All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Drowned In Sound

It’s just brilliant.

Read Full Review >

The Guardian

Pemberton doesn't strain to impress. He doesn't need to: his darting intelligence and racing imagination are evident in every line.

Read Full Review >

Filter

With Afterparty Babies, he proves he truly belongs on the other side of the speakers. [Winter 2008, p.105]

Paste Magazine

As a knowing send-up of youth culture, Afterparty Babies can be both funny and obnoxious.

Read Full Review >

All Music Guide

An album that accepts its imperfections as a part of its charm, and, all things considered, a pretty irresistible release.

Read Full Review >

Observer Music Monthly

Straight out of Edmonton, Alberta, fast-talking MC Rollie Pemberton's impeccable second album confirms that the history of Canadian electro did not end with Neil Young's Trans.

Read Full Review >

Q Magazine

A dense, innovative follow-up to Canadian MC Rollie Pemberton's promising 2005 debut. [Apr 2008, p. 112]

Prefix Magazine

Over and over, we get the sense that Cadence makes records for that gaggle of kids on the album cover, for the look on their faces. If any of the rest of us likes it, all the better. It works: We’d like to know more about Mr. Weapon, and his buds.

Read Full Review >

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Throughout, Pemberton comes off like a clever friend who just happens to be lyrically gifted: He's the perfect hip-hop hero for the MySpace age.

Read Full Review >

Under The Radar

His arrangements this time range froma a cappella loops and glitchy beats to videogame synyths and deconstructed dance grooves, adding up to an indie hip-hop classic. [Winter 2008, p.90]

Urb

His latest outing, Afterparty Babies, doesn't derail that path, but it struggles to stay on course.

Read Full Review >

Pitchfork

If the satisfying Afterparty Babies doesn't have the same thunderclap impact of its predecessors, it's because that element of adventure is subdued.

Read Full Review >

The New York Times

He backs up his insolence with dense, tricky productions that pile samples and scratching atop techno and electro beats and go increasingly haywire as he gets more worked up.

Read Full Review >

Tiny Mix Tapes

Pemberton’s lyrics can be long-winded, but on the whole, they display a postmodern reflexivity that is profoundly mind-boggling.

Read Full Review >

cokemachineglow

The record is a virtuosic display of talent (I don’t even know what sounds I’m hearing on the chorus of “Juliann Wilding”) but it comes across both too eager to impress and too self-satisfied to edit.

Read Full Review >

Uncut

The raw machine clap has been replced by Chaotic deconstruction of house music. It's a frequently awkward fit, lacking the fluid styling that makes the best hip hop. [Apr 2008, p.84]

PopMatters

Pemberton has solidified the distinctive elements of his style on Afterparty Babies—but in so doing, he’s perhaps narrowed Cadence Weapon’s appeal.

Read Full Review >

Spin

He's already sophisticated enough to paste lines about real heartbreak onto chunky, melodic beats ("True Story"), then turn around and be an equally passionate goofball ("Getting Dumb"). Leaning toward the latter could make him a star outside the backpack circuit.

Read Full Review >

Lost At Sea

Rollie has yet to find his voice, though.

Read Full Review >

NOW Magazine

The boring beats and throwback rhyme flow (circa 92)--which is weak even by Edmontonian standards--put Afterparty Babies somewhere beneath Don Cash’s home demos and the outtakes from Organized Rhyme’s Huh? Stiffenin’ Against The Wall.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 7 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Word Up gave it an8:
I really like this album, the lyrics are dope. You've gotta listen to them a couple times to understand them haha they're in code So if you like intelligent rap that you've gotta think about, check this shit out.

Bryan H. gave it an8:
Not as strong as the brilliant "Breaking Kayfabe" but still a damned good album. The review from "NOW Magazine" (a publication that earns itself no respect, generally speaking) couldn't possibly be any further off the mark. Comparing something this biting and fresh to Tom Green's novelty rap is a straight up insult to Cadence, Canadian hip hop, and (why not?) even Green himself.

Matt A. gave it a9:
Apparentely it's cool now to give a Cadence Weapon album a bad review and say that "he hasn't mastered his craft yet." Well, his true fans didn't get the memo. While not as good as Breaking Kayfabe (which felt other-wordly it was so good), this is no disappointment. There is a slight lag in tracks 8-10, but other than that, this is a worthy follow-up with a handful of just classic rap tracks (Limited Edition OJ Slammer, True Story, and House Music, just to name a few). The NOW Toronto is so out of touch he needs to retire. The Lost at Sea guy isn't far behind.

Music

Upcoming &Recent Releases

Afterparty Babies

Album Info

Summary

What The Critics Said

What Our Users Said

Upcoming &
Recent Releases