Eye & I is the debut album of Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released independently in December 1997, on Capitol Hill Music, and distributed by St. Clair Entertainment. The album was critically acclaimed.[1][2][3] One single, "On wit da Show", was released from the album.

Eye & I
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 9, 1997 (Canada)
Recorded1996–1997
GenreCanadian hip hop
Length69:18
LabelCapitol Hill Music
ProducerChase Parsons (exec.), Saukrates (exec.), Kardinal Offishall (associate exec.)
Kardinal Offishall chronology
Eye & I
(1997)
Husslin'
(2000)
Singles from Eye & I
  1. "On wit da Show"
    Released: 1997

Background

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In 1996, after releasing his first single "Naughty Dread", Kardinal signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music Canada. About 40 percent of the album's cost was provided by the publishing deal.[4] The only single released from the album was "On wit da Show", which was accompanied by a music video. The single also appeared on Kardinal's second studio album, Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1. In 1998, a music video of the song "Jeevin' (Life)" was also released.[4]

Members of The Circle appear on the album, including Solitair, Saukrates and Jully Black. Ro Dolla appears on the album as Afrolistics; Lock Jaw appears as L.J.

Reception

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The album received rave reviews from music critics.[1][2] AllMusic stated that Kardinal "blended soul, dancehall, reggae, hip-hop, and a wholly inventive approach to beats on his 20-track debut album, Eye & I."[3] However, the album was poorly distributed in Canada, and a lack of radio support resulted in the album receiving limited commercial attention.[1][5] Over 4,000 copies of the album were sold in its first three months of release.[4]

Track listing

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All songs produced by Kardinal Offishall,[6] except "Sweet Marie" and "Jeevin (Life)", produced by Saukrates. "Breakdown (Keep Moving)" is co-produced by Saukrates.

# Title Featured guest(s) Length
1. "Breakdown (Keep Moving)" Denosh 4:42
2. "On wid da Show" 4:06
3. "Da Brown" 4:13
4. "Hint-a-lude" 0:43
5. "Mysteries" 4:34
6. "P.W.O.T." Afrolistics 4:03
7. "My Niah" L.J. 4:14
8. "Madmoizellez" Wade O. Brown 4:52
9. "Hint-a-lude" 0:10
10. "Make It Happen" Red-1 4:53
11. "W.I. Philosophi" Miss Raelene 1:26
12. "Sweet Marie" Nicole Sinclair 4:02
13. "Bellee Buss (Don't Make Me Laugh)" 3:24
14. "LoLo" 1:56
15. "King of da Hill" Tara Chase 4:32
16. "Elle A" 3:57
17. "Jeevin' (Life)" Jully Black 5:16
18. "Naughty Dread Pt. II" 4:40
19. "Hint-a-lude" 0:30
20. "Friday Night" 3:18

Samples

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Kinder, Gentler Rap, Eh? Archived 2008-10-22 at the Wayback Machine Ottawa Citizen. Accessed on November 1, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Kardinal Offishall, with guests Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine SEE. Accessed on October 21, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Kardinal Offishall > Biography Allmusic. Accessed on November 1, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Kardinal Offishall making waves[usurped] JAM! Music. Accessed on April 12, 2009.
  5. ^ Kardinal Offishall - Man on Fire Archived 2007-06-26 at the Wayback Machine Exclaim!. Accessed on November 1, 2008.
  6. ^ Canadian Musician Showcase Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine Canadian Musician. Accessed on September 25, 2009.
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