2019 Polaris Prize goes to...

[Mendalla]

Toronto rapper Haviah Mighty. I heard her for the first time on Monday and while I am not usually a fan of hip-hop and rap, she hits a sweet spot.

Her acceptance speech (it's a good one):

And Haviah Mighty in action:

13th Floor, the winning album, is her first solo record but she's done others as part of a musical collective called Sorority.

 

[Mendalla]

Good piece on the prize from Now Toronto pointing out that she's not just the first Black woman to win a Polaris, but the first hip-hop artist.

Polaris Music Prize 2019: Haviah Mighty makes history - NOW Magazine

The Brampton MC is the first Black woman and first hip-hop artist to win the Canadian music prize for her album 13th Floor

nowtoronto.com

 

[Mendalla]

And since her performance at the awards was a medley, here's some of the original tracks:

That's the one that I heard before the show.