Albums : Classified : Classified
Albums : Classified : Classified
Listen To Classified : Classified
Who Is Classified?
Luke Boyd (born on December 13, 1977), professionally known as Classified, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.
Classified attended Hants East Rural High in Milford, Nova Scotia. He started his own production label, Half Life Records, and released his first full length LP called Time's Up, Kid in 1995. After years of working on music and sorting through label contracts, Classified produced, recorded and released his ninth album, Trial & Error, and signed a nationwide distribution deal with Toronto-based, URBNET Records. Containing collaborations with up-and-coming Canadian artists like Eternia and DL Incognito, as well as Canadian rap veteran, Maestro, the album was one of the highest selling independent rap albums in Canada in 2004.
In addition to the release of Trial & Error, 2003 and 2004 were busy years for Classified. With the continuous support of VideoFACT, he was able to release two additional music videos for the singles "Just the Way It Is" and "Unexpected". Classified also continued to master his production skills and joined forces with some of Canada's most prominent emcees, including Choclair and Maestro Fresh Wes. He also teamed up with Shady Records recording artist, Royce da 5'9" and opened for Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, The Game, Nelly, MC Grizzly, Captain Capota, Nas, The Black Eyed Peas and Black Moon.
Classified's tenth album, Boy-Cott-In the Industry, was a high point in his career. The album includes guest appearances by Trent James, Royce Da 5'9", Jay Bizzy, J-Bru, A-Wall, Spesh K, and Mic Boyd (Classified's younger brother and fellow MC). He has said he enjoys doing music with other people: "It keeps things exciting and there are tons of talented people in Halifax so you make connections 'cause it's not a huge scene." The album reached #46 on SoundScan's Canadian R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. The singles "The Maritimes", "5th Element", "No Mistakes", and "Find Out", which is the lead single of his 11th studio album, Hitch Hikin' Music, were all Top 20 hits on MuchMusic and MTV Canada that year. The music video for "No Mistakes" won him an MMVA for MuchVibe Best Rap Video. Boy-Cott-In the Industry also earned Classified a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year in 2006.
Riding high off of Boy-Cott-In the Industry, Classified released his eleventh album Hitch Hikin' Music. Produced like previous albums by Classified himself, it is arguably some of Classified's finest work. On "Fall From Paradise", Classified reflects on the difficulty of staying fresh and on top. In the hip-hop meets classic rock song "All About U", featuring singer Chad Hatcher, Classified shows the extent of his growth from his early releases. In "Hip Hop Star", he eschews the current bling-bling culture of popular hip hop to remind people that life is not about trying to impress others. The rest of the album includes guest appearances by Jay Bizzy, Mic Boyd, Jordan Croucher, Preacher K, White Mic and more. Four singles have been released off the album: "Find Out" (which won the 2007 East Coast Music Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Single), "Feelin' Fine Remix", "All About U", and "Hard to Be Hip Hop". Hitch Hikin' Music also received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year in 2007. Album art for Boy-Cott-In the Industry, Hitch Hikin' Music and Classified's greatest hits album "While You Were Sleeping" was done by veteran artist Ivan Andres "Divo" Ramirez.
Classified enlisted the help of fellow Nova Scotia native Joel Roy to beatbox during some of his songs. The actual singles that Roy beatboxed for are unknown but it is believed that he can be heard in the single "The Maritimes".
In early 2009, the hit single "Anybody Listening" brought Classified to mainstream success as it peaked at #52 on the Canadian Hot 100 and the music video received heavy rotation on Much Music. Classified's thirteenth studio album, Self Explanatory received highly positive reviews from the critics and debuted on the Canadian Albums Chart at #25 making it Classified's first album on that chart. At the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards on May 21, 2009, Classified won the MuchVibe "Best Hip-Hop Video of the Year" award for "Anybody Listening" directed by Harv Glazer and produced by Robert Wilson of TwoThreeFiveFilms. Off Self Explanatory, Classified would enjoy more mainstream success in early 2010 with another hit single, "Oh...Canada" peaking at #14 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified platinum in digital downloads by the CRIA. Also in early 2010, Classified received three Juno Award nominations, which was for Rap Recording of the Year, Single of the Year, and Video of the Year. In early 2011, "Oh...Canada" received a Juno nomination for "Single of the Year".
On March 22, 2011, Classified released his fourteenth album, though it was only his second major studio album, Handshakes and Middle Fingers. The first single off the album, "That Ain't Classy" reached #45 on the Canadian Hot 100. The album debuted at #7 on the Canadian Albums Chart, making it his highest charting album to date."That Ain't Classy" also features in the hit EA football game Madden 12. (Read More)
Classified Review
Luke Boyd isn’t just a rapper, he is all things hip-hop. Just ask him. Better yet, just listen to his music. In actuality, Luke Boyd represents “Maritime” hip-hop, a rare sub-genre, particularly when you’re speaking in the breath of successful music artistry.
