Even by his lofty standards, Rollie Pemberton, BKA Cadence Weapon, is having quite a run. Over the last year, the Edmonton-born, Toronto-based rapper, writer, and producer has won the 2021 Polaris Music Prize for his stunning album Parallel World, announced a boundary-pushing remix album, Parallel World (Deluxe Edition), releasing March 25th, and has an upcoming article on current culture for StockX publishing in March. Not bad for the former Poet Laureate of Edmonton who’s been recording and releasing groundbreaking hip-hop since 2005.
You’ve just announced your latest project. What’s it about?
It’s called Parallel World (Deluxe Edition), it’s a reinterpretation of my most recent album, Parallel World. I worked with some of the most groundbreaking, innovative producers I know and appreciate for the remix album, CFCF, Martyn Bootyspoon, and Ciel. I’ve got a remix of “SENNA” with this UK rapper Logan. He’s a grime rapper who I like. I’ve got a remix for “On Me” from Loraine James. It’s just more futuristic, transgressive tunes.
You’re writing an article about culture and style for StockX. What are you planning on writing about?
It’s a really interesting opportunity to write about things that I wouldn’t usually write about. I’m really interested in fashion, and I feel like people don’t really know that about me. So it’s a really good outlet to take some deep dives into some more conceptual sides of sneaker culture and fashion. And it’s also a different platform, network, and community to share ideas with. I feel like the kind of people who use StockX are similar to me – we’re all trying to get their drip in a unique way.
Why does this creative relationship make sense?
I’m into the future. I feel like everything I’m doing and trying is progressive and futuristic. The concept of StockX is so compelling to me. It’s this really creative platform that is not just about sneakers, it’s also about sustainability, and it’s a really great way of reusing product. I feel like StockX’s core values are similar to mine. I respect what they’re doing.
Why do you think Parallel World was such a popular and critical success?
To talk about the album, I have to talk about how it was made. So the earliest thoughts of making Parallel World were during the first lockdown. The pandemic was beginning, and I just completely stopped doing anything. All my shows were canceled; I was supposed to be doing South by Southwest and all this stuff. I had all these months to reflect and absorb everything that was happening.
Then George Floyd was murdered. That was a big turning point where you saw all the protests. I started seeing people on the news talk about microaggressions, institutional racism, and talking about these things that I have lived with my entire life as a black man. Still, I had never seen the powers that be even acknowledged that they exist. That really just hyped me up and made me feel like, “Okay, I really want to seize on this moment, and really just make my most unabashedly political album.”
It came out in this extreme burst of energy, where I was just in the studio, dodging the different lockdowns. Everything would shut down, and I’d be like, “No, I got to get in the studio and finish the album.” There was a sense of urgency around the whole process. It really resonated with people. It spoke to many things that people had been thinking about over the pandemic – songs about social media’s ill effects on our personal lives, a song about surveillance. It’s definitely a kind of dystopian, future rap album. But people really vibed with it. I ended up winning the Polaris prize for that album.
How did you become the Poet Laureate of Edmonton?
I was nominated by a local filmmaker, Trevor Anderson. He came to me with the idea, and I was like, “What’s that?” I had never heard of it before. But once he explained it to me as being the literary ambassador of the city, I realized I kind of was already doing that with my music. So I went through the whole process. I had to read some poems to the Edmonton Arts Council and stuff, and they ended up picking me, and I was Poet Laureate of Edmonton from 2009 to 2011.
What was the public reaction to you becoming Poet Laureate?
When it happened, it was crazy because there had never been a rapper who was a Poet Laureate. I think at the time I was the youngest Poet Laureate in the world. In Canada, it was pretty big news. It was on the CBC and everything. People were very skeptical about it. I got a lot of stuff in newspapers where people were comparing my lyrics to Shakespeare, really kind of making fun of me and my new role a little bit. The biggest takeaway I have from that experience is that it made me just go harder with my lyrics and make them unassailable.
Bonus Question: What are the two or three songs that new listeners should play first to get into your catalog?
I would definitely say “My Crew (Woooo).” produced by KAYTRANADA. It’s a banger. This is one of the songs that I’m most proud of. The other two tracks would be from my most recent album, Parallel World. I would put “SENNA,” featuring and produced by Jacques Greene, and “On Me.” These are my signature songs right now.
