Dangerous

Album: Not 4 Sale (2008)
Charted: 16 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song about the prototypical temptress, whose siren song is too powerful to resist, features the album's executive producer Akon. Kardinal Offishall talked about working with the Senegalese rapper and producer on his website: "We have such a similar vibe and work ethic. Kon allows me to be the loud, abrasive, energetic dude that I am. He allows me to spit my verses as I see fit, maybe throw in some of the patois if I need to; he never restrains me. He just shows me how and when to make it most effective."
  • DJ Kemo from the Canadian hip hop group Rascalz produced this together with hAZEL.
  • Offishall, the son of Jamaican immigrants, grew up in Toronto, Canada. He is the first Canadian rapper to break big in the US since Snow ("Informer") had chart success in the mid 1990s.
  • Kardinal Offishall told Rolling Stone magazine that he knew this song was a hit as soon as he heard the music from DJ Kemo. He recalled: "I was like, 'This is retarded. I'm gonna smash this. I played it for Akon and he was like, 'Where did you get this? This is crazy.' So he went in the booth to perform it. His part was done within 15 minutes. Same thing with mine. I rocked mine, wrote it, recorded it within 20 minutes. That song came together in less than an hour, but it's one of those songs. It's like that song, just like when Sting wrote 'Every Breath You Take.' We felt the magic from its inception, from the first time we heard it."
  • This won the trophy for Best Single of the Year at the 2009 Juno Awards.

Comments: 3

  • Ciara Giselle Dhar from South KoreaI love you Akon I want to marry you and I love you so much and offshall you are a wonderful rapper.I love your songs I am your biggest fan.
  • AnonymousBadabing Badabong... Its the best of the world its the song! He wants to say that the girl is dangerous and bad, like MJ. But it may be a metaform of his female side. What he really wants to pass-on in this song is the following: the book is on the table.
  • Valerie from None Of Ur Buisness!!, Bci love this song!!! sure its repetitive, but sooo
    catchy!! LUV it!! =) p.s. wow, first comment
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mike Campbell

Mike CampbellSongwriter Interviews

Mike is lead guitarist with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and co-writer of classic songs like "Boys Of Summer," "Refugee" and "The Heart Of The Matter."

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.