US TOUR DATES WITH FAT TONY ANNOUNCED

LISTEN TO NEW ALBUM PARALLEL WORLD 

Toronto, ON – June 1, 2021 – Cadence Weapon, the moniker of Edmonton-born, Toronto-based rapper, producer, writer and poet, Rollie Pemberton, continues to fill airwaves and digital realms following the release of his acclaimed album, Parallel World (April 30, eOne Music). Today, Cadence shares the official video for track, On Me, featuring UK Grime MC, Manga Saint Hilare, produced by Australia’s Strict Face. The visual was directed by Cadence’s long-time collaborator, Scott Pilgrim, and premiered via GRM Daily. Watch it here. 

On Me is a cross-pond collab between Cadence and Manga – the video is inspired blend of the lyrical content and track themes, highlighting security and surveillance, some of the many topics Cadence examines within Parallel World, continuing a mission to spark change and conversation through sonic messaging and seeks to unearth the alternate reality that lies beneath the surface of our society. 

For the treatment, Scott says: “Working on ON ME was an opportunity to blend concept and purpose. Since our artists weren't able to be in the same room together, we needed to find a way to unify footage shot in Canada and the UK. Taking from the themes of surveillance from the lyrics of the song, the TV motif was the perfect object for connecting the two rappers performances.”

“When I wrote On Me, I was inspired by reading about how face recognition technology was being used by law enforcement and then that got me thinking about the myriad ways surveillance has become normalized in everyday life,”Cadence says. “It was amazing to get Manga on the track because he’s a grime legend and member of Roll Deep and I was really inspired by them back in the day. This song is musically a homage to classic grime, a genre of music that has been prosecuted and surveilled from its inception.”

While Cadence, holding a longtime penchant for UK music and Grime, is quick to cite Hilare as an influence, the British MC has reciprocated by describing parallels in their “fast paced syllable heavy” deliveries, adding they “each tell our stories honestly. Very similar, actually” (Complex). 

Cadence is inviting audiences to experience Parallel World in a way many have been yearning for, as he takes the project on the road this this fall, commencing September 30 through October 23, for a coast-to-coast tour alongside Houston, TX rapper, Fat Tony. See below for a complete list of dates.  

While heralded as Cadence’s most politically charged album to date, the songs on Parallel World are what Cadence quips Truth in Jest to narrate realities of the world at present. The songs touch on themes of systemic racism, structural inequality, police profiling, gentrification, the internet’s pervasive effects on our lives and the surveillance state that disproportionately punishes Black people. Using elements of trap, drill, grime and acid house, Parallel World is the soundtrack for the dystopian future the world is facing, as society deals with these issues. It is a sonic space where Cadence at distills these experiences for all.

Production personnel on Parallel World includes JUNO-nominated Jacques Greene, Jimmy Edgar, Martyn Bootyspoon, Casey MQ, Korea Town Acid, DNNY PHNTM, Strict Face, AudioOpera, and Little Snake. Guests include Houston rapper Fat Tony, 2020 Polaris Music Prize-winner, Backxwash, Skratch Bastid, and Manga Saint Hilare. It was mixed and engineered by Calvin Hartwick at Dream House Studios and mastered by Phil Demetro at Lacquer Channel in Toronto.
 

Listen to Parallel World here – out now on all platforms. 

Learn more about Cadence Weapon below and join him out in the real world as he rocks venues with Fat Tony this fall. 

Tour Dates:
September 30 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive

October 2 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle

October 3 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern

October 6 - Brooklyn, NY - The Sultan Room

October 8 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl

October 13 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)

October 15 - Austin, TX - Far Out Lounge

October 16 - Fort Worth, TX - Wild Acre Live

October 20 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon

October 21 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill

October 22 - Portland, OR - Polaris Hall

October 23 - Seattle, WA - Clock Out

Photo by Daniel Schechner

DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo | DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Album Art | DOWNLOAD – Tour Poster

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About Cadence Weapon

Cadence Weapon has released four albums, all of which have been nominated for the Polaris Prize, with Breaking Kayfabe (2006) and Hope In Dirt City (2012) being shortlist nominees. His music is known for pairing groundbreaking production with incisive, socially conscious lyricism and has been praised by the likes of NPR, The New York Times, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Zane Lowe Beats 1, Complex, Dazed, and many more.

He served as Poet Laureate of Edmonton from 2009 to 2011. His poem “The Garden” was incorporated into a bronze sculpture at the Alberta Legislature Grounds in Edmonton in 2018. He has hosted lectures and conducted live interviews for CBC q and Red Bull Music Academy. A book he is writing about his career called Bedroom Rapper will be published by McClelland & Stewart in Spring 2022.

About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (eOne) is a talent-driven independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. As part of global play and entertainment company Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS), eOne's expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales; family programming, merchandising and licensing; digital content; and live entertainment. Through its extensive reach and scale, and a deep commitment to high-quality entertainment, eOne unlocks the power and value of creativity.

eOne brings to market both original and existing content, sourcing IP from Hasbro’s portfolio of 1500+ brands, and through a diversified network of creative partners and eOne companies including: international feature film distribution company Sierra/Affinity; Amblin Partners with DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; Makeready with Brad Weston; unscripted television production companies Renegade 83, Daisybeck, Blackfin and Whizz Kid Entertainment; live entertainment leaders Round Room Live; world-class music companies Audio Network, Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning emerging content and technology studio Secret Location.