FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Kaytranada Becomes the First Polaris Prize Winner to Represent Hip-hop and R&B

"“I hope that the next generation are not afraid to do more,” he said. “They can just do whatever they want. They can do it yourself like I did.”

If music is the lens through which we view the rest of the world, then it's possible that some positivity can still be extracted from the pulp of 2016. First, Skepta won Britain's Mercury Music Prize, a victory that generated a multitude of meaning​; from rewarding Skepta's decade long career trajectory, to cementing grime into the cultural lexicon and acknowledging voices that, for so long, have been traditionally silenced. Now, Kaytranada has gone and won the Polaris Prize, Canada's equivalent award ceremony, becoming the first prize winner to represent hip-hop and R&B​.

Advertisement

Of course, y'all know Kaytranada. Perhaps you heard his debut album 99.9% released on XL Recordings earlier this year. Or maybe you've spiritually cleansed yourself through the dual form of dehydration and molly while listening to his remixes, like Janet Jackson's "If". Whatever the case, this award win for Kaytranada, like Skepta, is long overdue. He's been making movements for a handful of years and has, arguably, played a dominant part in shifting the soundscape of modern music. "I hope that the next generation are not afraid to do more," Kaytranada told reporters after the event. "They can just do whatever they want. They can do it yourself like I did."​

Listen to his track "Glowed Up", featuring Anderson Paak, below. Then go spin your shit outside and hope the future will be as blessed as this.

(Lead photo via Wikipedia​)