Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper,

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, DJ, and

record executive A music executive or record executive is a person within a record label who works in senior management and makes executive decisions over the label's artists. Their role varies greatly but in essence, they can oversee one, or many, aspects of a re ...

. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country's best hip hop producers, and is best known for his distinctive

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The R ...

-influenced style of hip hop. Kardinal Offishall > BiographyAllMusic. Accessed on October 24, 2012. A native of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, Offishall began his career in the city's mid-1990s underground hip hop scene, as a member of The Circle.Kardinal Offishall making waves
Jam! Music. Accessed on October 22, 2012. He released several independent 12" singles, a debut album ('' Eye & I''), and an EP ('' Husslin'''), before signing with major label

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

in 2000. The following year, Offishall released his second album, '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1'', spawning the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' hit " BaKardi Slang", which popularized Toronto's nickname " T-dot", and the minor hit " Ol' Time Killin'"; both singles became his

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...

s. After failing to release the ''Firestarter Vol. 2'' album in 2003, on MCA, and later

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

(which absorbed MCA), Offishall briefly returned to the underground scene, releasing several more independent 12" singles. In 2005, Offishall's third album, '' Fire and Glory'', was released in Canada. That year, he collaborated with R&B singer

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

for the first time, starting a musical partnership that lasted until 2010. In 2007, he signed with Akon's

Kon Live Distribution Kon may refer to: Places * Koń, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland * Kon Tum province, Vietnam :*Kon Tum, capital of Kon Tum province, Vietnam. * Karkhaneh-ye Sefid Kon, a village in Lorestan Province, Iran * Kon, India, a town i ...

label, through Geffen, and released his fourth album, '' Not 4 Sale'', the following year. Its first single, " Dangerous" (featuring

), became a top five hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was certified triple

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

in Canada.Gold Platinum Database
Music Canada. Accessed on October 22, 2012. Offishall released two

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

-certified singles, "

Numba 1 (Tide Is High) "The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover vers ...

" (featuring Keri Hilson or

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to th ...

) and "

Body Bounce "Body Bounce" is a hip-hop single by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon. Produced by Haze,Heds and Dreds: Talking T-Dot Roots and Culture with Kardinal Offishall
Okayplayer. Accessed on October 22, 2012Kardinal 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. Since then, his latest singles have been released on his independent label Black Stone Colleagues Inc. In 2012, Offishall released '' Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself'', a collaborative mixtape with producer Nottz. In 2013, Offishall became the creative executive director of

Universal Music Canada Universal Music Group owns, or has a joint share in, many of the record labels listed here. According to UMG official site, the main labels are Abbey Road Studios, Bravado, Capitol Music Group, Decca Records, Def Jam Recordings, Deutsche Grammopho ...

's A&R team.Kardinal Offishall Joins Universal's A&R Team as Creative Executive Director
''Exclaim!''. Accessed on February 17, 2014. Two years later, he released his fifth album '' Kardi Gras, Vol. 1: The Clash'' under the label. On April 8, 2021, Offishall was promoted to senior vice-president of A&R for Universal Music Canada.

Biography

Early life and career beginnings

Harrow was born in Scarborough,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, in the east end of Toronto, and raised by

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

n immigrant parents.Jackson, Kevin (2014)
Making It 'Offishall'
, ''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an ...

'', March 21, 2014. Accessed on March 23, 2014 From the ages of 2 to 13, he lived in the city's

Flemingdon Park Flemingdon Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the city's North York district. It is part of the Don Valley East federal and provincial electoral districts, and Ward 26: Don Valley East (South) municipally. In 2011, it ...

neighbourhood. He moved back to Scarborough for two years, before finally settling in Oakwood–Vaughan, in the city's west end.Kardi's Second Key 2 The City
CHARTattack. Accessed on January 22, 2011. While in high school, he would throw parties at the Alexandra Park Community Centre. He also is a former

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,000 faculty and sta ...

student (Philosophy) but did not complete his degree. He started rapping at the age of eight and was winning competitions by the time he was 12. At age 14, he performed live on stage for the first time, with

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

in attendance during Mandela's first visit to Toronto following his release from prison earlier that year (1990). 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 Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

. That year, Offishall co-founded The Circle, a collective of artists including Choclair,

Jully Black Jully Black (born Jullyann Inderia Gordon Black, November 8, 1977) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, producer and actress. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Ch ...

, Solitair, Tara Chase, and Saukrates. In 1994, he made his first recorded appearance on Saukrates' single "Still Caught Up".

1996–1999: ''Eye & I''

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 "Naughty Dread" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall. It is his debut single, released in 1996 on Knee Deep Records, before being featured on the ''Rap Essentials Volume One'' compilation album. The song contains a sample of " Natty Dread" by ...

", which was featured on the '' Rap Essentials Volume One'' compilation and earned him a

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...

