Not 4 Sale is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall, released September 9, 2008 on Black Jays, Kon Live Distribution, and 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.Mixtape Monday: Gucci Mane Shrugs Off Feud With Young Jeezy; Akon Spits Again MTV. Accessed on August 27, 2008. 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.[ Not 4 Sale > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles] Allmusic. Accessed on October 2, 2009.

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;Kardinal Offishall : Discography KardinalOffishall.com. Accessed on July 22, 2008. 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".Kardinal Offishall : Artists KardinalOffishall.com. Accessed on July 3, 2008. 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:

Reception

The album sold 11,869 copies in the United States in its first week of release. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 40.[ Not 4 Sale - Kardinal Offishall] Billboard. Accessed on October 2, 2008. As of February 15, 2009, the album has sold 34,822 copies.Billboard 200. Nielsen SoundScan. Accessed on October 2, 2009. In Canada, it entered the Canadian Albums Chart at number eight, with 4,247 copies sold in the first week.Canadian Albums Chart. Nielsen SoundScan. Accessed on September 21, 2012.

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."[ Not 4 Sale > Overview] Allmusic. Accessed on October 2, 2009. 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."This week's reviews: LL's 'Exit,' Jessica's gone country USA Today. Accessed on October 2, 2009. 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."Kardinal Offishall - Not 4 Sale PopMatters. Accessed on October 2, 2009. The album won the award for Rap Recording of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.Rap Recording of the Year JUNO Awards. Accessed on October 2, 2009.

Track listing

Samples and interpolations "Numba 1 (Tide Is High)" contains an interpolation of "The Tide Is High" by The Paragons "Ill Eagle Alien" contains an interpolation of "Englishman in New York" by Sting "Nina" contains excerpts from "My Conversation" by Slim Smith & The Uniques

Chart positions Chart (2008)PeakpositionCanadian Albums Chart8French Albums ChartKardinal Offishall - Not 4 Sale - Music Charts aCharts. Accessed on December 23, 2009.105U.S. Billboard 20040U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums10U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums7

Personnel

Hakim Abdulsamad – producer Chris Athens – mastering Leslie Brathwaite – mixing Bryan Brock – art direction, design Danny Reid Carter – A&R Mike "Angry" Eleopoulos – engineer Cliff Feiman – production supervisor Jeremy Harding – mixing Shawn Holiday "Tubby" – executive producer, A&R Jason Joshua – mixing

Tyson Kuteyi – mixing, vocal mixing Glenn Lewis – composer Paul Marshall – engineer Martin Riley – composer Fareed Salamah – mixing assistant James "Scrappy" Stassen – engineer Devyne Stephens – executive producer Aliaune "Akon" Thiam – producer, executive producer Lloyd Tyrell – composer Ianthe Zevos – creative art

Release history RegionDateCanadaSeptember 9, 2008United StatesJapanUniversal Music Group Japan: Not 4 Sale (Kardinal Offishall album)September 24, 2008United KingdomSeptember 29, 2008

References