The following is one other Billboard Canada story penned by Rosie Long Decter.
Two influential ’80s albums have received this yr’s Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prizes. Skinny Puppy’s Bites and Maestro Fresh Wes’ Symphony in Effect each helped deliver their respective genres — industrial-electronic and hip-hop — to broader consideration in Canada. The Heritage Prize designation honours their contributions to Canadian music tradition.
Each yr, a jury of specialists selects one album for the Heritage award, whereas the second honouree is determined by a public vote. Like the annual Polaris Prize, the albums are chosen with regard for his or her creative advantage, not their industrial success. Previous winners embrace Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette, And Now The Legacy Begins by Dream Warriors, and Feist’s Let It Die.
Maestro Fresh Wes’ Hip-Hop Breakthrough Symphony in Effect
Symphony in Effect, the 1989 debut by Scarborough’s Maestro Fresh Wes, is that this yr’s jury choice. Released on Attic/LMR Records, the album went platinum in Canada and helped Toronto’s rising hip-hop scene get worldwide consideration. The album’s high-energy lead single, Let Your Backbone Slide, was the primary Canadian Top 4 hip-hop hit and received the primary Juno Award for Best Rap Recording. It was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.
While the Polaris Music Prize awards the perfect Canadian album of the yr (this yr’s went to Debby Friday), the Polaris Heritage Prizes function a sort of critic’s hall-of-fame for albums launched earlier than the Polaris Prize was created in 2006. It’s awarded yearly to 2 basic Canadian albums. – Continue studying here.
