My friends and I were relaxing after exams one afternoon, channel surfing and we happened to be on BET at the time. And Bakardi Slang came on. At first I couldn't hear what he was saying but then I realised, he was speaking patois: "when yuh saying she's a chicken head, she's a sketel bomb too." Then I was intrigued and came back to my room to download it so that I would listen to it more closely. And I've been listening to it ever since; the song is unique and the beat is infectious.
After doing some frantic research on him, I learned that what thought was patois was "T-Dot" slang. Kardinall Offishall hails from Canada where he is respected producer. His fans include Method Man and DJ Premier and they all agree that Kardinall "has raised the hip-hop stakes and will continue to set them higher" Just from watching the Bakardi Slang it is evident that Kardinall is hyper and enjoys what he's doing. He has performed for Nelson Mandela and actually began writing at age 10. Kardinall has received several Juno awards (Canada's equivalent to the Grammys) and has performed with everyone from The Roots to the Beastie Boys.
After being in the background for a number of years, Kardinall is bursting to the forefront with his first of many albums entitled Firestarter; Volume 1: Quest for Fire is to be released on May 30.
He claims that his own west Indian family and Toronto's culture heavily influenced it and it is an intro to the "T-Dot lingo." Although I'm inclined to think that he's Jamaican, he includes all of the Caribbean in his songs and that just makes his music more appealing to many. Money Jane, a track from this album actually features Sean Paul.
Undoubtedly, Kardinall Offishall is an artiste to watch. If Bakardi Slang, Money Jane and Husslin' are anything to go by, Firestarter Volume 1: Quest for Fire should be a good solid buy.
