Not 4 Sale
Studio album by
Kardinal Offishall
ReleasedSeptember 9, 2008
Recorded2006–2008
GenreHip hop
Length63:03
Label
ProducerKardinal Offishall (exec.), Akon (exec.), Devyne Stephens (exec.), Shawn Holiday (exec.), Nottz, Supa Dups, Jake One, DJ Kemo & hAZEL, Alex da Kid, Boi-1da, Shea Taylor, Hakim Abdulsamad
Kardinal Offishall chronology
Fire and Glory
(2005)		 Not 4 Sale
(2008)		 A.M.T.R.I.M.
(2012)
Singles from Not 4 Sale
  1. "Dangerous"
    Released: March 2008
  2. "Burnt"
    Released: July 15, 2008
  3. "Set It Off"
    Released: July 15, 2008
  4. "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)"
    Released: September 2008

Not 4 Sale is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released September 9, 2008 on Kon Live/Geffen Records. It is his second international major-label album after Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1, released in 2001. It was a critical success, and included the top five Billboard Hot 100 single "Dangerous", and the minor hit "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)".

Background

On July 2, 2007, the single "Graveyard Shift", featuring Akon, was premiered on Sirius Satellite Radio's Hip-Hop Nation channel. It was originally the album's first single.[1] In March 2008, the first single "Dangerous", also featuring Akon, was released. It proved to be Kardinal's most successful single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100.[2]

In June 2008, Kardinal released the mixtape, Limited Time Only, which had snippets of five songs that would appear on the album. One of those songs, "Burnt", featuring Lindo P, was accompanied by a music video in late June. On July 15, "Burnt" and "Set It Off" featuring Clipse, were released on iTunes;[3] In August, a music video was released for "Set It Off". The song "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)", featuring Rihanna, is a cover of the reggae song "The Tide Is High".[4] The version featuring Keri Hilson is the album's fourth single. A music video was released for the song "Nina", though it was not released as a single.

Kardinal's idea for the album title was from a custom-made T-shirt which read "Not 4 Sale" and had a bar code on it. Kardinal explained why he chose Not 4 Sale as the title:

My idea was something provocative — that went beyond gender, went beyond race, went beyond what type of music you're into. And people would literally stop me on the street, telling me how dope the shirt was, how similarly they felt. The concept grew in my head based on that reaction. There's energy you can't buy — the essence of people that can't be bought or bottled, and lives within them. That's how I feel about myself — I can't be bought.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Blender[6]
Eye Weekly[7]
People[8]
PopMatters6/10[9]
RapReviews7/10[10]
USA Today[11]

The album sold 11,869 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 40.[12] As of February 15, 2009, the album has sold 34,822 copies.[13] In Canada, it entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number eight, with 4,247 copies sold in the first week.[14]

The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "an entirely solid album," also stating "this freedom fighting and socially conscious writing is tempered with hooky club tracks that never fail."[15] USA Today gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting "his potent blend of hip-hop and dancehall gives him a flavor all his own."[16] PopMatters gave the album a 6/10 rating, writing "although many of the tracks here are glossy pop productions, Kardinal has not really changed since he was first heard in the '90s."[17] The album won the award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.[18]

Track listing

Standard edition[19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Burnt" (featuring Lindo P)
Shea Taylor4:56
2."Set It Off" (featuring Clipse)
Boi-1da4:38
3."Dangerous" (featuring Akon)
4:11
4."Digital Motown" (featuring J*Davey)
Jake One3:47
5."Gimme Some" (featuring The-Dream)
Boi-1da4:16
6."Bad Like We Bad"HarrowKardinal Offishall3:40
7."Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" (featuring Rihanna)
Supa Dups3:43
8."Ill Eagle Alien"
Nottz4:54
9."Nina"
Supa Dups3:14
10."Go Home with You" (featuring T-Pain)
Kardinal Offishall4:17
11."Going In"
Alex da Kid4:00
12."Bring the Fire Out"
  • Harrow
  • Samuels
Boi-1da3:06
13."Family Tree (Still Eyerize)" (featuring Glenn Lewis)
Kardinal Offishall4:00
14."Due Me a Favour" (featuring Estelle)
6:23
15."Lighter!"
  • Harrow
  • Samuels
Boi-1da4:12
iTunes Store bonus tracks[19]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Dangerous (Remix)" (featuring Akon and Sean Paul)
  • DJ Kemo
  • hAZEL
4:35

Samples and interpolations

Chart positions

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart[12] 8
French Albums Chart[20] 105
U.S. Billboard 200[12] 40
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[12] 10
U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums[12] 7

Personnel

Release history

Region Date
Canada September 9, 2008
United States
Japan[21] September 24, 2008
United Kingdom[17] September 29, 2008

References

  1. ↑ Mixtape Monday: Gucci Mane Shrugs Off Feud With Young Jeezy; Akon Spits Again MTV. Accessed on August 27, 2008.
  2. ↑ Not 4 Sale > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles Allmusic. Accessed on October 2, 2009.
  3. ↑ Kardinal Offishall : Discography KardinalOffishall.com. Accessed on July 22, 2008.
  4. 1 2 Kardinal Offishall : Artists KardinalOffishall.com. Accessed on July 3, 2008.
  5. ↑ Allmusic review
  6. ↑ Blender review
  7. ↑ Eye Weekly review
  8. ↑ "People review". Archived from the original on 2012-12-03. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  9. ↑ PopMatters review
  10. ↑ RapReviews review
  11. ↑ USA Today review Archived September 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Not 4 Sale - Kardinal Offishall Billboard. Accessed on October 2, 2008.
  13. ↑ Billboard 200. Nielsen SoundScan. Accessed on October 2, 2009.
  14. ↑ Canadian Albums Chart. Nielsen SoundScan. Accessed on September 21, 2012.
  15. ↑ Not 4 Sale > Overview Allmusic. Accessed on October 2, 2009.
  16. ↑ This week's reviews: LL's 'Exit,' Jessica's gone country Archived September 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine USA Today. Accessed on October 2, 2009.
  17. 1 2 Kardinal Offishall - Not 4 Sale PopMatters. Accessed on October 2, 2009.
  18. ↑ Rap Recording of the Year JUNO Awards. Accessed on October 2, 2009.
  19. 1 2 Not 4 Sale (booklet). Kon Live, Geffen, Black Jays. 2008.
  20. ↑ Kardinal Offishall - Not 4 Sale - Music Charts aCharts. Accessed on December 23, 2009.
  21. ↑ Universal Music Group Japan: Not 4 Sale (Kardinal Offishall album)
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