Kardi Ain't For Sale

09/18/08 4:22pm

by Cheryl Thompson (CHARTattack)

Kardinal Offishall has produced some of Canada's most memorable hip-hop songs over his 12-year career, including "On Wit Da Show," "Husslin'" and "BaKardi Slang." But the truth is, "Dangerous" (featuring Akon), the lead single off his new Not 4 Sale album, is his first American hit.

"The single is almost platinum in America," says Offishall. "You can have good songs and you can have a lot of people appreciate your songs, but when you look up a hit record in the dictionary, it's more than just having a critically acclaimed song... If you look across the board, universally around the world, this is a hit record."

If you're a hardcore Offishall fan, his newfound celebrity status stateside might piss you off a bit, as it appears he's only getting recognized for his talents because of his pairing with Akon. But he's adamant that he hasn't changed his approach.

"[This album] is about something that I've always been about and that I always continue to be about. With the addition of Akon into my movement that I'm doing, and now that I'm moving with a lot of big dogs or whatever, it just doesn't mean that because there's more money involved that it's going to alter or change the process of how I make my music or what my music sounds like."

Offishall signed a one-record deal with Virgin Music Canada for Fire And Glory in 2005. Although he's back on an American label (Geffen), which hasn't always been the best for him, Offishall says his outlook is totally different this time around.

"Sometimes with labels, they want to put in their two cents and shape the artist and stuff, but this wasn't one of those scenarios. I was just like, 'This is what it is, either you're rolling with us or you're against us.'"

Not 4 Sale features a who's who of urban music, as Offishall teams up with the likes of Rhianna on "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)," Estelle on "Due Me A Favour" and T-Pain on "Go Home With You." Ultimately, it doesn't matter who Offishall shares the mic with, his blending of hip-hop and dancehall reggae remains quintessentially unique.

"I just hope that when people check this album that all of a sudden... they get it and it kind of changes people's perspective on what hip-hop can sound like, and that it expands what the boundaries of hip-hop is and that people all of a sudden realize that music has no limitations," he says. "It just depends on how much risks an artist is willing to put into their craft."

Offishall will perform at The Score Street Party in Toronto on Sept. 20 and at Beattoberfest in Kitchener, Ont. on Oct. 15.