Rapper Cadence Weapon to headline rally program

Headlining the program at the Stand for Education rally will be poet and hip-hop star Rollie Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon. A renowned rapper and former poet laureate for the city of Edmonton, Pemberton has a special connection with Alberta teachers, as he wrote “The Garden,” a poem that was incorporated into a bronze sculpture that was unveiled at the legislature in 2018 in honour of the ATA’s 100th anniversary.

On Oct. 22, Pemberton’s appearance will include a public reading of “The Garden.” 

Who is Cadence Weapon?

Cadence Weapon is Edmonton-born, Toronto-based rapper, producer, writer and poet Rollie Pemberton. His 2021 album Parallel World recently won Canada’s Polaris Music Prize.

The son of a pioneering hip-hop radio DJ, Pemberton grew up around a diverse library of music. Splitting his time between Edmonton’s experimental electronic and underground rap scenes as a teenager, Pemberton eventually developed a hybrid of both styles. Cadence Weapon has released five albums, all of which have been nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, with Breaking Kayfabe (2006) and Hope In Dirt City (2012) and Parallel World (2021) being shortlist nominees. Pemberton has toured extensively following the success of these albums, playing festivals like Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork Music Festival, Roskilde and Primavera Sound and performing shows with artists such as Public Enemy, Diplo, Questlove, De La Soul and many more.

Pemberton’s music is known for pairing groundbreaking production with incisive, socially conscious lyricism. Pemberton served as poet laureate of Edmonton from 2009 to 2011, making him the literary ambassador of his hometown. In 2018, his poem “The Garden” was incorporated into a bronze sculpture honouring Alberta teachers at the legislature grounds in Edmonton.

Pemberton was the narrator and a writer for the VICELAND television series PAYDAY and Mister Tachyon and he has hosted lectures and conducted live interviews for CBC q and Red Bull Music Academy. Pemberton wrote a book about his career called Bedroom Rapper that was published in May 2022.

Source: www.kelpmanagement.com/cadence-weapon