the weapon is loaded
The Cadence Weapon Interview
words by Chris Long
photos by Peter Gardner
The Cadence Weapon Interview
words by Chris Long
photos by Peter Gardner
Roland Theodore Pemberton III aka Edmonton’s Cadence Weapon has a lot going on right now. His new record Afterparty Babies is being critically hailed for its brilliant mash of hipster ramblings and up-tempo house-influenced electro. Pemberton is one of few artists (The Cool Kids and Flying Lotus are a couple others) with a fresh alternative to the crack raps and Southern-influenced half-time club productions keeping hip hop stale lately. I caught up with Pemberton just before his performance opening for Buck 65 in Victoria. We sat down, ordered a couple of butter chicken naanwiches (!) and had a yack about influences, his upcoming music plans and “kids these days.”
How is the big picture, as in “your career,” doing?
Cadence Weapon: It’s on the up and up. I’ve been on tour a lot, it’s been really productive and I’m starting to see things develop; things are starting to make sense. I feel pretty optimistic.
The new record is based around the summer of 2006?
Yeah, it was a time when I was able to bro down with people and it was when I first started getting involved in DJ culture. I felt initially [with my debut Breaking Kayfabe] I was making music from an outside perspective, something that had no direct connection to my life. But then I started thinking that my own life is pretty interesting and that it would be a good way to make the kind of music I like, much like a lot of glam rock or 70s folk: it’s music that’s talking about specific places and things, it’s basically music about people.
Sonically, musically, what were some of the specific influences on the record?
Well obviously there are some things that I’m trying to do. I was listening to a lot of Basement Jaxx and Daft Punk and house in general. It just started manifesting itself in the beats that I made.
It’s fresh to hear someone consistently rhyming over 120 bpm…
Well I wanted to push myself, do something that was challenging to me. Honestly, rapping can get kind of boring; it’s the same shit all the time. Nowadays, I’m not impressed by a rapper that raps really fast or can spit the most syllables or whatever. If someone can say something in an interesting way then that’s more important to me.
The modern sector of hip hop listeners doesn’t even know Wu-Tang, let alone Rakim and Gang Starr. It’s bizarre.
Yeah, it’s interesting… this different generation of music listeners are people who have access to all music, people who, for the most part, download what they are told to like. I still buy records etc., but when you grow up in this modern period where nobody that you know buys any albums, you attach no value to it – why would you buy albums? It’s weird.
How do feel about music fans becoming more and more reliant on blogs and websites for direction?
It’s negative. It’s gone away from the idea of going out on a Tuesday, checking all the new records out and coming away with something you like. Now people are actively searching out other people who tell them ‘I like this, so maybe you should too… it comes from a place that’s cool so you should like it.’ [We’ve moved] away from liking music because it’s good.
After being a writer, and even writing for Pitchfork, how are you feeling about the way you’re being received and perceived critically?
I’ve realized that what you initially hear in a record is not necessarily everything that’s there. There are some reviews about my record where people think I’m talking about how I’m doing coke, when all my references to coke are outward to other people. I’ve never done a drug off the bible before, but I’ve seen somebody do it, so why not write a song about it?
What’s in the works?
I have some stems of new songs, but I haven’t been able to record on the road. I’ve been writing a lot… I’m trying not to jinx myself here, but the next record is going to be about existentialism. And I’m trying to start a band.
That seems logical if you're burning out on "hip hop" as we know it...
Yeah, I want to start a post-disco band. It’ll be an extension of the Cadence Weapon project; me on vocals, Weez doing the cuts and have a band interpreting the beats live. I want to be able to manipulate samples live. It’ll be hot.
How is the big picture, as in “your career,” doing?
Cadence Weapon: It’s on the up and up. I’ve been on tour a lot, it’s been really productive and I’m starting to see things develop; things are starting to make sense. I feel pretty optimistic.
The new record is based around the summer of 2006?
Yeah, it was a time when I was able to bro down with people and it was when I first started getting involved in DJ culture. I felt initially [with my debut Breaking Kayfabe] I was making music from an outside perspective, something that had no direct connection to my life. But then I started thinking that my own life is pretty interesting and that it would be a good way to make the kind of music I like, much like a lot of glam rock or 70s folk: it’s music that’s talking about specific places and things, it’s basically music about people.
Sonically, musically, what were some of the specific influences on the record?
Well obviously there are some things that I’m trying to do. I was listening to a lot of Basement Jaxx and Daft Punk and house in general. It just started manifesting itself in the beats that I made.
It’s fresh to hear someone consistently rhyming over 120 bpm…
Well I wanted to push myself, do something that was challenging to me. Honestly, rapping can get kind of boring; it’s the same shit all the time. Nowadays, I’m not impressed by a rapper that raps really fast or can spit the most syllables or whatever. If someone can say something in an interesting way then that’s more important to me.
The modern sector of hip hop listeners doesn’t even know Wu-Tang, let alone Rakim and Gang Starr. It’s bizarre.Yeah, it’s interesting… this different generation of music listeners are people who have access to all music, people who, for the most part, download what they are told to like. I still buy records etc., but when you grow up in this modern period where nobody that you know buys any albums, you attach no value to it – why would you buy albums? It’s weird.
How do feel about music fans becoming more and more reliant on blogs and websites for direction?
It’s negative. It’s gone away from the idea of going out on a Tuesday, checking all the new records out and coming away with something you like. Now people are actively searching out other people who tell them ‘I like this, so maybe you should too… it comes from a place that’s cool so you should like it.’ [We’ve moved] away from liking music because it’s good.
After being a writer, and even writing for Pitchfork, how are you feeling about the way you’re being received and perceived critically?
I’ve realized that what you initially hear in a record is not necessarily everything that’s there. There are some reviews about my record where people think I’m talking about how I’m doing coke, when all my references to coke are outward to other people. I’ve never done a drug off the bible before, but I’ve seen somebody do it, so why not write a song about it?
What’s in the works?
I have some stems of new songs, but I haven’t been able to record on the road. I’ve been writing a lot… I’m trying not to jinx myself here, but the next record is going to be about existentialism. And I’m trying to start a band.
That seems logical if you're burning out on "hip hop" as we know it...
Yeah, I want to start a post-disco band. It’ll be an extension of the Cadence Weapon project; me on vocals, Weez doing the cuts and have a band interpreting the beats live. I want to be able to manipulate samples live. It’ll be hot.