Kardinal Offishall

Jason Drew Harrow born May 11 1976 better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall kɑːrdɪˈnæl oʊfɪˈʃæl is a Canadian rapper record producer DJ and record executive Often credited as Canadas hip hop ambassador he is regarded as one of the countrys best hip hop producers and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehallinfluenced style of hip hop A native of Toronto Offishall began his career in the citys mid1990s underground hip hop scene as a member of The Circle He released several independent 12 singles a debut album Eye I and an EP Husslin before signing with major label MCA Records in 2000 The following year Offishall released his second album Quest for Fire Firestarter Vol 1 spawning the Billboard hit BaKardi Slang which popularized Torontos nickname Tdot and the minor hit Ol Time Killin both singles became his signature songs After failing to release the Firestarter Vol 2 album in 2003 on MCA and later Geffen Records which absorbed MCA Offishall briefly returned to the underground scene releasing several more independent 12 singles In 2005 Offishalls third album Fire and Glory was released in Canada That year he collaborated with RB singer Akon for the first time starting a musical partnership that lasted until 2010 In 2007 he signed with Akons Kon Live Distribution label through Geffen and released his fourth album Not 4 Sale the following year The first single Dangerous became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified triple platinum in Canada Offishall released two goldcertified singles Numba 1 Tide Is High and Body Bounce before leaving Kon Live in late 2010 Since then his latest singles have been released on his independent label Black Stone Colleagues Inc In 2012 Offishall released Allow Me to ReIntroduce Myself a collaborative mixtape with producer Nottz In 2013 Offishall became the Creative Executive Director of Universal Music Canadas AR team Two years later he released his fifth album Kardi Gras Vol 1 The Clash under the label He is now working as the Senior Director of Urban AR for UMC