“I deserve this and other people think it, too.”
As we bridge the gap between the trials of 2020 and the new year, I sit down with the lauded Canadian rapper Haviah Mighty over Zoom for a midweek chat. Traversing through topics of local education, cyphers, and the coveted Polaris Music Prize, Mighty may just be person we need right now to see us over the line.
Cast your minds back to a (not too) distant time, when such things were allowed: energetic live shows, mass socialising, consuming hoards of restaurant food - ah, such a utopia. During such an era, in early 2016, the Canadian rapper Haviah Mighty stepped into her very first all-female rap cypher, what came of it proved to go viral. With over 2 million views on Facebook, this was “the real turning point” Haviah waited so long for, feeling that she had to utilise this moment - building around her a team, business, and profession.
Fast forward through the next few years, and amidst the hectic touring schedule of travelling the world, performing at renowned festivals, and releasing her debut LP, 13th Floor, Mighty was recognised for the latter via the pinnacle of Canadian accolades: the Polaris Music Prize. Thrusted with a surge of adrenaline spilling into 2020, Mighty abruptly interjects with, “then everything stopped.” As Covid-19 consumed the world with its nefarious tentacles the Canadian rapper evolved through “diversified streams of revenue” - from voiceover work, to soundtrack contributions, and live-streaming performances (however, the list continues to evolve to this day).
Such opportunities were not granted to Haviah Mighty in her early life. Of Jamaican and Bajan background, she felt the sting of racism growing up in the Greater Toronto Area until moving to the diversified suburban city of Brampton. Upon reflection, Mighty deems this scene of multiculturalism as a “safety net” for her family at the time, as well as her education. Pertinently recounting the transformation, Haviah recites going “from an anger management child, to a gifted one with an IEP” where she victoriously concludes, “I became myself.” Soon-to-be projects of hers, such as her Flower City EP, would pay homage to the catalysing creative projects in Brampton which tapped into her music-driven personality and sowed the seeds of what we see today.
“There’s this idea that Canada isn’t racist which isn’t true.”
Clearly racism isn't solely tied to the Great Toronto Area, as Mighty elaborates, “there’s this idea that Canada isn’t racist which isn’t true - it’s just different here.” Struggling with this “dismissed reality” on her debut LP, Mighty recites a list of institutional racism which has affected her and her loved ones through the years: incarceration of family members, societal targeting, passive aggressive remarks, and a repressed victim mentality. Whilst the need for such facets to be discussed proves overwhelming, Mighty offers a bleak conclusion of “a full circle”, describing continual mental health issues, substance abuse, and divisions by way of skin tone, class, and stereotypes. But as the world continues to dismiss these realities, Mighty remains resolute to “contribute in any way I can.”
And contribute she has. Receiving the $50,000 award of the Polaris Music Prize at the end of last year, Haviah has reinvested this back into the music industry, supporting her and her team throughout this pandemic. A mighty feat for a debut LP win, she became the first rapper and black woman to take home the coveted prize which not only gave a sense of validation, but also “a huge pressure point”, as she nervously chuckles at her future prospects. Whilst her recent track ‘Atlantic’ embodies its own entity as “another piece of this journey”, Mighty promises in the new year “a lot of new music - not a little.” Mighty is also willing to set sail again, notably to Atlanta (referencing ‘Atlantic’) as well as setting foot in the UK where some family connections reside. But beyond these locations, Mighty unequivocally wants “to see how music is created” around the world to infiltrate and inspire her forthcoming music.
Up until now, Haviah Mighty has undoubtedly grown into her blossoming career since the catalyst cypher moment back in 2016. Releasing her acclaimed debut LP, 13th Floor, winning the Polaris Music Prize, touring the world, garnering opportunities further afield - this is just the tip of Mighty’s iceberg with much more to reveal. Whilst she candidly admits “I’ve been lucky in this timeframe” the repeated word throughout our conversation is “validation” - what the past few years have brought for the thriving Canadian rapper. Through our midweek Zoom chat, her tenacity and eagerness prove infectious, masking her achievements as mere inevitabilities amongst her career so, if she can achieve all this, what will the next 4 years hold? We’ll have to see for ourselves once she travels the Atlantic and returns to the UK.
Haviah Mighty's latest singles, 'Atlantic' and 'Occasion', are out now and can be found here.
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