To say that it’s been a long time since we’ve heard from Kardinal Offishall might seem strange.
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we → say → Offishall
After all, it’s not like the Toronto hip-hop star has been out of the public eye.
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star → ’ → eye
His 2008 worldwide smash single “Dangerous” has found new life as a recurrent TikTok trend, and besides his role as global A&R lead for Def Jam Records, he curated and hosted 22 days of live music during the city’s 2026 World Cup festivities.
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he → find → festivities
Still, it has been a while since we’ve heard new music from the five-time Juno Award winner born Jason Harrow.
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we → hear → winner
In fact, it’s been more than a decade since he released his last album, “Kardi Gras, Vol 1.: The Clash,” back in 2015.
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he → release → 2015
Kardinal is remedying the situation with a new 10-track album titled “Firestarter, Vol. 2: Everyday, Sometimes …,” which beyond boasting an impressive list of collaborators, is also deeply personal and introspective.
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which → remedy → collaborators
When I asked him on a recent Zoom call if the long delay between releases could be attributed to the hectic work-life balance of his multi-tentacled career, he immediately concurred, referencing the album’s subtitle: “Do I do Def Jam work?
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I → ask → work
You know what I mean?
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I → know → what
“That’s literally what it’s all about,” he continued.
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he → ’ → what
I look at it as a blessing to be able to have had all these experiences.
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I → look → experiences
I mean, listen, it’s the 25th-anniversary since ‘Firestarter, Vol. 1,’ and it’s like I’ve lived 100 lifetimes in the last 25 years.”
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I → mean → years
A landmark statement for Toronto hip-hop
Released in 2001, Kardinal’s “Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1” was a landmark statement for Toronto hip-hop, featuring the hit singles “BaKardi Slang,” which shrewdly describes the city’s diasporic cultural makeup, and the party-starting anthem “Ol’ Time Killin’,” which led to his working with superstar artists like Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Akon and Timbaland.
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which → release → Williams
The album built on the reputation Kardinal had earned locally for his energetic live shows since the mid-1990s, when he was part of the pioneering crew the Circle, which counted Canadian hip-hop and R&B stars Choclair, Saukrates and Jully Black among its double-digit membership.
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which → build → membership
Undeniably, “Firestarter, Vol. 1,” announced the performer’s distinctive style of hip-hop, heavily influenced by reggae, dancehall and Jamaican patois, to an international audience.
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Firestarter → announce → audience
“I wanted to represent Toronto, I wanted to represent Jamaica, I wanted to represent everything that we were in Canada,” Kardinal said.
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Kardinal → want → Canada
“The same way that they talk about Brooklyn, Los Angeles, anywhere else, I wanted people to really start to understand what we were dealing with in Toronto.
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we → talk → Toronto
That was my biggest goal at the time, just represent the vibrations and energy that was going on in the city.
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that → represent → city
I wanted to bring that worldwide.”
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I → want → that
Indeed, at various points during his 30-plus-year career, Kardinal has referred to himself as “Mr. International.”
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Kardinal → refer → International
But it’s clear that he values the recognition and staying power his music has at home.
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music → ’ → home
Citing subsequent hits such as 2005’s “Everyday (Rudebwoy),” 2008’s “Numba 1 (Tide Is High),” and 2010’s “The Anthem,” Kardinal recognizes how the songs have resonated and have been integrated into the city’s pro sports landscape.
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songs → cite → landscape
“They still play at every Blue Jays game, every Raptors game, Toronto FC,” he said.
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he → play → game
“It’s become a part of the ethos of sporting in Toronto.
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It → become → Toronto
I think those things are dope screenshots.
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things → think → ?
These are joints that represented where I was at the time.
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I → represent → time
A bunch of them represent where the city was at the time.
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city → represent → time
You know, it’s fire when I think about it, because a lot of these things are also dreams actualized.”
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lot → know → things
‘Staying grateful to keep the plate full’
Kardinal strikes a similarly reflective mood when discussing his new music.
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Kardinal → stay → music
“I wanted to be able to have (the album) reflect more on the human experience, more than (being) worried about the industry experience,” he said.
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he → want → experience
“Before I was trying to conquer the world professionally.
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I → try → world
And I think this one — although it is professional — this is me trying to conquer the world personally.
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me → think → world
Despite his long and storied career to this point, Kardinal is still motivated to evolve an artist.
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Kardinal → motivate → artist
Bookended by the songs “Heavy Is the Head” and “Everyday, Sometimes,” the album features several introspective tracks dealing with mental health, wellness and generational trauma, as well as resilience and drawing strength from what he calls “chosen family.”
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he → bookende → what
“After all these years, I’m literally learning what it means to be a pure artist,” he said, “where I may have been reluctant to say certain things or express certain things, even though sometimes it is uncomfortable.”
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it → learn → things
The album provides frank insights to Kardinal’s inner life, when he isn’t the gregarious and humorous personality that he often presents to the world — when, for example, he finds it hard to just get out of bed and to face the day.
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it → provide → day
“I’ve had those days, where you almost feel defeated,” he said.
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he → have → days
“But the incredible thing is that every single day that we are alive is a victory, because it means no matter what our worst day is, we got past that day.
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we → mean → day
For me, it’s staying grateful to keep the plate full.
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it → stay → plate
That’s really what it’s all about.”
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it → ’ → what
A stacked guest list
And despite the introspective themes of some tracks, Kardinal has not extinguished the frenetic energy that informs much of his music.
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that → extinguish → music
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
