VISUAL ARRIVES ONE YEAR SINCE POLARIS WIN AND PREMIERES AT ELLE CANADA

WATCH POWERFUL ILLUSTRATED VIDEO FOR THIRTEEN

LISTEN TO POLARIS MUSIC PRIZE-WINNING ALBUM 13^th FLOOR

HAVIAH MIGHTY MERCH AND ROLLING PAPERS AVAILABLE NOW

Toronto, ON – September 16, 2020 – It has been one year since Toronto Hip-Hop artist, Haviah Mighty,  won the coveted Polaris Music Prize for her 2019 album, 13^th Floor. Today, Haviah celebrates with a new video for Bag Up, a song she produced with her brother, Mighty Prynce, for the internationally acclaimed project. The visual was directed by Keethan Krish and produced by Rack & Pinion, and premieres with a feature interview at ELLE Canada. While Haviah has been busy in the studio cooking up new heat to release this fall, Bag Up holds audiences over as a bold, fashion-forward look at Haviah stepping into her power. Watch the video here. 

“As we develop a more keen sense of necessary change in this country, and as COVID 19 simultaneously leaves us in a state of uncertainty, we need a reminder –  in hypeman form – to find our new state of normalcy. We have to continue to strive towards our goals, yearning to find success despite these setbacks. Bag Up is the celebration of that yearning. Through tribal drums and infectious synths, are lyrics of fierce effort within self, to quite literally earn money doing what one loves,” Haviah says. Bag Up is the last piece of content from the album, 13^th Floor. It's amazing that we've had over a year of fun with this project! We collaborated with Rack & Pinion on this visual, depicting a selection of resilient women on different paths, dealing with different life hindrances, but bonding over and connecting with the go-getter energy that lies in all of us. With playful lines like, ‘I just wanna get my M's up ... mmm mmm I'm a Smartie though’ and more personal lines like ‘They wanna gentrify dreads, but I'm the creme de la creme,’ I focus on my specific hustle – being a musician – and how I will remain true to the craft while growing this empire.”

On Canada Day, standing in solidarity with Black, Indigenous and marginalized communities worldwide, Haviah launched her video for  Thirteen, a song about the painful journey of Black people in North America. Referencing the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery, the lyrics and accompanying illustrated video by Toronto artist, Theo Kapodistrias, expose the roots of systemic racism – watch it here. and read Haviah's full statement on Thirteen here.

In addition to an exclusive 12” vinyl release of 13^th Floor, Haviah launched new garb for your fall wardrobe; two t-shirts, with a full-colour design by  Alexis Eke (who created Haviah’s Polaris poster) and a longsleeve featuring Haviah’s logo. Fans of Smoke can rock with Haviah’s signature line of rolling papers in partnership with Ziggi Papers, as a limited edition collector’s series. Each booklet includes 32 ultra-thin king size/slim papers made of a natural wood pulp mix, 32 king size filter tips, in a convenient fold-in and reusable rolling tray, with a collectible insert card. Fans must be 18+ in Canada / 21+ in the US to purchase. Everything is available at Haviah’s webstore.
 

Haviah started a new decade off with U.S. headline shows, a major freestyle on 5 Fingers Of Death on SWAY in the Morning, with Sway Calloway praising her throughout, and plans to rock international festival stages (including SXSW, Osheaga, Ottawa Blues, FOCUS Wales and more) before the pandemic postponed events.

Last year, Haviah became the first Hip-Hop artist, as well as the first Black woman, to win the Polaris Music Prize for her 2019 album, 13^th Floor. The project highlights Haviah’s relentless work ethic and vast sonic influences; ranging from classic Rap/Hip-Hop elements to Caribbean rhythms, frenetic electro and diverse instrumentation, while tackling marginalization and racism head-on as Haviah proclaims self-love as a Black woman. Haviah is currently working on new music and is eagerly awaiting the moment she can get back on the stage to perform.

About Haviah Mighty
Haviah Mighty didn’t need to change her birth name when she decided to dedicate her career to music. In fact, Mighty couldn’t be more accurate a word to describe the artist, named one of XXL’s 15 Toronto Rappers You Should Know in 2019.

Raised in a musical household in Brampton, Ontario, Mighty started singing at the age of 4, rapping at 11, and producing at 15.

Well-known for being one of the three MCs who make up The Sorority — a hip-hop group born during an all-female cypher on International Women’s Day in 2016 — Mighty is making equally large waves as a solo artist. 

Haviah has been releasing music independently since 2009, but it was her project, Flower City (2017), that propelled her solo career into further success. Mighty’s Polaris Prize-winning album, 13^th Floor (2019), is her most fully-realized project to date - making history as the first Hip-Hop artist and the first Black woman to ever receive the award. Garnering overwhelming praise from the likes of Pitchfork, Billboard, Hot New Hip Hop, and Lyrical Lemonade to name a few, Haviah continues to carve out spaces that boldly defy gendered expectations for women in Hip-Hop.

Haviah’s explosive live show, filled with in-your-face intensity and her fast, technical flows, has also quickly developed her reputation as one to keep an eye on, earning her opening slots for acclaimed artists like Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Redman and Method Man, Sheck Wes, Nelly, Desiigner, and Kranium.

Watch Bag Up here
Listen to 13^th Floor  here
Purchase 13^th Floor on vinyl here
 

VISUALS:
Thirteen
Smoke (feat. Clairmont The Second)
Blame
Wishy Washy (feat. Omega Mighty)  
Waves (feat. Sean Leon) 
In Women Colour

DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo
DOWNLOAD – Hi Res 13^th Floor Album Artwork

www.haviahmighty.com