Solitair
Encyclopedia
Solitair is a Canadian
hip-hop
MC and producer from Toronto
, Ontario
. He is currently a member of the Black Jays
record label and production team. Solitair has been producing hip-hop and R&B for over ten years, and has produced for Nina Sky
, Jim Jones
, Glenn Lewis
, Cham
, Kardinal Offishall
, Jully Black
, Choclair
, and Sugar Jones
among others.
In the late 90s, Solitair was part of a hip-hop collective known as The Circle. In 1998, he released his first 12″ single
"Silver Surfer". Solitair and fellow MC/producer Kardinal Offishall founded a production company called Silver House and the Girl (S.H.A.G.) in 2000. They mainly produced for other hip-hop artists on the local Canadian music scene. After Solitair produced Kardinal's hit "BaKardi Slang
" to critical acclaim in 2001, he felt that it was his turn to shine. Also in 2001, Solitair released a video
for his single "Easy 2 Slip", which he calls a "tribute to fallen soldiers". He was nominated for a MuchMusic Video Award
in 2002 for Best Independent Video.*
By 2004, Solitair and Kardinal renamed their label Black Jays, and they almost immediately made an impact on the music scene. Solitair and Kardinal produced a remixed version of Jay-Z
's The Black Album
and called it the The Black Jays Album, then XXL magazine took notice once the album got leaked all over the internet
, so they interviwed him about it. Meanwhile, Kardinal was inspired to make a mixtape after MCA Records
folded in 2003, and called it Kill Bloodcott Bill. It featured guest appearances by rappers and dancehall
deejay
s alike, and of course much of the production was credited to Solitair and Kardinal. Solitair even found the time to spit a verse with Black Jays rapper Ro Dolla
for the intro to NBA XL, on Rogers Sportsnet
.
In 2006, Solitair teamed up with Cipha Sounds
of Hot 97
and Shade 45
fame. Cipha Sounds is a DJ
who joined Black Jays International (subsidiary of Black Jays) and is now working with Solitair as a producer
. So far, the duo has produced for Nina Sky
's upcoming release The Musical, including the song "Sugar Daddy". They are currently working on the debut album by an underground rapper from the Bronx named Daytona.
Solitair volunteers to speak to at-risk students at high schools in Toronto.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
MC and producer from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He is currently a member of the Black Jays
Black Jays
Black Jays is a Canadian independent record label, production company, and musical collective, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music. Founded in 2000 by rappers Kardinal Offishall and Solitair, it was originally known as Silver House and the Girl . In 2004, the group came to prominence...
record label and production team. Solitair has been producing hip-hop and R&B for over ten years, and has produced for Nina Sky
Nina Sky
Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino .-Early life and career:Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger...
, Jim Jones
Jim Jones (rapper)
Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...
, Glenn Lewis
Glenn Lewis
Glenn Lewis is a Canadian R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter. Originally planning to pursue a career in animation as a teenager, Lewis instead decided to focus on music. His father was a member of the musical group Crack of Dawn...
, Cham
Cham (singer)
Cham is a Grammy Award-nominated Jamaican recording artist, most well known for his 2006 single "Ghetto Story" from his major label debut album of the same name, a song which led to multiple "story" songs by other artists in a similar vein. He is currently signed to Atlantic Records, and was...
, Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
, Jully Black
Jully Black
Jully Black |Julie]]"; born Jullyann Inderia Gordon; November 8, 1977) is a Canadian R&B singer–songwriter. She has collaborated and written for many artists, including Nas, Missy Elliott, Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Destiny's Child, and Sean Paul.-Life & career:Black was born Jullyann...
, Choclair
Choclair
Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He helped develop Canadian hip hop in the 1990s, as a member of the Circle.-Career:...
, and Sugar Jones
Sugar Jones
Sugar Jones was a Canadian pop group created on the first season of the Canadian version of Popstars. It consisted of five members chosen from thousands of people who auditioned for the group...
among others.
In the late 90s, Solitair was part of a hip-hop collective known as The Circle. In 1998, he released his first 12″ single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
"Silver Surfer". Solitair and fellow MC/producer Kardinal Offishall founded a production company called Silver House and the Girl (S.H.A.G.) in 2000. They mainly produced for other hip-hop artists on the local Canadian music scene. After Solitair produced Kardinal's hit "BaKardi Slang
BaKardi Slang
"BaKardi Slang" is a hip-hop song by Kardinal Offishall. Produced by Solitair, it was the first single from his second album Quest for Fire: Firestarter, Vol. 1. The single was released in Canada in 2000, before being re-released in the U.S. the following year...
" to critical acclaim in 2001, he felt that it was his turn to shine. Also in 2001, Solitair released a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for his single "Easy 2 Slip", which he calls a "tribute to fallen soldiers". He was nominated for a MuchMusic Video Award
MuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
in 2002 for Best Independent Video.*
By 2004, Solitair and Kardinal renamed their label Black Jays, and they almost immediately made an impact on the music scene. Solitair and Kardinal produced a remixed version of Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
's The Black Album
The Black Album (Jay-Z album)
The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which serves as a recurring theme, although Jay-Z returned to solo recording with Kingdom Come in 2006.The album debuted at number one...
and called it the The Black Jays Album, then XXL magazine took notice once the album got leaked all over the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
, so they interviwed him about it. Meanwhile, Kardinal was inspired to make a mixtape after MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
folded in 2003, and called it Kill Bloodcott Bill. It featured guest appearances by rappers and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
s alike, and of course much of the production was credited to Solitair and Kardinal. Solitair even found the time to spit a verse with Black Jays rapper Ro Dolla
Black Jays
Black Jays is a Canadian independent record label, production company, and musical collective, specializing in hip-hop, R&B, and reggae music. Founded in 2000 by rappers Kardinal Offishall and Solitair, it was originally known as Silver House and the Girl . In 2004, the group came to prominence...
for the intro to NBA XL, on Rogers Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet
Sportsnet was launched on October 9, 1998 as CTV Sportsnet. The name was chosen to match the regional "Fox Sports Net" operations across the United States...
.
In 2006, Solitair teamed up with Cipha Sounds
Cipha Sounds
Cipha Sounds is an American radio and television personality of Puerto Rican descent...
of Hot 97
Hot 97
Hot 97 could refer to:* KBCQ-FM, a radio station licensed to Roswell, New Mexico* WQHT, a radio station licensed to New York, New York...
and Shade 45
Shade 45
Shade 45 is Eminem's uncensored Hip-Hop/Rap-heavy urban contemporary channel. Eminem Brings On-Air show hosts. It debuted with a hip hop format in 2004, changing to its current incarnation when it was added to XM channel 66...
fame. Cipha Sounds is a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
who joined Black Jays International (subsidiary of Black Jays) and is now working with Solitair as a producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. So far, the duo has produced for Nina Sky
Nina Sky
Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino .-Early life and career:Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger...
's upcoming release The Musical, including the song "Sugar Daddy". They are currently working on the debut album by an underground rapper from the Bronx named Daytona.
Solitair volunteers to speak to at-risk students at high schools in Toronto.