Cadence Weapon wins Polaris Music Prize for ‘Parallel World’

TORONTO –

Cadence Weapon has won the 2021 Polaris Music Prize for his album “Parallel World.”

The Edmonton-raised rapper’s project – which fuses hip-hop, electronic and grime music – was selected by an 11-member grand jury as the best Canadian album of the year, based on its artistic merit.

The win comes after two of his previous albums were shortlisted in past years but missed taking home the top prize.

Cadence Weapon, born Rollie Pemberton, is based in Toronto and has a storied life in Canada’s arts scene and beyond. He was named Edmonton’s poet laureate for two years in 2009 and once contributed to Chicago-based music website Pitchfork.

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.

More to come…