"Firestarter: Volume 1" he explained, "was a marketing tool to let people know [internationally] who Kardinal is. The album was done before I signed with MCA...a likkle freebie fi dem. Everything happened because the 'Firestarter' catch. This next Volume 2 is the big budget ting. They [MCA] goin' full force with this one…guest artists and alla dat."

Listening to the album, one hears the distinct Jamaican influence bestowed upon Kardinal. All of the tracks have facets of the dialect but some of them are straight up Patois-laden.

"Husslin'" starts out with Kardinal's part rendition of Priest's (Third World Cop) infamous line "Walk and live…" and "Maxine" utilizes the 'Stagalag' riddim as its backdrop. Even his Jamaican aunty drops a line in an interlude. Sean Paul graces "Money Jane", which was a huge hit in Toronto, but according to the pages of Source Magazine, it could have been left off the album. (Ouch)...

Whaddat: What's up with that? They said it should've been left off the album!
Kardinal: I don't know! I didn't know it got any bad reviews! It released in September 2000. It got real heavy rotation. It [the video] made Top 5 on Much Music charts...all the way to 3 but never got to Number 1. [But] It alone sold the Baby Blue [Sound Crew] compilation. Everybody knows the song. One time I was out in Toronto and there was this 'Gino' club across the street. When we came out of our club, I heard Money Jane pumping out that club!!! So I know everybody knows it and likes it.

Then of course, there's "Bakardi Slang".
Infectious? Yes. Can you dance to it? Yes. Does it haunt your dreams at night? Most def. Curiously, we found ourselves on several occasions this summer spewing out "Differently - STILL Y'KNUH!" (And just maybe a "The circle getting ILL Y'KNUH!" for emphasis)…and not to mention "Step pon di wrong Bally boot yuh might get kill y' nuh!"

But we digress. Not unlike us, many, many probing music lovers wanted to know more about this strange genre they were hearing pumping out of their speaker boxes. And Kardinal much like Shaggy, has set out on a journey that goodly, will stamp a long lasting impression on the current genres as we know them and/or draw an even thinner line between commercial and non-commercial music.

Whaddat: Define yourself as an artist. Are you a DEEJAY or a RAPPER?
Kardinal: I just do music that I know. From the stuff that I was raised on, as way back as I can remember. My parents were always t'rowin big dance in the basement. Is just true I go to the record label and they take anything that is unique and try push that. I'm 25...so for 25 years, my parents always make sure that from I was young I spend time in Jamaica. That's just what I know. It's interesting that Foxy just come out, what? 4 years ago? And just start do tune bout her culture.

Whaddat: How is the reaction to you as a Canadian in the US?
Kardinal: Well, when I was touring the States with Babycham, the different West Indian people were so happy that I do the tune [Bakardi Slang]. I remember one time in particular. We just finished a show with Cham and this girl says, 'I am so happy that you do this tune because anytime my accent come out, they make fun of me. Now they understand.' The tune really break down a lot for people…no matter what your background you can represent where you from.

Whaddat: And the remix with Bounty? How and why did that come about?
Kardinal: We recorded it in New York. I don't remember the studio...a likkle studio. Wayne Marshall was there at the studio and Richie Stephens too. That was the first time meeting him [Bounty Killer] actually. I had spoken to him on the phone a couple of times. [DJ] Khaled from Miami came up with the idea. Bounty called me a couple times and we spoke about it. It was really a ting to expose people all bout. It bussin' in places dat people nuh really know bout dem tings. Bounty wanted to take it to another level to expose Reggae and its culture. And this is the real autical ting.
Whaddat: Did you get to anything with Wayne or Richie?
Kardinal: Naw. They neva come studio 'til real late so by the time they did the remix and bun a couple spliff...studio time done.

Kardinal's next single to drop is "Ol' Time Killin'" - a bad bwoy tune which is almost purely dancehall lyrics. "Maxine" rings out towards the end and it features a gang of first generation Caribbean artists from Toronto including Jully Black who featured on "Money Jane". Little X directed the video and it's expected to receive heavy rotation status on BET in the near future.

His style's off the thermostat plus he's comin' from the cold.

Welcome to a new age of music, Ladies and Gentlemen. Hip-Hop has had its hey day…
A FI WI TIME NOW!

Continued ...FULL HUNDRED