Black Jays is a Canadian independent record label,

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

company, and

musical collective Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared.Liisa Ladouceur"Collegjthk ctive Souls" '' This Magazine'', November/December 2004. The concept is distinct from t ...

, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

music. Founded in 2000 by rappers

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 countr ...

and

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 a ...

, it was originally known as Silver House and the Girl (S.H.A.G.). In 2004, the group came to prominence after releasing a

remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...

and mixtape. The

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 anch ...

-based group's name is derived from the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

baseball team.

History

Kardinal Offishall and Solitair are members of The Circle, a hip-hop collective which was formed in the 1990s.Kardinal Offishall - Session Transcript
Red Bull Music Academy. Accessed on May 12, 2009. In 2000, they founded the S.H.A.G. production company. The next year, the company's logo and credits appeared on Kardinal's major-label debut, '' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1''. In 2004, now known as the Black Jays, Kardinal and Solitair produced ''The Black Jays Album'', a remixed version of '' The Black Album'' by Jay-Z. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' reviewed the album, stating that the production team "links minimalism to reggae." Later that year, the Black Jays released a mixtape entitled ''Kill Bloodclott Bill''. Led by Kardinal, the mixtape was aimed at major labels, "Bill", as a result of Kardinal's label problems with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

in 2003.Kardinal Offishall - Man on Fire
Exclaim!. Accessed on May 12, 2009. " Bang Bang", a song from the mixtape, was nominated for a Juno Award in 2005. ''Kill Bloodclott Bill'' featured new artists on the group's roster, including Ro Dolla (a member of The Circle), Lindo P, and Mayhem Morearty. Solitair also released a mixtape in 2004, entitled ''The Return of the Silver Surfer''.Interview with Black Jays
HipHopCanada. Accessed on May 12, 2009. In 2005, Mayhem left the group and recorded a

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

over Kardinal's song "

Husslin' ''Husslin is an EP by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released independently on April 11, 2000, on Figure IV Entertainment, and distributed by Fat Beats Records in the United States. The title track, " Husslin'", was one of the hottest 12" s ...

". A year later, Kardinal responded to the diss track when he released a remix of "City Is Mine" by

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

.Featured Artist/Guest Editor: Mayhem Morearty
HipHopCanada. Accessed on May 12, 2009. Additionally, in 2005, Kardinal released his third album, ''

Fire and Glory ''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". ...

'', on Black Jays through a co-venture with

Virgin Music Canada Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

. Kardinal produced three songs for his 2008 album, '' Not 4 Sale'', under the Black Jays label.

Black Jays International

In 2007, a division of Black Jays, known as Black Jays International, was created. Members include Estelle,

Cipha Sounds Cipha Sounds (born Luis Diaz; on April 19, 1976) is an American DJ, comedian, and radio and television personality of Puerto Rican descent. He is mostly known for his work as a DJ, a VJ for MTV and as a comedian. Biography Radio career In 19 ...

, Black Chiney,

Nina Sky Nina Sky is an American musical duo consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single "Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

, and

Nottz Dominick J. Lamb, (born February 21, 1977) better known by his stage name Nottz (or Nottz Raw), is an American hip hop record producer and rapper from Norfolk, Virginia. Nottz has produced for some of the biggest names in hip hop, including Bu ...

Roster

Artists

* Estelle *

DJs and producers

* Black Chiney *

Discography

Albums

*'' Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1'' (2001) *''

'' (2005) *'' Not 4 Sale'' (2008)

Remix albums

*''The Black Jays Album'' (2004)

Mixtapes

*''Kill Bloodclott Bill'' (2004)

References

External links

Black Jays
at MySpace {{Authority control Record labels established in 2000 Canadian independent record labels Canadian hip hop record labels Hip hop collectives Record production teams Companies based in Toronto