cadence weapon (feat. cadence weapon)
a previously unreleased poem by the rap artist + some words on his new music
Hello friends,
if you can still remember the first edition of this newsletter, you’re probably wondering about two things right now. How the fuck has it been three months since all caps 001? And why is this guy suddenly talking to me in some kind of middle school level English? Well, short answers: Life is busy and shit changes.
Slightly longer answers: Life is very busy, and English was always part of the idea. When I started all caps back in February, I was hoping to do international collaborations with my favourite English language music writers at some point in the future. I just didn’t think it was going to happen this soon and with a writer as unique and creative as Rollie Pemberton.
Rollie is a rapper, producer, poet and journalist originally from Edmonton but now living in Toronto. As Cadence Weapon, he’s been putting out records since 2005. Yes, he was a rapper from Canada years before Drake got out of daytime soap opera acting. Rollie’s latest album is called Parallel World; it’s his fifth overall and was made in a short rush of energy during the as-of-yet-still-current Covid-19 pandemic. It’s an amazing record about living under constant surveillance, being constantly online and always trying to find a way out.
I’m very happy to dedicate the second edition of all caps to the music and poetry of Cadence Weapon – especially since Rollie was so kind to contribute a previously unreleased poem he wrote back in 2020. You can check out his Song for a Failed State here and my article on Parallel World here. And while we’re handing out links: Rollie is also running a newsletter which is, quite frankly, way more interesting (and more frequently updated) than mine. You can subscribe here.
One thing to learn from Parallel World: Even during the most fucked up of times, there’s always hope. So let’s start with some baby steps and hope it won’t be another three months until the next edition of all caps. Right?
Until then, as always, thank you for reading!
Daniel