Exceptional
My new single with Jacques Greene is out now
I’m so excited for y’all to hear this one. “Exceptional” was the first song that was made during the ROLLERCOASTER sessions so in many ways, it dictated the direction of the entire project. This is how we made it. I met up with Jacques Greene at his studio in Montreal. Our process usually involves us going for coffee, getting some snacks and just chatting for awhile. Just wanna take a moment to say how lucky I am to have a friend like Phil to collaborate with.
Like Big Boi once rapped about Andre 3000, “Good things happen every time we meet.” Some musicians spend their whole careers never finding a collaborator that they truly connect with. It really feels like a once-in-a-lifetime combination when we get in the booth. So let me just give this man his flowers now, it’s been a blessing to work with the homie.
When we got to the studio, we discussed our influences at the time as usual. I was listening to a lot of ‘80s synthpop like New Order, D.A.F., Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode and New Musik. What I was really liking about this stuff was how it was often lyrically dense, futuristic and conceptual while still managing to stay tied down to reality with traditional pop songwriting elements.
JG and I also talked about hyperpop and what we liked about that music. I realized that I would rap over fast club tracks at my live shows but didn’t really have many examples of me rapping over stuff like that on my albums. I’ve also always loved old school hip-hop tracks like “Punk Rock Rap” and “Clarence G’s Club” that blurred the line between rap and electro.
One thing Phil and I have in common is the indisputable fact that we both be shopping. “Spending Addiction” by Gunna should play from the speakers whenever we walk in the room. You may recall that I’m so pathologically obsessed with clothes that I started a vintage business. I think we had an idea of writing a song that was about having buyer’s remorse from online shopping at some point. Some of that energy made it into this song. Musically, the track feels like the endorphin rush you get when you press the Buy It Now button.
The final touch was asking myst milano to hop on the chorus. One thing you’ll notice about the album when you hear it is there are more different voices on this record than anything I’ve made before. And my voice is constantly warping and changing, sometimes even in the middle of songs. I did a podcast interview with Vish Khanna recently (will link you to it when it drops) where he said I sounded like an android and I think that’s exactly the vibe I was going for.
“Exceptional” is available on all platforms
My new album ROLLERCOASTER is out on April 19th
I’ll be bringing these new songs to a city near you soon. Let’s link up in person! Osheaga, Vancouver and Washington dates added:
You can find me updating my playlists or hanging on Twitter and Instagram. You can listen to my music on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp and you can get Cadence Weapon merchandise here. Read my monthly column in Hazlitt. Pick up your copy of Bedroom Rapper here and please rate it on Goodreads.