Black Jays

Infobox record label
name = Black Jays


image_bg =
parent =
founded = 2000
founder = Kardinal Offishall & Solitair
distributor =
genre = Hip-Hop, Dancehall, R&B
country = Canada
location = Toronto, Ontario
url = http://www.blackjays.com

The Black Jays are a Canadian hip hop movement, and an independent record label. artists/producers Kardinal Offishall and Solitair wanted a rebirth for their production company, Silver House and the Girl (S.H.A.G.), and it came in the form of a new name; The Black Jays. The name holds significance in its direct lineage from the hometown Toronto (T dot) baseball team, the Toronto Blue Jays. Along with a new name, came a new vision, a new drive and a new focus.

General Info

""Black Jays...is the Team!!", is the rallying cry! Without fail, it causes the unfamiliar to pose the question, "who are the Black Jays?". The better question is...what are the Black Jays? The Black Jays managed to turn the spotlight on themselves when they reworked the "final" Jay-Z offering, "The Black Album", and added their brand of Black Jays production creating "The Black Jays Album". The album created an international stir. It wasn’t long before copy-cat albums were popping up on the internet and gaining media attention (reviewed in The New York Times). "XXL" magazine even questioned Solitair on the phenomenon the Black Jays had started. That was just the tip of the Black Jays iceberg.

Solitair and Kardinal went into producer overdrive, stockpiling beats and exchanging ideas and concepts at a feverish pace along the way. The Black Jays archive boasts thousands of beats and hundreds of completed songs. The dynamic duo has been honing their production skills for a combined 20 years. They realized some beats they created would be better served for other artists and have shared the wealth. Both Kardinal and Solitair have worked with an array of international artists and are both accomplished artists in their own rights so artists selected for Black Jays projects have to be of the utmost caliber. Each artist is drafted on their merits, not because of affiliations.

The Black Jays took the show on the road in early 2004 when Kardinal Offishall brought co-captains Solitair and Ro Dolla with him across Canada opening for 50 Cent, G–Unit, and David Banner on the "Beg for Mercy Tour".

Black Jays International

Kardinal Offishall has made it known that Black Jays are no longer just a Canadian movement, but a worldwide movement with a number of affiliates which include a variety of artists, DJ's, and producers. The most prominently known is New York City's Cipha Sounds of Hot 97, and "Shade 45" fame. Others include Black Chiney (a popular Chinese-Jamaican Sound Crew) who are responsible for the "Kopa Riddim" among other hits, and Estelle, a hip-hop/R&B singer from the UK who is very well received locally.

Recently, during an interview with FLOW 93.5 in Toronto, Kardinal stated that R&B duo Nina Sky is now part of Black Jays International. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5InnPOQjk Nina Sky is part of Black Jays International] ] In another interview, he also revealed that hip-hop producer Nottz has also joined the label.

Roster

Artists

*Kardinal Offishall
*Solitair
*Ro Dolla
*Lindo P
*Nicole Moses (Nikki Mo)
*Darryl Riley
*Estelle
*Daytona
*Nina Sky

DJs and producers

*Cipha Sounds
*Black Chiney
*Nottz
*DJ Reddy Fox
*D.O.C.

Discography

Albums

ee also

* List of record labels

References

External links

* [http://www.blackjays.com Official Website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/blackjaysistheteam The Black Jays] at MySpace