Kardinal Offishall and Solitaire, rehearse for their up-coming performance of Dangerous with Akon @ the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards.
Jason Harrow (born May 11, 1976 in Scarborough, Ontario), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (pronounced /ˈkɑːrdɪnæl oʊfɪˈʃæl/), is a Canadian hip-hop MC and producer of Jamaican descent.
Kardinal is often credited as Canada’s “hip-hop ambassador”[1], and along with MC’s such as Saukrates and Maestro Fresh Wes, he’s arguably the most popular.
To date, Kardinal is the only Canadian urban act to appear on BET’s Rap City (even freestyling in the booth with Big Tigger), and on MTV’s Advance Warning (which introduces the world to artists on the verge of breaking big, like former guest Kanye West). Kardinal has made brief guest appearances in Rihanna’s “Pon De Replay” music video, and Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” video, which was shot in Woodbridge, Ontario (a Toronto suburb). He has also appeared on mixtapes from Clinton Sparks and DJ Green Lantern.
In 2006, Kardinal collaborated with Akon, Cipha Sounds, DJ Whoo Kid, and various members of the Black Jays family, among others. At the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards, Kardinal walked away with 3 awards for “Everyday (Rudebwoy)”, including Best Video, Best Director (RT!) and VideoFACT Award. At the MMVA’s, he announced that he had an upcoming collaboration with the Canadian Reggae Band Bedouin Soundclash, now known as the single “Last Standing Soldier” (Remix).