‘A dream experience’: Kardinal Offishall joins Def Jam Recordings as new Global A&R

Toronto rapper and music executive Kardinal Offishall is taking his talents to Def Jam Recordings, the record label that helped bring hip hop to the mainstream and currently represents some of the industry’s biggest artists.

Offishall announced on Tuesday that he’s joining Def Jam as Global A&R, where he’ll work directly with CEO Tunji Balogun and Executive Vice President LaTrice Burnette to sign and develop talent from around the globe.

“It’s a dream experience,” Offishall told the Star over the phone. “I get to work with one of the most legendary labels in hip and R&B culture, and we get to create, or at least curate, the new face of Def Jam — the new culture, the new look, the new sonics, the new energy.”

“My passion, what I love doing is helping incredible artists create the best albums possible,” he added. “We want to elevate these people we’re signing to superstar status.”

Def Jam was founded in New York City by producer Rick Rubin and entrepreneur Russell Simmons nearly 40 years ago. The label played a pivotal role in launching the careers of hip hop pioneers like Public Enemy, LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. Today, Def Jam’s roster includes major artists like Pusha T, YG, 2 Chainz, 070 Shake and Jeremih, plus big name Canadian acts Justin Bieber and Alessia Cara.

Def Jam’s influence on the culture is “undeniable,” Offishall explained, likening the label’s status in the world of hip hop to the iconic Rolling Stones logo within the world of rock and roll.

“It’s part of the DNA of hip hop, you know what I’m saying?”

But as a member of the A&R team in 2023, Offishall is not interested in trying to relive the halcyon era of Def Jam. Instead, he wants to discover the artists that can push the culture forward and build on the label’s storied legacy.

“One of the younger artists I was talking to last week were like, ‘Yo man, we love what Def Jam represents. We want to wear the varsity colours. We want to wear the hoodies. We really wanna be the new face of the label, to be the leaders of the new school,” he explained. “And I think that type of mind set is what is really going to make the difference.”

Born in Scarborough, Offishall has been a fixture in the Toronto rap scene since the early 90s. By the 2000s, he’d reached international status with a number of major hits, including “BaKardi Slang,” — a song that popularized Toronto’s nickname “T-dot” — and collaborations with Akon (”Dangerous,” “Beautiful Girl”) and Rihanna (“Numba 1”).

In 2013, he joined Universal Music Canada’s A&R team, first as a creative executive director and later as the department’s senior vice-president, where he worked with burgeoning local artists like Zach Zoya, Savannah Ré and Emanuel.

“What I loved about (working at Universal Canada), is it definitely gave me a greater understanding of the real difference between being an artist and a creative and understanding what goes on behind the scenes,” he said.

“I think its easy to have these clickbaity or oversensationalized ideas about the music industry, like there’s so much money and revenue to be generated. But I think that those of us that managed to navigate the industry and last for a long time are the people that don’t fantasize about what the music industry is — but we do dream about what it can be with a true understanding of commerce and creativity.”

Over time, Offishall — who was also a judge on the second season of “Canada’s Got Talent” — became known in the press as “Canada’s hip hop ambassador.” But as a music executive and as an artist, he rejects the idea of being defined by borders.

“I’ve always hated (that label),” he told the Star.

“My name is only synonymous with Canadian hip hop in Canada. Globally, over the last 20 years, I’ve built a foundation in the U.K., in Africa, in the Caribbean … I’ve always been a globetrotter, whether that means doing concerts, collaborating with other artists, or on the exec side. Me and my close team have always existed as a global people. This is why my nickname for a longtime was ‘Mr. International.’”

As a member of Def Jam, Offishall plans to put his international connections to work as he searches for talent that can “really shift the culture.”

“Of course Toronto, and Canada as a whole, have always, unquestionably been a place that I have always promoted, that I’ve always loved and I’ve always championed,” he said. “Nothing is changing (in the new role,) but the stakes are bigger.”

And though he rejects the label “Canada’s ambassador of hip hop,” Offishall does believe that his appointment to Def Jam shows that the sky is the limit for Canadians grinding it out in the local music industry.

“I love that (Def Jam) was not afraid to have somebody from outside of America come in and really play a pivotal role in what they’re trying to do,” he explained.

“And I think this is great for all of the younger execs, the younger managers, the younger artists — people who might think that they’re only limited to our border. What it shows is that if you continue to just build at your craft and, you know, level up, the world is your oyster.”

SHARE: