"BaKardi Slang" is a hip-hop song by

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country ...

. Produced by

Solitair 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 an ...

, 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 A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' chart, as well as his first Top 40 hit as a solo artist in Canada.

Background

"BaKardi Slang" was the last song recorded for the ''Quest for Fire'' album. According to Kardinal, the song "almost never happened."Kardinal Offishall - Session Transcript
Red Bull Music Academy. Accessed on December 18, 2008. He was about to drive to a casino with Solitair, and as he backed out of his driveway, Solitair put his beat tape in the system. After Kardinal heard the first beat on the tape (the song's eventual beat), he drove back home and recorded the song. The anthemic song's lyrics depict the vibe in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. Kardinal breaks down the city's slang in each verse, similar to

Big L Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper and record executive. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Coleman became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ...

's song "Ebonics". In the chorus, he refers to himself as "Kardi", which is his nickname. The song popularized Toronto's nickname " T-dot", and became an instant hit in the city.Kardinal Offishall Biography
MapleMusic. Accessed on December 18, 2008. After the single became popular in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, dancehall artist

Bounty Killer Rodney Basil Price (born 12 June 1972), known as Bounty Killer, is a Jamaican reggae and dancehall deejay. AllMusic describes him as "one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair ...

recorded a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

of the song with Kardinal, known as "BaKardi Slang Refix". The song appeared on Bounty Killer's 2002 album ''Ghetto Dictionary: The Mystery''.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, directed by

Kevin De Freitas Kevin De Freitas is a Canadian filmmaker. Career De Freitas has worked with Universal, BMG, Columbia Records, Def Jam, Sony, EMI, VP Records, Boost Mobile, ACLC Advertising, and The Hershey Company. He directed the Canadian series of 30 and 60 sec ...

, begins with Kardinal rapping in the streets of Toronto, before going into a club. Later on, he drives a

Hummer Hummer (stylized as HUMMER) is a brand of pickups and SUVs that was first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. Although discontinued in 2010, Hummer returned as a sub-brand of GMC in 2020. ...

through various Toronto neighbourhoods, including

Regent Park Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing. It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and ...

Oakwood-Vaughan Oakwood Village, formerly known as Oakwood–Vaughan, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the former suburb of York, the neighbourhood is a Business Improvement Area (BIA); it has an annual arts festival and a public librar ...

, and

Jane and Finch Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the wes ...

Track listing

12" single

A-side # "BaKardi Slang" (Radio Edit) # "BaKardi Slang" (LP Version) # "BaKardi Slang" (Instrumental) B-side # "

Ol' Time Killin' "Ol' Time Killin'" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall featuring Jully Black, Allistair, IRS, and Wio-K, released in 2001. Produced by Mr. Attic, it was the second single from his second album '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. Bac ...

" (Radio Edit) # "Ol' Time Killin'" (LP Version)

Chart positions

References

External links

"BaKardi Slang" Official music video
at

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

2000 singles 2001 singles Kardinal Offishall songs MCA Records singles Songs written by Kardinal Offishall Songs about Canada 2000 songs {{2000s-hiphop-single-stub