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 "On wit da Show" (also known as "On wid da Show") is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall. It was the only single from his debut album ''Eye & I''. The song also appears on his second album, '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. The original ...

", had considerable video play on

MuchMusic Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. MuchMusic launched on August 31, ...

. The album received rave reviews from music critics.Kinder, Gentler Rap, Eh?
Ottawa Citizen. Accessed on November 1, 2008.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

stated that Kardinal "blended soul, dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, and a wholly inventive approach to beats on his 20-track debut album, ''Eye & I''." Unfortunately, the album was poorly distributed in Canada, and a lack of radio support resulted in the album receiving limited commercial attention. Over 4,000 copies of the album were sold in its first three months of release. In 1998, he was featured on the Juno-winning single " Northern Touch" with the Rascalz, Choclair,

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

and

Thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...

. The following year, he produced Choclair's hit single " Let's Ride".

2000–2003: ''Husslin'' and ''Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''

''Husslin'' was an EP released on April 11, 2000. It was released independently on

Figure IV Entertainment Figure IV Entertainment was a Canadian independent record label, specializing in hip hop music. Based in Vancouver, British Columbia (with another office in New York City), the label was co-founded in 1994 by Sol Guy, to manage his group Rascalz. ...

and distributed by Fat Beats Records in the United States. The title track, " Husslin'", was one of the hottest 12" singles of 2000. Husslin' > OverviewAllMusic. Accessed on October 19, 2008. "And What?", featuring Saukrates, was released as a single in 1999. "Husslin'" and "Mic T.H.U.G.S." also appear on Kardinal's second studio album, '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. An updated version of "U R Ghetto When", known as "U R Ghetto 2002", is on the ''Quest for Fire'' album. In 2000, Kardinal signed with

. He released the album ''Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1'' in 2001, which spawned the hits " BaKardi Slang" and " Ol' Time Killin'".One year after its release, 25,000 copies of the album were sold in Canada.Has Canadian hip-hop truly "arrived"?
HipHopCanada. Accessed on October 18, 2009. It received generally favorable reviews from music critics. ''

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...

'' gave the album 3 out of 5 mics. RapReviews.com gave it a 7/10 rating, calling it a "mixed bag," and stating "there are also some perfect 10's to be found here."Kardinal Offishall :: Firestarter Vol. 1 * Quest For Fire
RapReviews. Accessed on September 24, 2009. '' The A.V. Club'' gave the album a favorable review, praising its "impressive musical and lyrical consistency." AllMusic gave it 2 out of 5 stars, noting that Kardinal "displays only flashes of promise here." The album was nominated for Best Rap Recording at the

2002 Juno Awards The Juno Awards of 2002 were presented in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada during the weekend of 13–14 April 2002. Nominations were announced 11 February 2002 at a news conference hosted by Mike Bullard. Awards for the secondary ...

. After MCA folded in 2003, Kardinal's highly anticipated follow up album ''Firestarter Vol. 2: The F-Word Theory'' was shelved along with the music video for the single " Belly Dancer" featuring Pharrell, and Kardinal eventually found himself without a label. Had the album been released, there would have been production from

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

and

The Neptunes The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music video ...

, among others. For the 20th anniversary of ''Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1'', Kardinal released "Firestarter", a capsule clothing collection in collaboration with urbancoolab, an artificial intelligence fashion platform.

2004–2008: ''Fire and Glory'' and ''Not 4 Sale''

In 2004, Kardinal released an independent

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

titled ''Kill Bloodclott Bill'' with his production company, Black Jays, and he also released his second major-label album titled '' Fire and Glory'' on November 15, 2005, through

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a world ...

in Canada only. Hits on ''Fire and Glory'' include "

Everyday (Rudebwoy) "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall featuring Ray Robinson. It was the second single from his third album '' Fire and Glory''. The song samples the backing track " People Everyday" by Arrested Development, and also i ...

" and "Heads Up". RapReviews.com gave the album an 8.5/10 rating, stating "''Fire and Glory'' is a better album than ''Firestarter Vol. 1''," and "aside from having better lyrics than most of his counterparts, Kardinal's unique style also sets him apart." The album was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the

2006 Juno Awards The Juno Awards of 2006 were held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on the weekend of 31 March to 2 April 2006. These ceremonies honour music industry achievements in Canada during the previous year. The primary ceremonies were hosted by Pamela An ...

. ''Not 4 Sale'' is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released September 9, 2008, on Kon Live/Geffen Records. It is his second international major-label album, after 2001's ''Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. It was a critical success, spawning the top 5 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single "Dangerous", and the minor hit "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)". 11,869 copies of the album were sold in the United States, in its first week of release. It debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number 40. As of February 15, 2009, the album has sold 34,822 copies. In Canada, it debuted at number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart, with 4,247 copies sold in the first week. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an entirely solid album", also stating "this freedom fighting and socially conscious writing is tempered with hooky club tracks that never fail." 4''USA Today'' gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting "his potent blend of hip-hop and dancehall gives him a flavor all his own."PopMatters gave the album a 6/10 rating, writing "although many of the tracks here are glossy pop productions, Kardinal has not really changed since he was first heard in the '90s."The album won the award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.

