Video: Cadence Weapon – “My Crew (Wooo)” (Prod. Kaytranada)
The FADER Web-Premieres the Video for the Critically Acclaimed Edmonton Native’s Latest Single
05.3.2017
Critical Praise:
“1980s party rap spliced with 90s gritty lyricism in a futuristic electro crucible” – Pitchfork
“Canada’s rap scene has been on the up-and-up for years now, and today two of the country’s more promising acts have combined forces: Rapper Rollie Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon, and breakout producer Kaytranada meet on “My Crew (Woooo)”, a banging ode to their current Montreal digs.” – Consequence of Sound
“Dexterous, buoyant, rubber-funk production, Cadence sits effortlessly on top.” – Clash
The Video:
Marrying glitchy electronic soundscapes with dense, motor-mouthed lyricism, Canada’s Cadence Weapon has always been ahead of the game. Last month, Cadence teamed up with Montreal superproducer Kaytranada for “My Crew (Wooo),” a haunting, heart-pounding track with skittering synths and insistent, rumbling bass. A tribute to the arty Montreal underground, “My Crew (Wooo)” is a danceable club track about embracing individuality and expressing yourself to the fullest. Today, Poet Laureate of Edmonton shares a dizzying visual for the track, finding the rapper cloaked in a dark background, mobbing with his eccentric crew, as he ferociously inhabits his verbal calisthenics. Premiered online by The FADER, the video is a neat encapsulation of the vibrance and energy of Canada’s underground art scene.
Explains Cadence Weapon, ” When we first started working on this video, Kevin Calero and I talked about bringing back the feeling we used to get watching those late ‘90s Hype Williams videos, particularly the Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes ones. I’ve always prided myself on having creative videos so working with someone like Kevin who shares a similarly innovative vision has been incredible…. It meant a lot to me to be able to shoot this video in Montreal with so many familiar faces. There’s a specific vibe to the city and the nightlife there that can sometimes be hard to articulate to those who have never been there. I’ve tried to channel that energy with this song and I think Kevin and the cast represented that independent spirit in the video perfectly.”
Leading the rap avant-garde for more than a decade, Cadence Weapon has been blending electronic music and Hip-Hop since the likes of Goldlink and Allan Kingdom were wearing short pants. Edmonton native Rollie Pemberton started rapping when he was a teenager, releasing Breaking Kayfabe, his debut album as Cadence Weapon, in December 2005 at the age of 19. Met with international critical acclaim, with the BBC praising its mix of “vivid, scattershot rhymes” and “techno-tinged beats,” the album made the short list for the Polaris Music Prize, a critic’s award for Canada’s best music. Recognized as Canada’s “most creative” rapper by the National Post, the former Pitchfork writer developed a sterling reputation in his homeland for his music and his poetry. In 2009, Cadence was appointed Poet Laureate of Edmonton, making him the literary ambassador of his home city for two years, during which he was invited to read poetry for an event at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He followed up this literary stint with 2012’s Hope In Dirt City, an album entirely produced by Cadence, created by recording live instruments and sampling them for his beats. With “My Crew (Wooo),” Cadence ends a long hiatus from recording music, which he spent writing poetry and DJing around Montreal.
Watch “My Crew (Wooo)”: https://youtu.be/-GY_d3y34o4
Check out the online FADER premiere: http://www.thefader.com/2017/05/03/cadence-weapon-my-crew-woooo-music-video-is-hype-williams-meets-the-sunken-place
Listen to “My Crew (Wooo)”: https://soundcloud.com/cadenceweapon/my-crew-woooo-produced-by-kaytranada/
Purchase “My Crew (Wooo): http://smarturl.it/my-crew-woooo
Please contact Michelle for more info.
Cadence Weapon Background:
Born Rollie Pemberton in Edmonton, Alberta, Cadence Weapon had an upbringing uniquely suited to becoming a rapper. His father, Teddy, a Brooklyn native, was the DJ that introduced hip-hop to Edmonton with his pioneering radio show, The Black Experience in Sound, on local radio. After spending his childhood immersed in his father’s diverse archive of music, Cadence started rapping at age 13. Soon, he was entering freestyle battles, rocking shows with his uncle’s funk band and teaching himself how to make beats. After releasing his first album, Breaking Kayfabe, in December 2005 at the age of 19, Cadence quickly became one of the most popular and acclaimed rappers in his home country, earning a nomination for the Polaris Prize. In 2009, Rollie Pemberton was appointed Poet Laureate of Edmonton, making him the literary ambassador of his home city for two years, during which he was invited to read poetry for an event at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He released his most recent album, Hope In Dirt City, in 2012, and after five years of writing, DJ-ing, and publishing his first book of poetry, Rollie is ready to storm back into music with “My Crew (Woo),” a Kaytranada-produced ode to Montreal’s culture scene.
Links:
official site | twitter | facebook | soundcloud | instagram
“My Crew (Wooo)” (Prod. by Kaytranada): https://youtu.be/-GY_d3y34o4 // https://soundcloud.com/cadenceweapon/my-crew-woooo-produced-by-kaytranada