Toronto’s Kardinal Offishall (“Cardinal Official”) is one of my favorite artists, because he seamlessly combines two of my favorite genres, Jamaican dancehall and hip-hop. At first glance, the tracklist of "Not 4 Sale," his fourth disc and first as part of Akon’s Konvict Muzik clique, looks like it might be a blatant stab at the pop charts, with guest spots by Akon, Rihanna and T-Pain. But true to form, Mr. Kardin-I, as he occasionally refers to himself, brings nimble lyricism and fiery patois to a party-starter of an album. A skittery organ and bass kick off “Burnt,” with Kardinal trading rudebwoy barbs with Lindo P, followed quickly by the doomsday synths of “Set It Off,” which features a menacing guest spot by the Clipse. There are even a few pop moves in the uptempo bounce of “Dangerous” and “Digital Motown.” The cornerstone of the album, though, is big synthesizers and pumped-up beats that would work equally well in the ride and the club. A couple songs try to capitalize on some of the current dancehall trends, but Kardinal succeeds the most when he sticks to creating that perfect blend of Jamaican jerk and hip-hop hotness. And I may catch some flack for this, but can we please give up this Auto-Tune robotic-voice trend? Just let T-Pain have it. Sussex Countian ...
Anytime
Toronto’s Kardinal Offishall (“Cardinal Official”) is one of my favorite artists, because he seamlessly combines two of my favorite genres, Jamaican dancehall and hip-hop. At first glance, the tracklist of "Not 4 Sale," his fourth disc and first as part of Akon’s Konvict Muzik clique, looks like it might be a blatant stab at the pop charts, with guest spots by Akon, Rihanna and T-Pain. But true to form, Mr. Kardin-I, as he occasionally refers to himself, brings nimble lyricism and fiery patois to a party-starter of an album. A skittery organ and bass kick off “Burnt,” with Kardinal trading rudebwoy barbs with Lindo P, followed quickly by the doomsday synths of “Set It Off,” which features a menacing guest spot by the Clipse. There are even a few pop moves in the uptempo bounce of “Dangerous” and “Digital Motown.” The cornerstone of the album, though, is big synthesizers and pumped-up beats that would work equally well in the ride and the club. A couple songs try to capitalize on some of the current dancehall trends, but Kardinal succeeds the most when he sticks to creating that perfect blend of Jamaican jerk and hip-hop hotness. And I may catch some flack for this, but can we please give up this Auto-Tune robotic-voice trend? Just let T-Pain have it. Sussex Countian ...