Black Jays

The Toronto-based group's name is derived from the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

• Name — Black Jays • Founded — 2000 • Founder — Kardinal Offishall Solitair • Genre — Hip-Hop R&B Reggae • Country — Canada • Location — Toronto, Ontario

Kardinal Offishall and Solitair are members of The Circle, a hip-hop collective which was formed in the 1990s. In 2000, they founded the S.H.A.G. production company. The next year, the company's logo and credits appeared on Kardinal's major-label debut, Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1. In 2004, now known as the Black Jays, Kardinal and Solitair produced The Black Jays Album, a remixed version of The Black Album by Jay-Z. The New York Times reviewed the album, stating that the production team "links minimalism to reggae." Later that year, the Black Jays released a mixtape entitled Kill Bloodclott Bill. Led by Kardinal, the mixtape was aimed at major labels, "Bill", as a result of Kardinal's label problems with MCA Records in 2003. "Bang Bang", a song from the mixtape, was nominated for a Juno Award in 2005. Kill Bloodclott Bill featured new artists on the group's roster, including Ro Dolla (a member of The Circle), Lindo P, and Mayhem Morearty. Solitair also released a mixtape in 2004, entitled The Return of the Silver Surfer. In 2005, Mayhem left the group and recorded a diss track over Kardinal's song "Husslin'". A year later, Kardinal responded to the diss track when he released a remix of "City Is Mine" by Drake. Additionally, in 2005, Kardinal released his third album, Fire and Glory, on Black Jays through a co-venture with Virgin Music Canada. Kardinal produced three songs for his 2008 album, Not 4 Sale, under the Black Jays label.

In 2007, a division of Black Jays, known as Black Jays International, was created. Members include Estelle, Cipha Sounds, Black Chiney, Nina Sky, and Nottz.

• Kardinal Offishall • Solitair • Estelle • Nina Sky

• Cipha Sounds • Black Chiney • Nottz

• Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1 (2001) • Fire and Glory (2005) • Not 4 Sale (2008)

• The Black Jays Album (2004)

• Kill Bloodclott Bill (2004)