2009–2018: Universal Music Canada partnership and ''Kardi Gras, Vol. 1: The Clash''

In 2008, he was featured on the Just Dance (RedOne Remix) by Lady Gaga, part of the EP "Just Dance (Remixes, Pt. 2)". In 2010, he was included in the

Young Artists for Haiti Young Artists for Haiti was a movement to engage Canada's young musicians to continue to inspire an ongoing effort and contribution to Canadian charities for their work to help the people of Haiti overcome the devastation from the 7.1 magnitude ea ...

's version of " Wavin' Flag" in an effort to raise money for disaster relief. He starred along with many Canadian stars. Also in 2010, he was featured in

Raghav Raghav Mathur (born April 2, 1981), known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer. He has released three studio albums: the debut '' Storyteller'' in 2004, ''Identity'' in 2009, and '' The Phoenix'' in 2012. His most known commercial succe ...

's single " So Much". In 2011, he collaborated with Canadian dance-pop act Audio Playground on their gold selling single "Famous", which reached #28 in Canada and #10 on the USA Billboard Dance charts. In 2011, he collaborated with singer Karl Wolf on his single "Ghetto Love". In 2013, Kardinal Offishall, along with Madchild from Swollen Members, were featured on Canadian hip hop artist Classified's self-titled album on the track "Look Up". He also appeared on the charity single " True Colors" by

Artists Against Bullying Artists Against Bullying (often styled as "Artists Against") was an agglomeration of seven Canadian musicians who united in 2012 to re-record the song " True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper. Released during Bullying Awareness Week, the project was inspire ...

. On December 16, 2013, Offishall joined

as Creative Executive Director of A&R. Aside from developing Canadian talent, he has also expressed interest in developing international talent, stating "I'm searching the world for superstars." On October 30, 2015, Kardinal Offishall released his fifth studio album ''Kardi Gras, Vol. 1: The Clash'' which spawned the hit single "That Chick Right There", which reached number 68 on the Canadian Hot 100.

2019–present: ''Pick Your Poison''

On June 4, 2019, Kardinal Offishall released a new single called "Run" which was used as the Toronto Raptors theme song during their championship run in the 2019 NBA Finals and also serves as the first single off his upcoming album ''Pick Your Poison''. In October 2021, it was announced that he will be a judge on the second season of '' Canada's Got Talent'', which aired in 2022. He also made a guest appearance as a fictionalized version of himself in the debut episode of the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

sitcom ''

Run the Burbs ''Run the Burbs'' is a Canadian television sitcom, which premiered on CBC Television on January 5, 2022.Greg David"CBC announces winter premiere dates" ''TV, eh?'', November 23, 2021. The series stars Andrew Phung as Andrew Pham, a suburban stay ...

''.

Personal life

In July 2016, Kardinal Offishall announced the birth of his first child, a daughter.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Eye & I'' (1997) * '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1'' (2001) * '' Fire and Glory'' (2005) * '' Not 4 Sale'' (2008) * '' Kardi Gras, Vol. 1: The Clash'' (2015) * ''Pick Your Poison'' (2022) ;Collaborative albums * '' Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself'' (with Nottz) (2012)

Awards

*1999:

Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year The Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year was introduced in 1991, and awarded for the best rap album in Canada. It was formerly known as Best Rap Recording from 1993 to 2002. Before 1999, because of the relatively limited commercial visibility ...

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 The Juno Award for Single of the Year has been awarded since 1974 for the best single in Canada. It has also been known as Best Single and Best Selling Single. The award goes to the artist. Best Single (1974) Best Selling Single (1975 - 1979 ...

for "Dangerous"; Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year for ''Not 4 Sale'' *2009: SOCAN Urban Music Award for "Dangerous" *2014: Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year for "Can't Choose" (with

JRDN Ralph Jordon Croucher (born November 14, 1978), better known by his stage name JRDN, is a Canadian R&B recording artist. Early life Ralph Jordon Croucher was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and moved to Toronto, Ontario at nine months old, whe ...

) *2019: Honorary Degree from

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1976 births 20th-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century Canadian rappers 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian rappers Black Canadian musicians Canadian hip hop DJs Canadian hip hop record producers Canadian male rappers Canadian music industry executives Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian songwriters Geffen Records artists Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year winners Juno Award for Single of the Year winners Living people MCA Records artists People from Scarborough, Toronto Rappers from Toronto York University alumni Canada's Got Talent judges