Kardinal Offishall
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| Kardinal Offishall | |
|---|---|
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| Origin |  Toronto, Ontario |
| Years active | 1997 – present |
| Labels | Konvict Muzik |
Kardinal Offishall, aka Kardi, aka Celebrity Face (born Jason Harrow in 1976 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Jamaican-Canadian rap MC and producer. He is from the district of Scarborough, Ontario.
Kardinal blends soul, dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, and a wholly inventive approach to beats to create a truly unique sound.
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[edit] General Info
Kardinal Offishall started rapping at the age of 8, and was winning competitions by the time he was 12. He was signed to a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music Canada at the age of 20. In 1997, Kardinal released his debut album Eye & I and Kardinal is also credited as a major contributor to the late 90's renaissance of Canadian hip hop. In 1998 he was featured on the single "Northern Touch" with the Rascalz, Choclair, Checkmate and Thrust.
In 2000, Kardinal signed with MCA Records. He released the album "Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Volume" in 2001, which earned a gold certification in Canada. After MCA folded in 2003, Kardinal's highly anticipated follow up to "Quest For Fire", called "Firestarter Vol. 2 - F Word Theory" was shelved, and Kardinal found himself without a label. He released an independent mixtape titled "Kill Bloodclot Bill" in 2004 with his production company, The Black Jays, and he also released his second major-label album titled "Fire and Glory" in 2005, through Virgin Records in Canada only. He has recently signed with the Konvict Muzik record label, which is owned by fellow artist Akon.
Some of his most popular singles include "Husslin'" , "Money Jane" (Featuring Sean Paul & Jully Black), "Ol Time Killin'" and "BaKardi Slang", from his album Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Volume 1, and "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" , "Heads Up" , "E.G.G.(Everybody Gone Gangsta)" (Featuring Vybz Kartel) and "Feel Alright" from his album Fire and Glory. He has also produced many songs including the hit single "Let's Ride" by Choclair. He is one of the few Canadian hip hop artists that has an international audience and has collaborated with artists such as Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Rihanna, Hugh "MC Son" Ryan, DJ Teh and Akon. A-List producers, The Neptunes requested Kardinal appear on the remix to their smash hit production “Grindin'”. The remix was well received across North America, particularly in New York City.
Kardinal also made a brief guest appearance in Sean Paul's music video of "Get Busy", which was shot in Richmond Hill, Ontario (a Toronto suburb). He also appeared in Rihanna's "Pon De Replay" music video. He has also appeared on mixtapes from Clinton Sparks and DJ Green Lantern. Kardinal is well known for his club anthems. “You have to walk through the fire, to get to the glory. Having your ex-label dissolve, and then trying to get a priority release on Geffen/Interscope with Jadakiss and Eminem in the picture means my eyes are wide open now.” Kardinal told Much Music.
To date, Kardinal is the only Canadian urban act to appear on BET’s Rap City show (even freestyling in the booth with Big Tigger), and on MTV’s Advance Warning (which introduces the world to artists on the verge of breaking big, like former guest Kanye West). Recent collaboration has seen him working alongside the Neptunes’ Pharrell Williams (“Grindin'” remix, “Bellydancer”), on recent records by Pete Rock (“We Good”), Method Man (“Baby Come On”), Akon (“Kill The Dance”) and on the blockbuster movie soundtrack 2 Fast 2 Furious with Disturbing The Peace’s Shawnna (“Block Reincarnated”). At the 2006 Much Music Video Awards, Kardi announced that he had an upcoming collaboration with the Canadian Band Bedouin Soundclash, now known as the single "Last Standing Soldier (Remix)".
Kardinal is currently recording his follow up to Fire and Glory with his first album on Konvict Muzik entitled "Not For Sale" featuring established artists such as Lil Wayne, De La Soul, The Clipse, Rihanna and Stat Quo. The album will be Kardinal's first worldwide release and is scheduled for early 2007.
[edit] Trivia
In 2006, he became an expert panelist for the MuchMusic VJ Search program.
Kardi is also an occasional judge on MuchMusic's Video On Trial.
Kardi is 6'4" tall.
Kardi has a communications degree from York University.
He has an outtie belly button.
In 2004, Kardi & The Black Jays released a remix of Jay-Z's 'The Black Album' entitled 'The Black Jays Album'.
Kardi won two MMVA's (Much Music Video Awards) in June 2006. He won the award for "Best Music Video" with "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" and the award for "Best Director" for the same video.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Eye & I(1997)
- Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Volume 1 (2001) (Gold)
- Fire and Glory (2005)
- Not For Sale (2007)
[edit] Mixtapes
- DJ Cipha Sounds - Fahrenheit/416 (2004)
- Kill Bloodclot Bill (Black Jays) (2004)
- DJ Cipha Sounds - They Call It Murrrda! (2006)
- DJ Whoo Kid & Kardinal Offishall - Canadian Coke (2006)
[edit] Awards
- Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for Rascalz' "Northern Touch"
- Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for Choclair's "Let's Ride"
- SOCAN Award for "Husslin'"
- MMVA Award for Best Video, Best Director and VideoFACT for "Everyday (Rudebwoy)"
