the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the album He Poos Clouds....
on part of his 2007 tour.
Cadence Weapon's second LP, Afterparty Babies
Afterparty Babies
Afterparty Babies is the second album by Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon, released March 4, 2008 on Anti-Records and Upper Class Recordings.- Track listing :# "Do I Miss My Friends?"# "In Search of the Youth Crew" – 4:15# "True Story"...
was released by Anti-/Epitaph on March 4, 2008. In 2008 he also played at ZXZW in Holland.
He has also been a guest performer on music by other artists, including Super Extra Bonus Party
Super Extra Bonus Party
Super Extra Bonus Party were a Choice Music Prize winning indie-electronica band, formed in November 2005 and based in Kildare, Ireland. Their music spanned various genres such as electronica, indie and hip hop...
's "Radar" and Shout Out Out Out Out
Shout Out Out Out Out
Shout Out Out Out Out is a Canadian dance punk/electro group from Edmonton, Alberta. Their debut album Not Saying/Just Saying, released in 2006, quickly garnered significant airplay on Canadian campus radio and on CBC Radio 3. The album debuted at #11 on Canada's national campus radio chart,...
's "Coming Home".
On May 26, 2009 Cadence Weapon was sworn in as Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
's poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2009, and as such is expected serve as an ambassador of the literary arts, as well as creating original works.
In 2011, he participated in the National Parks Project
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, collaborating with musicians Laura Barrett
Laura Barrett
Laura Barrett is a Canadian indie pop singer-songwriter, best known for incorporating the kalimba into her music. In addition to her solo work, Barrett has also performed as a member of The Hidden Cameras, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables, Woodhands and Sheezer....
and Mark Hamilton and filmmaker Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch (director)
Peter Lynch is an Canadian filmmaker, the director and writer of Project Grizzly and Cyberman.Lynch won a Genie Award for his short film Arrowhead, starring Don McKellar.He attended York University in Toronto, Canada.-Early life:...
to produce and score a short film about Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist...
.
Mixtapes
- Cadence Weapon is the Black Hand (2005)
- Separation Anxiety (2009)
- Tron Legacy (2010)
External links
- Official site
- "Edmonton Hip hop Champion Charges in From Leftfield", Exclaim!Exclaim!Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
, February 2, 2006 - "Weapons ready", Vue WeeklyVue WeeklyVue Weekly is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and with new issues coming out every Thursday.Vue was founded in 1995 by former employees and owners of SEE Magazine, upset over losing control of SEE to creditors...
, December 2005 - Cadence Weapon on AOL Music Canada
- Interview at britishhiphop.co.uk, May 2008
- Cadence Weapon questionnaire
- UGSMAG interview
- Canadian Press article
- State Magazine interview with Cadence Weapon