Toronto’s Kardinal Offishall (“Cardinal Official”) is one of my favorite artists, because he seamlessly combines two of my favorite genres, Jamaican dancehall and hip-hop.

At first glance, the tracklist of "Not 4 Sale," his fourth disc and first as part of Akon’s Konvict Muzik clique, looks like it might be a blatant stab at the pop charts, with guest spots by Akon, Rihanna and T-Pain.

But true to form, Mr. Kardin-I, as he occasionally refers to himself, brings nimble lyricism and fiery patois to a party-starter of an album.

A skittery organ and bass kick off “Burnt,” with Kardinal trading rudebwoy barbs with Lindo P, followed quickly by the doomsday synths of “Set It Off,” which features a menacing guest spot by the Clipse.

There are even a few pop moves in the uptempo bounce of “Dangerous” and “Digital Motown.”

The cornerstone of the album, though, is big synthesizers and pumped-up beats that would work equally well in the ride and the club.

A couple songs try to capitalize on some of the current dancehall trends, but Kardinal succeeds the most when he sticks to creating that perfect blend of Jamaican jerk and hip-hop hotness.

And I may catch some flack for this, but can we please give up this Auto-Tune robotic-voice trend? Just let T-Pain have it.

Sussex Countian