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Drop the Beat is a Canadian television series produced by Back Alley Film Productions that aired on CBC Television in 2000 and 2001. A short-run dramatic series, the show was one of the first television series in the world centred around hip hop music and culture.
The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the early 2000s.
"Northern Touch" is a Canadian hip hop single, which was released in 1998 by Rascalz in collaboration with Checkmate, Kardinal Offishall, Thrust and Choclair. It is one of the most important individual songs in the history of Canadian hip hop, which almost singlehandedly transformed the genre from a largely ignored underground movement into a viable commercial endeavour.
Jason Drew Harrow, better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall, is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent hip hop producers during the 2000s and is distinctive for his reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip hop.
Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He was one of the most successful rappers in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Choclair has been nominated for six Juno Awards, winning four.
Ghetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of the group.
Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop as well as specifically for the Westcoast scene in Vancouver popularizing the term “Van City”. The group consists of emcees Red1 and Misfit, and record producer DJ Kemo. Breakdancers Zebroc and Dedos were also part of the group.
Black Jays is a Canadian independent record label, production company, and musical collective, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music. Founded in 2000 by rappers Kardinal Offishall and Solitair, it was originally known as Silver House and the Girl (S.H.A.G.). In 2004, the group came to prominence after releasing a remix album and mixtape. The Toronto-based group's name is derived from the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.
Sheldon Pitt, better known by his stage name Solitair, is a Canadian rapper and record producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is a founding member of the now defunct Black Jays record label and production team. Solitair has been producing hip hop and R&B for nearly 20 years, and has produced for Nina Sky, Glenn Lewis, Cham, Maestro, Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall, Ivana Santilli, Jully Black, Choclair, and Sugar Jones among others.
Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 is the second studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. It was released on MCA Records, his first album for a major label. It is a recompilation album, which includes older songs and demos that he used to get signed. The lead single, "BaKardi Slang", became his first single to appear on a Billboard chart. The second single, "Ol' Time Killin'", was a minor hit. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics.
Not 4 Sale is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released September 9, 2008 on Kon Live Distribution and Geffen Records. It is his second international major-label album after Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1, released in 2001. It was a critical success, and included the top five Billboard Hot 100 single "Dangerous", and the minor hit "Numba 1 ".
"Dangerous" is a song by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall featuring American singer Akon. Produced by DJ Kemo and hAZEL, it was the first single from his fourth album, Not 4 Sale. It was released to radio in March 2008, and on iTunes on April 1. On the week of May 13, at the American iTunes Store, the song was offered as a free download. The song won the award for Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. In January 2023, the single was certified 4× platinum by Music Canada and 3× platinum by the RIAA.
Husslin' is an EP by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released independently on April 11, 2000, on Figure IV Entertainment, and distributed by Fat Beats Records in the United States. The title track, "Husslin'", was one of the hottest 12" singles of 2000. "And What?", featuring Saukrates, was released as a single in 1999. "Husslin'" and "Mic T.H.U.G.S." also appear on Kardinal's second studio album, Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1. An updated version of "U R Ghetto When", known as "U R Ghetto 2002", is on the Quest for Fire album.
"Belly Dancer" is a song by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall featuring American singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams, who produced it with Chad Hugo as The Neptunes. Released on March 25, 2003, it was originally the first single from the former's unreleased album, Firestarter Vol. 2: The F-Word Theory.
"Husslin'" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall. It was the only single from his EP of the same name. The song also appears on his second album, Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1. Released in early 2000, the 12" single quickly became an underground favorite, and it was #1 on many college radio charts in the U.S. After its release, radio-tracking publication Gavin Report called it "By far, the hottest 12-inch on the platter right now. With three cuts to choose from, you can't go wrong." The song has a catchy chorus and a powerful horn sample.
"Beautiful" is the third single from Akon's third studio album, Freedom. The song features American pop singer Colby O'Donis and a rap verse from Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall. "Beautiful" was released to radio on January 6, 2009. The song has also been released in other three international versions, with different featured artists replacing both Colby's vocals and Kardinal's rapping: in Portuguese with Brazilian singer Negra Li, in Dutch with Dutch singer Brace, and in Spanish with Mexican singer Dulce María. The original version of "Beautiful" peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, the original version of "Beautiful" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Israel and the United Kingdom.
Canadian rapper and record producer Kardinal Offishall has released five studio albums, one extended play (EP), thirty-three singles, and five mixtapes.
Reloaded is the fourth studio album by Canadian hip hop group Rascalz, released in 2002. The album debuted at #22 on the Canadian Albums Chart. The single was also a success in Germany reaching #14 on the German Black Music Chart. Reloaded was among the top 30 best-selling rap albums in Canada in 2002 and the third best-selling rap album of the year by a Canadian rap artist.
David Carty, known by his stage name Jelleestone, is a Canadian rapper.
IRS, an initialism for Instinctive Reaction to Struggle, was a Canadian hip hop band from Toronto, Ontario, active in the early 2000s. They are most noted for their 2003 album Welcome to Planet IRS, which received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2004.
References
- 1 2 3 Who's Who in Black Canada 2
- ↑ Kardinal Offishall making waves [usurped]
- ↑ "Kinder, Gentler Rap, Eh?". Archived from the original on 2008-10-22. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ↑ Husslin' > Overview
- ↑ Kardinal Offishall > Biography
