May I begin by saying one thing: I fucking despise Akon! Seriously, I believe that in order for the musical revolution to begin Akon would have to be killed (right after Bono, 50 Cent and Chad Kroger). The guy is inherently evil and his voice has the power to kill small farm animals. That being said, let me introduce you to Akon’s latest protege Kardinal Offishall. Kardinal hails from Canada, is the son of Jamaican immigrants, and was recently inducted into Akon’s Konvict family. He has been hailed as the next hot thing, the freshest MC to come out of Canada (not a massive achievement). As a hip-hop junkie, it was in my best interests to suss the boy out…

Putting aside my resent towards Akon, Kardinal’s album is something special. I wouldn’t say this is the future of hip-hop, but God damn it’s a good listen. Beyond anything else, the guy is certainly versatile. His music is something of a hybrid between dancehall, reggae and hip-hop. He can throw rude-boy rhymes at you in a ‘better than Sean Paul’ manner, or switch it up and spit a hot 16 line missile with the same force and skill that has critics sitting up. He even dips into the production cookie jar, with his name on the production credits in three instances.

Overall Kardinal’s album is fresh. He’s far more lyrical than any rude-boy and the excellent thing about his style is that his flow can switch from verse to verse. He can sound as Jamaican as Cool Runnings or rap with a commercial flow that hip-hop and pop fans love to hear blasting from their stereo. Not 4 Sale is a showcase of Kardinal Offishall’s versatility, his rhythm and rhyme skills not just as a rude-boy but as an MC. Rocking collabo’s with some of the hottest artist today (excluding Akon) such as Clipse, Rihanna, Estelle, T-Pain and The Dream, this album is worth picking up.

See what Canada has to offer the music industry besides Michael Buble and Avril Lavigne. If you’re a hip-hop head, reggae rude-boy or just a pop music fan, this album is worthy of a listen. It caters to all needs with hot production and rhymes that can be appreciated by all music fans. Keep an eye on this boy, this is an Offishall warning, he’s set to blow up any minute now.