Kardinal Offishall

Kardinal Offishall, born Jason Harrow, emerged from Toronto's hip hop scene in the 1990s, building a sound that drew heavily on Jamaican dancehall and reggae influences reflecting his own Caribbean heritage and the broader musical traditions of Toronto's Caribbean community. That blend distinguished him from artists working in a more straightforwardly American hip hop mode, giving his music a sound rooted specifically in Toronto's particular cultural mix.

A breakthrough hit

Kardinal built a strong reputation within Canadian hip hop through the 2000s before breaking into wider international recognition with "Dangerous" in 2008, a single that became a genuine crossover hit and gave him mainstream visibility well beyond the domestic Canadian audience he'd built over the previous decade. He later moved into artist and repertoire work within the music industry, helping develop other Canadian talent, extending his influence on Toronto's hip hop scene beyond his own recording career.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Kardinal Offishall
• Wikipedia — Kardinal Offishall

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