Cadence Weapon

“Whether it's rap, music or prose, Pemberton's writing has displayed little patience with rigid restrictions... he's intimately versed with youth culture and the street.”
- Edmonton Journal

“Although it's probably the strangest laureate-related news since Robert Pinsky hosted a metaphor-off between Stephen Colbert and Sean Penn, it could actually set a nice precedent.”
- FFWD Weekly

“Nimble indie rapper and former Pitchfork writer Rollie Pemberton, aka Cadence Weapon, is now a poet motherf***ing laureate. To be clear: There is a guy who used to write for Pitchfork who is now a poet laureate. See mom, I told you this isn't a dead-end career!”
- Pitchfork Media

The UC Family sends congratulations to Mr. Roland Pemberton (or is it Sir Pemberton now?) aka
Cadence Weapon ,who this week was announced Edmonton, Alberta's next Poet Laureate.

His Lordship kicks in July 1, 2009 and he will reign as Laureate for 2 years. What does this mean you ask? Well, historically, a Poet Laureate served as the official chronicler of state events and occasions. In ancient times, the Laureate was the central means for recording and communicating history. For the City of Edmonton, the role of a Poet Laureate is to reflect the life of a city through poetry, as an ambassador for the literary arts; the Laureate incorporates poetry into a range of official and informal city activities. The creation of this position confirms the city's support for the arts in general, and for the literary arts in particular. So, to sum it up, Cadence Weapon is now officially a government agent.

Roland Pemberton professionally known as Cadence Weapon is Edmonton’s next Poet Laureate, Chat with him on the Globe and Mail website today, Wednesday May 27th at 2PM EST, 12PM MST.

From music reviewer to hip hop star to Poet Laureate. Cadence Weapon is taking on a new role in his career, and you can ask him all about it. You can sign in here. or post a question on Twitter with the hashtag #cadencepoet

If you'd like to submit a question in advance, e-mail reporter Josh Wingrove at jwingrove@globeandmail.com

LISTEN TO CADENCE WEAPON's RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY "HEADPHONE HIGHLIGHTS" MIX!




Tune in to Cadence Weapon's broadcast, listen to his stories and check out an hour of music selected by the hip-hop master himself.