Interview: Kardinal Offishall (pt. 4)
Interview: Kardinal Offishall (pt. 4)
- Genre : More Music
- Type: News
- Author : Super Admin
- Date : Fri, 11 Jul 2008
Creatively, has he given you the freedom to come out and just be you on Not 4 Sale?
He would have it no other way. No matter what I do, he's always like, "Kardi, do you man." When he has an idea he wants to execute he comes to me, but he always wants me to do it in that Kardinall way. When it comes to what he says, Kon has done so much that I trust him, but I really don't have much fear when it comes to being innovative. He knew when we linked up that I was already an established artist that he didn't have to build form ground zero. That's why I appreciate what we do over at Konvict.
Do you ever have to check cats who think you just showed up out of nowhere and let them know that you've been at this for 10 plus years now?
No, because it's really irrelevant whether people think I'm a new jack or they know what the story is they see the grind. The funny thing is, whenever you see me do my thing, you know this isn't the voice of somebody who just got in this yesterday. There's energy that I carry. A lot of these new cats don't have it. Their lives are based off of YouTube and MySpace. I remember what it was like to carry my 12-inches in my hand, and to have to mail 2000 12-inches to Japan and Europe and lick every damn stamp. The intensity level is different between those people that grind it out and those people that kind of luck their way into it.
The work and appreciation you put into your craft is going to help it last. You're not going to be a just a flash in the pan.
I always want to make sure that my music is timeless. So if somebody just gets into me today or finds stuff from two years ago, my music is never going to sound dated. I never want it to be, or become, irrelevant. I want it to be something you can enjoy time and time again.
Coming into this record, what was your stylistic approach? Did you want to come out and do something crazy, or just try to do what you do best?
Man, I wish I could answer that with some kind of sense. Really and truly, all you really need to know is that it's electricity. It's fire. There are like 16 joints on it, and that makes it like 16 different episodes we were able to capture. It's 16 different times we were able to capture a little magic. I know it sounds a little cliché, but I'm one of those artists who can't create if the vibe is not there. I can't force it. For me, it's got to be about catching some type of fire, or energy. So whether it's a joint like "Dangerous" with Akon, or a joint like "Set It Off" with the Clipse, it was all about that song at that time. It's hard to explain it really. When I'm in that mode, I knock songs out real quick. So I try to write and record at the same time so I can really capture the emotion I had when I was thinking about it. As far as being creative with it, I'm always trying to step my game up to the next level. I'm always trying to raise the bar, and the standards, for myself. By doing that, it also raises the bar, and the standards, for hip hop period.
—Chas Reynolds
07.11.08
1
He would have it no other way. No matter what I do, he's always like, "Kardi, do you man." When he has an idea he wants to execute he comes to me, but he always wants me to do it in that Kardinall way. When it comes to what he says, Kon has done so much that I trust him, but I really don't have much fear when it comes to being innovative. He knew when we linked up that I was already an established artist that he didn't have to build form ground zero. That's why I appreciate what we do over at Konvict.
Do you ever have to check cats who think you just showed up out of nowhere and let them know that you've been at this for 10 plus years now?
No, because it's really irrelevant whether people think I'm a new jack or they know what the story is they see the grind. The funny thing is, whenever you see me do my thing, you know this isn't the voice of somebody who just got in this yesterday. There's energy that I carry. A lot of these new cats don't have it. Their lives are based off of YouTube and MySpace. I remember what it was like to carry my 12-inches in my hand, and to have to mail 2000 12-inches to Japan and Europe and lick every damn stamp. The intensity level is different between those people that grind it out and those people that kind of luck their way into it.
The work and appreciation you put into your craft is going to help it last. You're not going to be a just a flash in the pan.
I always want to make sure that my music is timeless. So if somebody just gets into me today or finds stuff from two years ago, my music is never going to sound dated. I never want it to be, or become, irrelevant. I want it to be something you can enjoy time and time again.
Coming into this record, what was your stylistic approach? Did you want to come out and do something crazy, or just try to do what you do best?
Man, I wish I could answer that with some kind of sense. Really and truly, all you really need to know is that it's electricity. It's fire. There are like 16 joints on it, and that makes it like 16 different episodes we were able to capture. It's 16 different times we were able to capture a little magic. I know it sounds a little cliché, but I'm one of those artists who can't create if the vibe is not there. I can't force it. For me, it's got to be about catching some type of fire, or energy. So whether it's a joint like "Dangerous" with Akon, or a joint like "Set It Off" with the Clipse, it was all about that song at that time. It's hard to explain it really. When I'm in that mode, I knock songs out real quick. So I try to write and record at the same time so I can really capture the emotion I had when I was thinking about it. As far as being creative with it, I'm always trying to step my game up to the next level. I'm always trying to raise the bar, and the standards, for myself. By doing that, it also raises the bar, and the standards, for hip hop period.
—Chas Reynolds
07.11.08
1