Canadian Musician’s Chad Brown caught up with Roland Pemberton – aka Cadence Weapon – on a trek from Montreal to Toronto to perform some dates supporting his new disc Hope In Dirt City. Check it out…

Hip-hop is about painting a picture; it’s the process taking language and moulding it into something bigger than stanzas and simple rhymes. To be an MC, you need to not only be a cunning linguist, but also have a strong connection with who you are and where you come from – all the while showcasing originality in style and presentation. It’s a tough game, but one in which Roland Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon, has been well seasoned as he gets ready to drop his third full-length, Hope In Dirt City, May 29th.

Following his debut release Breaking Kayfabe in 2005, Pemberton established himself as an unconventional artist. Steering clear of the derivative lyricism that has had a firm stranglehold on the mainstream side of the genre, Cadence Weapon carried a flavour of old school rap in a recipe fit for a new school audience. Sophisticated, silky-smooth baritone vocals laid over electro, sometimes Nintendo-sounding beats is what we came to expect from Pemberton between Breaking Kayfabe and his second release Afterparty Babies. Now set to drop Hope In Dirt City, Pemberton says he’s optimistic about the release though admits it does stray from the sound he’s established.

“I feel, ultimately, it’s the most mature example of my music so far,” says Pemberton, speaking with Canadian Musician while preparing for a trek from Montreal to Toronto. He adds: “I feel like it’s the clearest representation of Cadence Weapon.”

The 11-song release carries an evident connection to Pemberton’s hometown of Edmonton. When referring to the title track, the newly-established Montreal resident explains: “The end of the song, I’m doing the singing where I’m like, ‘I know you found someone new, I can’t get over you’ that’s kind of my way of saying goodbye to Edmonton. It was almost like a love song to Edmonton.” When you live in the same community long enough, it inevitably becomes part of your being. Needless to say, Pemberton had a strong connection to his city. “That song came in a part of my life where I was really disillusioned about Edmonton. It came together really quickly and was also tied to a poem I wrote while I was (Edmonton’s) Poet Laureate called ‘Dirt City (New Strathcona)’,” he explains.

After serving as Poet Laureate, Pemberton says he felt the need to step up and diversify his lyrical content – a conscious effort. Since some had been comparing his lyrics to more traditional and structured poetry, he says: “People are really going to be looking at my shit now. People, here and there, have given me props for my rhymes before but I wanted to be on the level of Black Thought or something. I want to be taken seriously as an MC, so with a track like “Get On Down,” I was going for the head, you know?” says Pemberton. And like the Method Man he “severed the head from the shoulders.” “Get On Down” explodes as the first track on the album into a flurry of alliterations, rich rhymes, and some criticisms of the rap game. Dope track.

Crafting your own beats is always a bonus in rap music. This time around, Cadence Weapon’s sound originated from the desire to have a more organic feel, drawing influence from specific artists of whom he’s fond. “Specifically Game Theory by The Roots, or some of the UGK records – Outkast, Devin the Dude, DJ Quik for sure. A lot those albums are so musical, just so much live instrumentation but done in a way with the kind of grit and texture of drum machine and sampling. That’s an unbeatable combination,” explains the artist and fan. His method of crafting the beats was definitely a significant undertaking. He first made a composition of beats and samples. Next, he took those to Chemical Sound Recording Studio in Toronto and started a band. He then sampled the results of those recordings and turned them into beats. The hard work and attention to detail is noteworthy.

Collaborations have always been a steady constant in hip-hop. Cadence Weapon albums have been scarce in that respect. “I feel like when it comes to albums, I like to collaborate on other people’s tracks more often,” says the Canadian rapper. “In my future albums I think there’s a way to do it in which I don’t have to limit my voice or give up too much sonic real-estate but I guess I’m just a control freak when I comes to my records,” he muses.

Starting this month, the Cadence Weapon experience will entertain crowds with rock duo Japandroids in the UK, east and west coast United States, as well as some shows in Eastern Canada, eventually ending in Edmonton. “I’m probably going to be touring this record for the rest of the year,” he figures.

At the end of the day, for Pemberton, it’s about staying power. He wants to be forever etched in the memories and multi-disc changers of his fans. “I just want to create a sonic document that outlasts me. I want to create something that will be timeless. I believe it’s possible to do that in 2012 and I want to be the person who does it. I want to create something like Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, you know? Something with real permanence,” concluded the always hungry Roland “Cadence Weapon’ Pemberton, and indeed, if you had to compile a list of candidates that could achieve the feat, his name wouldn’t look out of place on it.

www.cadenceweaponmusic.com