Luke Boyd, who you might know as Classified, would certainly be one of the first people, artist or not, to rush to the defense, protection and encouragement of Canadian hip-hop. You won’t exactly find an abundance of people in this country that would do the same. Canadian hip-hop isn’t exactly “on fire,” especially outside of its own perimeter. But whether it’s the song title itself (“Oh! Canada”) or his Canadian-ized lyrics (“But supper’s almost done and tonight – poutine!“), Class stands on guard for thee.
Even though he’s recently tip-toed the line between mainstream and underground, he’s remained true to his craft and his country. Classified is as much a hip-hop “star” as there is in Canada, even if some mainstream media outlets refuse to be anything but oblivious. That doesn’t mean going international isn’t his goal, but part of why he maintains his level-headedness and work ethic is because he simply considers that size of stage a pure bonus.
Now 35-years old and still very proudly hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Classified is no stranger to album releases (he has released 15 total albums over an 18-year span, with 3 of them being major studio albums). Now, with each new album that he drops, comes greater industry recognition and significance, as can be clearly been evidenced in his album sales, touring statistics and the increase in Canadian chart peaking for his single releases. Post-2005, he’s collaborated with such artists as Kardinal Offishall, Royce Da 5’9″, Choclair, B.o.B., Joe Budden and more recently Jim Cuddy (of Blue Rodeo), Saukrates and Raekwon. Impressively, he’s opened for even bigger acts in Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Nas and the Black Eyed Peas to name a few. His current pedigree couldn’t be stronger.
On to the Classified album, which just freshly hit the shelves yesterday (this time on the Universal label instead of Sony).
The most radio friendly (and one of the catchiest) track on the album, is the one you’re currently hearing all over the radio, called “Inner Ninja.” For this track, Class brings in East Cost folk singer David Myles to sing the uplifting hook (Side note about David Myles: He was the valedictorian of my graduating class at Mount Allison University in small town New Brunswick in 2003). The song, which also features a chorus of children, is one of an underdog tone where Myles croons “I’ve had opponents but I knocked them out” while Class raps about “takin’ out bullies in my all black hoodie.“
Speaking of a youth movement, on ”3 Foot Tall,” Class goes very much the route of Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life,” infusing a chorus of kids to chant “when it’s just you, times can be tough, when no one’s there to catch your fall.“
Through the record scratching, the buzzing baseline and a flute-laden intro/outro, “Anything Goes” is a feel-good jam that has Class and his guests Saukrates & Skratch Bastid feeling like they’re on top of the rap world, whether validated or not. Like he says, “I’m over 30, it’s to late for you set me straight.“
Later in the album and like his past records, Class experiments with some crafty structures. On the song “New School, Old School,” he dives into a friendly confrontation (collaboration) with his younger guest Kayo, where they trade bars back and forth about their different respective rap eras, Class reppin’ the old school (“born in the 70′s, raised in the 80′s”) and Kayo, the 90′s. An interesting concept that can be summarized with Class’ name-dropping line of “who’s fucking with Gretzky, Jordan or Hulk Hogan?” and Kayo’s equally sports-powered reply of “Crosby, LeBron and The Rock old man!“
Classified breaks out his strongest selection of star power for “I Only Say It Cause It’s True.” Raekwon of Wu-Tang fame and recently very entrenched in the Canadian (Toronto) hip-hop scene joins Kuniva of D12 to produce a typical Wu-style, grinding track that “earns stripes and digs the claws in.“
On the track ”Hi-deas,” Class starts messin’ with tempos as he takes us inside his song writing process (while on a major weed-high of course). The mid-song tampering is something he’s widely known for. The song starts out with a slower, eloquent piano base, but mid-track he decides to break the formula and change the beat up to make fun of the rappers making “douche hits.” Then he effortlessly slows it back down.
“Familiar” has Class coming full family circle, as his brother Mike (Mic) Boyd joins him on a spinning, guitar-filled beat to go back and describe their younger days. “Don’t it sound a bit familiar?” When you consider the two brothers’ styles, why yes, it certainly does.
Overall, Classified’s first release on the Universal label is an unquestioned success. His clever tongue and underrated beats are ever-present. From top to bottom, I don’t feel like it quite rivals his 2009 release “Self Explanatory,” but it certainly ranks in the top echelon of his now-fifteen albums.
Now, had I been paying closer attention instead of having my headphones plugged in deep listening to the Classified album, I would have realized that he performed just down the street here in Toronto two nights ago. An opportunity missed. Luckily, he’s back here reppin’ the East Coast (a place I’m VERY familiar with), in a couple of months. April won’t escape me.
Contact Classified
Contact The Mandate
Purchase : iTunes
0 comments: