Aquakultre
Aquakultre is a Canadian soul and R&B[1] musical project from Halifax, Nova Scotia, whose core member is singer and rapper Lance Sampson.[2] They are most noted for their album Legacy, which was a longlisted nominee for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize.[3]
Sampson's ancestors are from Africville, and he grew up in the Uniacke Square neighbourhood of Halifax.[4][5] He was a troubled teenager, who spent some time trafficking drugs and received a five-year prison sentence as a teenager. After being exposed to the music of Common and Erykah Badu, he taught himself to play guitar, and was released from prison after just 19 months for good behaviour.[6] He began performing as a rapper and singer in 2015, and in 2018 he won CBC Music's annual Searchlight competition with "Sure", a song he had written in prison.[7]
He recorded Legacy in just seven days at the National Music Centre in Calgary, Alberta, with a band that included Nathan Doucet, Jeremy Costello and Nick Dourado.[8] Following the release of preview singles "Pay It Forward", "I Doubt It" and "Wife Tonight",[9] the album was released in May 2020 on Black Buffalo Records.[10]
In August 2020, he announced that his second album Bleeding Gums Murphy, a collaboration with DJ and producer Uncle Fester, would be released on October 9.[11]
His video for "Pay It Forward", directed by Sampson and Evan Elliot, won the Audience Award at the 2021 Prism Prize.[12]
Aquakultre performed on the 2021 FreeUp! The Emancipation Day Special.[13] He contributed vocals for "Summer Night Songs", the title song of the 2021 documentary The North Star: Finding Black Mecca.[14]
His third album, Don't Trip, was released in July 2022,[15] and was longlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Beedham, Tom (20 July 2022). "Aquakultre Is More Than Just Halifax's Hottest R&B Star — He's a Community". exclaim.com. Exclaim!. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
- ^ Stephen Cooke, "Aquakultre’s Legacy spreads message of compassion, heritage". Halifax Chronicle-Herald, June 17, 2020.
- ^ Tom Skinner, "The Weeknd and Caribou lead 2020 Polaris Music Prize longlist". NME, June 16, 2020.
- ^ "Aquakultre". EVERYSEEKER. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Mullin, Morgan. "Aquakultre's feast of a lifetime". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
- ^ Justin Chandler and Grant Lawrence, "Searchlight 2018 winner: aquakultre". CBC Music, March 19, 2018.
- ^ Tara Thorne, "Aquakultre wins CBC Searchlight". The Coast, March 19, 2018.
- ^ Morgan Mullin, " Aquakultre's feast of a lifetime: How the band's debut LP Legacy sets the table for excellence". The Coast, May 7, 2020.
- ^ Calum Slingerland, "Aquakultre Detail New Album 'Legacy,' Share 'Wife Tonight'". Exclaim!, April 16, 2020.
- ^ Oliver Crook, "Aquakultre Cement Their 'Legacy' as Canadian Neo-Soul Breakouts". Exclaim!, May 5, 2020.
- ^ Matt Bobkin, "Aquakultre and Uncle Fester Announce New Album 'Bleeding Gums Murphy'". Exclaim!, August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Haviah Mighty's Thirteen wins 2021 Prism Prize for top Canadian music video". CBC News, July 26, 2021.
- ^ "FreeUp!: This Sunday, join artists across Canada to celebrate Emancipation Day 2021". CBC Arts, July 27, 2021.
- ^ "Documentary about Chatham-Kent's Black communities available online". chathamthisweek. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ "Summer 2022 guide: 14 albums you need to hear". CBC Music, June 20, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Polaris Music Prize long list: Feist, Jessie Reyez and more". CBC Music, June 13, 2023.
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