Kardinal Offishall

Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall in 2008
Kardinal Offishall in 2008
Background information
Birth nameJason Drew Harrow
Born (1976-05-11) May 11, 1976 (age 48)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • disc jockey
  • record executive
Years active1994–present
Works
Labels
Member of
Children3
Websitemrkardinal.com

Jason Drew Harrow[2][3] (born May 11, 1976),[4] better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (/kɑːrdɪˈnæl oʊfɪˈʃæl/ kardi-NAL ohfi-SHAL),[5] is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent hip hop producers during the 2000s and is distinctive for his reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip hop.[6][7][8][4]

A native of Toronto, Harrow began his career in the city's mid-1990s underground hip hop scene, when he formed the hip hop group the Circle.[9] He released his debut studio album, Eye & I (1997) and extended play (EP), Husslin' (2000) independently before signing with MCA Records in 2000. His second album and major label debut, Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 (2001), moderately entered the Canadian Albums Chart and was supported by his first Canadian Singles Chart entries: "Ol' Time Killin'" and "BaKardi Slang"—the latter of which popularized Toronto's nickname "T-dot".[10] He failed to release the album's sequel on MCA, in part due to the label's absorption by Geffen Records prior to its release.[5] Harrow's third album, Fire and Glory (2003), was released by Virgin Records; despite widespread critical praise, it was met with commercial stagnation and became his only release with the label.[11]

He then signed with Senegalese-American singer Akon's record label KonLive Distribution, an imprint of Geffen Records in 2007 to release his fourth album, Not 4 Sale (2008). Its lead single, "Dangerous" (featuring Akon) peaked at number two on the then-newly established Canadian Hot 100, number five of the US Billboard Hot 100, and received quadruple platinum certification by Music Canada (MC). The song yielded his furthest commercial success, and was followed by his guest performance alongside Colby O'Donis on Akon's single "Beautiful" that same year, which peaked within the top 20 of the latter chart.[12] Not 4 Sale debuted at number eight on the Canadian Albums Chart, number 40 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the Canadian Hot 100-top 40 single "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring Keri Hilson or Rihanna), which received gold certification by MC. His 2010 single, "Body Bounce" (featuring Akon), peaked within the top 20 of the chart and received platinum certification, although he parted ways with KonLive later that year.[11][13]

An independent artist once more, he formed the record label Black Stone Colleagues shortly after, although in 2013, Harrow was named the creative executive director of Universal Music Canada's A&R division.[14] Two years later, he released his fifth album, Kardi Gras, Vol. 1: The Clash (2015) to moderate success. In April 2021, he was promoted to senior vice-president of A&R for Universal Music Canada.[15]

  1. ^ "Neon Dreams Single 'Marching Bands' Goes Gold". Iheartradio.ca.
  2. ^ "ACE Repertory". Ascap.com.
  3. ^ "MTV". MTV. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Kardinal Offishall > Biography AllMusic. Accessed on October 24, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Red Bull Music Academy". Red Bull Music Academy. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  6. ^ "Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  7. ^ "XXL Magazine". Xxlmag.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  8. ^ Husslin' > Overview AllMusic. Accessed on October 24, 2012.
  9. ^ Kardinal Offishall making waves Jam! Music. Accessed on October 22, 2012.
  10. ^ "BaKardi Slang" by Kardinal Offishall Archived 2010-07-08 at the Wayback Machine MSN. Accessed on October 22, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Heds and Dreds: Talking T-Dot Roots and Culture with Kardinal Offishall Archived July 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Okayplayer. Accessed on October 22, 2012
  12. ^ Gold Platinum Database Archived February 22, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Music Canada. Accessed on October 22, 2012.
  13. ^ Kardinal Offishall talks with The Come Up Show about A.M.T.R.I.M, Toronto and the music industry The Come Up Show. Accessed on October 22, 2012.
  14. ^ Kardinal Offishall Joins Universal's A&R Team as Creative Executive Director Archived March 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine Exclaim!. Accessed on February 17, 2014.
  15. ^ "Music Industry Moves: Universal Music Canada Names Kardinal Offishall Senior VP of A&R". MSN. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.