Not 4 Sale - Kardinal Offishall
October 8, 2008 | Author: John Paz
Kardinal Offishall is a long-time member of the game who is finally getting some much deserved credit for his originality. But ask any hip hop head on the street who he is, and they’re bound to tell you he’s new. Not the case.
His hottest song before his latest release “Not 4 Sale” was 2001 club banger “BaKardi Slang” (which was fire). But due to some bad luck (his record label, MCA, folding) and the rise of gangsta rap, Kardinal Offishall has been mainly overlooked. But make no mistake about it, Kardinal has got more talent than most of the artists out now.
His versatility gives “Not 4 Sale” replay value. If you were to pick up this CD and play it from start to finish, initially you’d think you were listening to Dancehall or Reggae. His opening track, Burnt, channels his ancestral homeland of Jamaica with very reggae-minded vocals. But the very next song, “Set It Off,” features The Clipse and is a hyped club banger with no traces of Reggae.
Then there is his claim to fame, “Dangerous”, featuring Akon; a sexy club anthem and a mainstay on BET and radio stations everywhere.
Now that Kardinal has signed with Konvict Musik he has the star power, production talent, and exposure to really go places.
Kardinal’s greatest asset is his commitment to making songs with quality lyrical content. He really comes through with some knowledge on “Family Tree.” He goes off on industry thugs, and really makes some sense of how absurd it is for the music game to dominated by thug lyrics and excessive drama:
—— ain’t grow up yet, 42 talkin’ bout they bust slugs
Stevie Wonder ain’t hold no heat, Diane Ross ain’t walk to a beat
You think Quincy got beef in the street?
They come from the same hoods as us
Back in the day they had more in they way
Segregation, alienation, gates burnin’ protected by lawmen
Killin’ —— was common
and plenty of house bombins
So if by chance you had anything against Kardinal Offishall from the start, don’t tune him out just yet. The Renaissance Rapper never fails to impress and his mix of dance-hall, R&B, and hip hop are a winning combination to be heard by all.
