Kardinal Offishall

Infobox musical artist
Name = Kardinal Offishall


Img_capt = Kardinal Offishall at the "eTalk" Festival Party, during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Img_size = 250px
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Jason Harrow
Alias =
Born = c. 1976
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada
Origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Instrument =
Genre = Canadian hip hop
East Coast hip hop
Occupation = Rapper, producer, songwriter
Years_active = 1996–present
Label = MCA (2000–2003)
Kon Live/Geffen
(2007–present)
Associated_acts = Black Jays, Akon, T-Pain
URL = [http://www.kardinaloffishall.com/ Official Website]

Jason Harrow (born c. 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (pronEng|ˈkɑːrdɪnæl oʊfɪˈʃæl), is a Canadian hip-hop artist and producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is well known for his reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop. [ [http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/bio/index.jsp?pid=390263 Billboard] ] [ [http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=1477 XXL Magazine] ]

Biography

Jason Harrow was born in Scarborough, Ontario, [ [http://www.whaddat.com/miccheck/kardi.html Whaddat?] ] [ [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/canadianhiphop.html CBC] ] in Toronto's east end, and raised by Jamaican immigrant parents. He later settled in the Oakwood-Vaughan neighborhood of York, Ontario, in Toronto's west end. [ [http://www.kardinaloffishall.com/bio/ Kardinal Offishall] ] [ [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/O/Offishall_Kardinal/2006/02/17/1447418.html Jam! Showbiz] ] Harrow started rapping at the age of eight and was winning competitions by the time he was 12. Also at the age of 12, he performed live and on stage for the first time, with Nelson Mandela in attendance during Mandela's first visit to Toronto. [http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/1997/022797/music1.html Montreal Mirror] ] By 1993, he decided to change his alias "KoolAid", and went by the moniker "Kardinal Offishall" after being inspired by the great 17th century French politician Cardinal Richelieu. [ [http://www.exclaim.ca/index.asp?layid=22&csid=1&csid1=4483 Exclaim] ]

Kardinal was signed to a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music Canada at the age of 20. In 1996, he released his first single "Naughty Dread", which was featured on the "Rap Essentials Volume One" compilation and earned him a Juno Award nomination for Best Rap Recording. In 1997, Kardinal released his debut album "Eye & I" on Capitol Hill Music. The only single from the album, "On Wit Da Show", had considerable video play on MuchMusic. In 1998, he was featured on the Juno-winning single "Northern Touch" with the Rascalz, Choclair, Checkmate and Thrust.

In 2000, Kardinal signed with MCA Records. He released the album "" in 2001, which spawned the hits "BaKardi Slang" and "Ol' Time Killin'". The album earned a gold certification in Canada. After MCA folded in 2003, Kardinal's highly anticipated follow up album "Firestarter Vol. 2: F Word Theory" was shelved along with the single/video for "Belly Dancer" featuring Pharrell, and Kardinal eventually found himself without a label. Had the album been released, there would have been production from Timbaland and The Neptunes, among others. He released an independent mixtape titled "Kill Bloodclott Bill" in 2004 with his production company, The Black Jays, and he also released his second major-label album titled "Fire and Glory" on November 15, 2005, through Virgin Records in Canada only. Hits on "Fire and Glory" include "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" and "Heads Up".

Kardinal has also produced many songs, including the hit single "Let's Ride" by Choclair, whose album "Ice Cold" went gold in 35 days and would win them a Juno in 2000. However, it was with the Black Jays team when Kardinal received notoriety for his production work. In 2004, Kardinal and Solitair of the Black Jays created a remix version of Jay-Z's "The Black Album" and called it "The Black Jays Album". Kardinal also did some production on "Kill Bloodcott Bill" and produced 9.5 out of the 14 tracks on "Fire and Glory".

He is one of the few Canadian hip hop artists that have an international audience and has collaborated with artists such as Busta Rhymes, Method Man, Sean Paul, Spragga Benz, Bounty Killer, Little Brother, Stat Quo, Pharoahe Monch, Vybz Kartel, Rihanna, Snow, Pete Rock, T-Pain, Prince Paul, Chali 2na, Lil Wayne and Akon. A-List producers, The Neptunes requested Kardinal appear on the remix to their smash hit production “Grindin'” with Clipse. The remix was well received across North America, particularly in New York City.

Kardinal made two appearances on BET’s Rap City (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). Kardinal has made brief guest appearances in Rihanna's "Pon De Replay" music video, Sean Paul's "Get Busy" video, which was shot in Woodbridge, Ontario (a Toronto suburb), Estelle's "American Boy" video, and DJ Khaled's "Out Here Grindin" video. He has also appeared on mixtapes from Clinton Sparks and DJ Green Lantern.

In 2006, Kardinal collaborated with Akon, Cipha Sounds, DJ Whoo Kid, and various members of the Black Jays family, among others. At the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards, Kardinal walked away with 3 awards for "Everyday (Rudebwoy)", including Best Video, Best Director (RT!) and VideoFACT Award. At the MMVA's, he announced that he had an upcoming collaboration with the Canadian Reggae Band Bedouin Soundclash, now known as the single "Last Standing Soldier" (Remix).

Discography

tudio albums

Mixtapes and EPs

* "Husslin"' (2000)
* "DJ Cipha Sounds - Fahrenheit/416" (2004)
* "Kill Bloodclott Bill" (2004)
* "DJ Cipha Sounds - They Call It Murrrda!" (2006)
* "DJ Whoo Kid & Kardinal Offishall - Canadian Coke" (2006)
* "Clinton Sparks Presents: Do The Right Thing" (2007)
* "Kardinal Offishall - Akon - Clinton Sparks Present: Limited Time Only" (2008)

ingles

Awards

*1999: Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for Rascalz' "Northern Touch"
*2000: Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for producing Choclair's "Let's Ride"
*2000: SOCAN Award for "Husslin'"
*2001: MuchMusic Video Award - Best Rap Video for "Money Jane"
*2002: SOCAN Award for "Money Jane"
*2004: Canadian Urban Music Award for "Empty Barrel"
*2006: 3 MuchMusic Video Awards - Best Video, Best Director (RT!) and VideoFACT Award for "Everyday (Rudebwoy)"

References

External links

* [http://www.kardinaloffishall.com/ Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/kardinaloffishall Kardinal Offishall] at MySpace
* [http://www.youtube.com/kardinaloffishall416 Kardinal Offishall] at YouTube
* [http://blog.rhapsody.com/2008/09/qa-kardinal-off.html Rhapsody Interview]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/canadianhiphop.html Border Block - Canadian Hip Hop vs. America]
* [http://www.muchmusic.com/music/artists/bio.asp?artist=163 Much Music]
* [http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_1313.aspx/ MMVA Awards]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaXRGpEdQiQ Interview with DJ Stallion]
* [http://www.konvictmuzik.net/biography/kardinal-offishall.php Kardinal's KonvictMuzik.net page]
* [http://www.flow.tv/shows/15/episodes/597 Kardinal Offishall on Flow.TV]
* [http://music.aol.ca/article/tdot-hip-hop-hero-kardinal-offishall-spits-16-bars-in-our-studio/336421 Kardinal Offishall Spits 16 Bars in Studio - AOL Music]