Jason D. Harrow [1] (born c. 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), [2] is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop. [3] [4]

KARDINAL OFFISHALL TICKETS BTS Tickets Rush Tickets Journey Tickets Shakira Tickets Bryson Tiller Tickets Earth, Wind and Fire Tickets

Biography

Harrow was born in Scarborough, Ontario, ^{[5] [6]} in Toronto's east end, and raised by Jamaican immigrant parents. He later settled in the Oakwood-Vaughan neighbourhood of York, Ontario, in Toronto's west end. ^{[7] [8]} He 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. ^[9] 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. ^[10]

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 Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 in 2001, which spawned the hits "BaKardi Slang" and "Ol' Time Killin'". 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".

In 2007, Akon signed Kardinal Offishall to his label Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. Kardinal Offishall released an album under the album Not 4 Sale . It spawned the hit single "Dangerous", which peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2009, Kardinal performed as the main act for Denison University.

Discography

Studio albums

Album information

Eye & I Released: December 1997 Label: Capitol Hill Music CRIA certification: N/A RIAA certification: N/A Singles: "Naughty Dread", "On wit da Show"

Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 Released: May 22, 2001 Label: MCA Records CRIA certification: N/A RIAA certification: N/A CAN sales: 50,000 copies Singles: "Husslin'", "BaKardi Slang", "Ol' Time Killin'", "Powerfulll"

Fire and Glory Released: November 15, 2005 Label: EMI/Virgin Music Canada CRIA certification: N/A RIAA certification: N/A Singles: "Everyday (Rudebwoy)", "Heads Up", "Feel Alright"

Not 4 Sale Released: September 9, 2008 Label: Kon Live/Geffen Records Chart positions: #40 US, #8 CAN [11] CRIA certification: N/A RIAA certification: N/A CAN sales: 4,247 copies (first week) US Sales: 32,500 copies Singles: "Dangerous", "Set It Off", "Burnt", "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)"

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)

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions						Album
		CAN	US	US R&B	UK	AUS	AUT
1997	"Naughty Dread"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Eye & I
1998	"On wit da Show"	91	—	—	—	—	—
2000	"Husslin'"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1
2001	"BaKardi Slang"	19	—	—	—	—	—
	"Ol' Time Killin'" (Feat. Jully Black, Allistair, IRS, and Wio-K)	32	—	—	—	—	—
	"Powerfulll" (Feat. Jully Black)	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Belly Dancer" (Feat. Pharrell)	—	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album song
2005	"Heads Up"	—	—	—	—	—	—	Fire and Glory
	"Everyday (Rudebwoy)" (Feat. Ray Robinson)	16	—	—	—	—	—
2006	"Feel Alright"	40	—	—	84	—	—
2007	"Graveyard Shift" (Feat. Akon)	—	—	—	—	—	—	Non-album song
2008	"Dangerous" (Feat. Akon)	2	5	50	16	42	52	Not 4 Sale
	"Set It Off" (Feat. Clipse)	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Burnt" (Feat. Lindo P)	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (Feat. Keri Hilson)	38	—	—	84	—	—
2009	"Clear"	—	—	—	—	—	—	TBA
"—" denotes releases that failed to chart

Featured singles

Year	Single	Peak positions		Album
		CAN	US
1998	"Northern Touch" (Rascalz featuring Kardinal Offishall, Choclair, Checkmate & Thrust)	41	—	Cash Crop
2000	"Money Jane" (Baby Blue Soundcrew featuring Kardinal Offishall, Sean Paul & Jully Black)	24	—	Non-album single
2009	"Beautiful" (Akon featuring Colby O'Donis & Kardinal Offishall)	16	19	Freedom
2009	"Tonight" (Lomaticc featuring Sunny Brown, Baba Khan, Fatman Scoop & Kardinal Offishall)

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)"
• 2009: Juno Award for Single of the Year for "Dangerous"; Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for Not 4 Sale

References

1. MTV
2. Red Bull Music Academy
3. Billboard
4. XXL Magazine
5. Whaddat?
6. CBC
7. Kardinal Offishall
8. Jam! Showbiz
9. Montreal Mirror
10. Exclaim
11. HipHopDX