Kardinal Offishall Snags Juno Awards

Canadian emcee Kardinal Offishall was one of the big winners at Sunday’s (March 30) Juno Awards, winning both Single and Rap Recording of the Year.   The annual Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys, was founded in 1970 and celebrates the outstanding achievements of Canadian musicians.   Kardinal’s dancehall anthem “Dangerous” was a surprise upset winner this year, beating out stiff competition from Nickelback (“Gotta Be Somebody”), Celine Dion (“Taking Chances”), Michael Buble (“Lost”), and Divine Brown (“Lay It On the Line”).   As a group, Offishall’s competitors had previously won over 30 Juno Awards.   Produced by DJ Kemo, “Dangerous” featured Akon and hit Top 10 on Canada’s iTunes chart.   In the U.S., the single peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100.   The track went on to spawn 3 remixes, and powered Offishall’s fourth studio album Not 4 Sale to #1 on Canada’s R&B/Hip-Hop list and #8 on its overall album chart.   Sunday’s Juno Awards drew 4 million viewers, making it the highest rated broadcast that night.   Earlier this month, the in-demand Kardinal Offishall completed his first tour of Mumbai as part of VH1’s Hip-Hop Hustle concert series.