Not 4 Sale | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 9, 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2006–2008 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 63:03 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Kardinal Offishall (exec.), Akon (exec.), Devyne Stephens (exec.), Shawn Holiday (exec.), Nottz, Supa Dups, Jake One, DJ Kemo & hAZEL, Alex da Kid, Boi-1da, Shea Taylor, Hakim Abdulsamad | |||
Kardinal Offishall chronology | ||||
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Singles from Not 4 Sale | ||||
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Not 4 Sale is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released September 9, 2008 on Konvict Muzik and Interscope 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 (Tide Is High)".
On July 2, 2007, the single "Graveyard Shift", featuring Akon, was premiered on Sirius Satellite Radio's Hip-Hop Nation channel. It was originally the album's first single. [1] In March 2008, the first single "Dangerous", also featuring Akon, was released. It proved to be Kardinal's most successful single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. [2]
In June 2008, Kardinal released the mixtape, Limited Time Only, which had snippets of five songs that would appear on the album. One of those songs, "Burnt", featuring Lindo P, was accompanied by a music video in late June. On July 15, "Burnt" and "Set It Off" featuring Clipse, were released on iTunes; [3] In August, a music video was released for "Set It Off". The song "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)", featuring Rihanna, is a cover of the reggae song "The Tide Is High". [4] The version featuring Keri Hilson is the album's fourth single. A music video was released for the song "Nina", though it was not released as a single.
Kardinal's idea for the album title was from a custom-made T-shirt which read "Not 4 Sale" and had a bar code on it. Kardinal explained why he chose Not 4 Sale as the title:
My idea was something provocative — that went beyond gender, went beyond race, went beyond what type of music you're into. And people would literally stop me on the street, telling me how dope the shirt was, how similarly they felt. The concept grew in my head based on that reaction. There's energy you can't buy — the essence of people that can't be bought or bottled, and lives within them. That's how I feel about myself — I can't be bought. [4]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Blender | [6] |
Eye Weekly | [7] |
People | [8] |
PopMatters | 6/10 [9] |
RapReviews | 7/10 [10] |
USA Today | [11] |
The album sold 11,869 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 40. [12] As of February 15, 2009, the album has sold 34,822 copies. [13] In Canada, it entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number eight, with 4,247 copies sold in the first week. [14]
The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an entirely solid album," also stating "this freedom fighting and socially conscious writing is tempered with hooky club tracks that never fail." [15] USA Today gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting "his potent blend of hip-hop and dancehall gives him a flavor all his own." [16] PopMatters gave the album a 6/10 rating, writing "although many of the tracks here are glossy pop productions, Kardinal has not really changed since he was first heard in the '90s." [17] The album won the award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards. [18]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Burnt" (featuring Lindo P) | Shea Taylor | 4:56 | |
2. | "Set It Off" (featuring Clipse) | Boi-1da | 4:38 | |
3. | "Dangerous" (featuring Akon) |
|
| 4:11 |
4. | "Digital Motown" (featuring J*Davey) |
| Jake One | 3:47 |
5. | "Gimme Some" (featuring The-Dream) |
| Boi-1da | 4:16 |
6. | "Bad Like We Bad" | Harrow | Kardinal Offishall | 3:40 |
7. | "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring Rihanna) |
| Supa Dups | 3:43 |
8. | "Ill Eagle Alien" |
| Nottz | 4:54 |
9. | "Nina" |
| Supa Dups | 3:14 |
10. | "Go Home with You" (featuring T-Pain) |
| Kardinal Offishall | 4:17 |
11. | "Going In" |
| Alex da Kid | 4:00 |
12. | "Bring the Fire Out" |
| Boi-1da | 3:06 |
13. | "Family Tree (Still Eyerize)" (featuring Glenn Lewis) |
| Kardinal Offishall | 4:00 |
14. | "Due Me a Favour" (featuring Estelle) |
|
| 6:23 |
15. | "Lighter!" |
| Boi-1da | 4:12 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Dangerous (Remix)" (featuring Akon and Sean Paul) |
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| 4:35 |
Chart (2008) | Peak position |
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Canadian Albums Chart [12] | 8 |
French Albums Chart [20] | 105 |
U.S. Billboard 200 [12] | 40 |
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [12] | 10 |
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums [12] | 7 |
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Region | Date |
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Canada | September 9, 2008 |
United States | |
Japan [21] | September 24, 2008 |
United Kingdom [17] | September 29, 2008 |
"The Tide Is High" is a 1967 rocksteady song written by John Holt, originally produced by Duke Reid and performed by the Jamaican group the Paragons, with Holt as lead singer. The song gained international attention in 1980, when a cover version by the American band Blondie became a US and UK number one hit. The song topped the UK Singles Chart again in 2002 with a version by the British girl group Atomic Kitten, while Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall had a minor hit with his interpretation in 2008.
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.
Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer-songwriter, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influential figure in world music, he rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of his debut single "Locked Up". Styled in hip hop, it preceded the release of his debut studio album Trouble (2004), which became his commercial breakthrough and spawned the R&B-styled follow-up, "Lonely" the following year.
Fire and Glory is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released November 15, 2005 on EMI/Virgin Records, exclusively in Canada. Two hit singles were released from the album, "Everyday (Rudebwoy)" and "Feel Alright".
Back on My B.S. is the eighth studio album by American rapper Busta Rhymes. It was released on May 19, 2009, through Flipmode and Universal Motown. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Pharrell Williams, DJ Scratch, Danja and Cool & Dre among others. The album also features guest appearances by T-Pain, Jamie Foxx, Akon, Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, T.I. and many more.
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.
"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.
"Out Here Grindin" is the first single from DJ Khaled's third studio album, We Global. The track features American hip hop artists Akon, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Lil Boosie, Trick Daddy, Ace Hood and Plies. It was produced by The Runners and co-produced by Akon, with the hook written by T-Pain.
"I'm So Paid" is the second single from American singer Akon's third studio album, Freedom. The song features additional vocals from rappers Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, and was released as a digital download worldwide and a physical single in France only on October 4, 2008.
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"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.
"BaKardi Slang" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall. Produced by Solitair, it was the first single from his second album Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1. The single was released in Canada in 2000, before being re-released in the U.S. the following year. It became his first single to appear on a Billboard chart, as well as his first Top 40 hit as a solo artist in Canada.
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Dwayne Chin-Quee, better known as Supa Dups, is a Jamaican record producer, a drummer, and selector based in Miami, Florida. He is a member of the Black Chiney sound system. His father is a second generation Chinese Jamaican, and his mother is of Hakka Chinese, German, and African descent.
"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 peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the United States, the original version peaked within the top ten of the charts in Israel and the United Kingdom.
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