The problem with a lot of the weed songs is that they tend too good of a job conveying the melancholy and munchies, often resulting in a bore to shuffle around your iPod. For some reason or another, the weed in Canada apparently gets you charged and Classified has no qualms in putting on his celebration face while taking bong rips at leisure. Read the rest of this entry »

I forgot all about “Maybe It’s Just Me,” but I’m glad Classified decided to drop a video for the Handshakes And Middle Fingers track. There’s just something about this beat that makes me me want to grab a Newcastle do a couple of spins around the room. And even though it may not be a Notable Quotable, Brother Ali does the damn thing with the way his flow interacted with the beat. Read the rest of this entry »

After enjoying newfound commercial success with his “Oh Canada” single last year, longtime underground Canadian emcee Classified is out to prove he’s not a one-hit wonder, especially with 13 albums already under his belt. On Handshakes and Middle Fingers, his 14th LP (second as a major), Classified assures everyone that nothing about him has changed, save for a few more opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »

Quiet as kept, Classified is something like a big deal. And it is perpendicular statements and truths like that which keep him frustrated and on his daily grind—which includes all hours found on a sun dial. Leaving no friend or foe unattended to, he’s giving out Handshakes and Middle Fingers to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump Read the rest of this entry »

My man Classified must be a mind-reader. Last week, the Maple Leaf MC popped up on my iPod, leaving me wondering why it had been more than few months in between drops for this double-dope rapper/producer. Within a day, my call for quality had been answered via a brand-spankin’ new single, “That Ain’t Classy.” Read the rest of this entry »

Since technology changes faster than Speedy Gonzalez eats enchiladas these days, musicians really have to take into account every viable option out there to promote themselves. Via much more than just music videos and stapling posters on light poles, rappers and rockers alike must factor in entire viral campaigns for their albums if they want success on their palette. Read the rest of this entry »

Since we all need a little “Inspiration” in our lives, Classified has decided to grace us with a visual for perhaps the most uplifting cut from his underrated Self-Explanatory album. The song and complimentary video tell the tale of Class passing along a beat over the Web to an aspiring rapper name Phil LaCroix, hoping to hear back after he had laced it. A few months later, the multi-faceted Maple Leaf producer/rapper got an e-mail from the rapper’s friend, who delivered the unfortunate news Phil had died in a car crash.

Eerie, yet moving, this amazing song is a reminder of how influential the fingerprints we leave in people’s lives can be, whether we know it or not. Plus, it’s an honest testament to how inspirational music can be for your life.

Download — Classified – “Inspiration”

And, if you’re still not sold on Class, watch this video of him preforming “Beatin’ It,” — one of the highlights from his catalogue — live from Halifax.

Can you make beats and rap to them simultaneously?

Classified can.

Do yourself a favor and take six minutes of your time to watch Classified’s segment on Hip-Hop Chronicle UK’s “Beats & Rhymes” where the all-inclusive producer/rapper crafts a soulful audible treat in his Halifax home studio, and then proceeds to drop a sweet sixteen right then and there smack dab over the top. All from scratch. In six minutes. 360 seconds. Most of us had daydreams that were longer than six minutes today, while on an extended break at work. Then, there’s Class, Canadian Hip-Hop’s underdog, making us aspiring producers look like rookies and cook up ideas immediately. Read the rest of this entry »

Almost a year after dropping his aptly-titled album Self-Explanatory, the always posted Classified keeps dropping videos like leaves in autumn. This go round shows the Nova Scotian commotion go home to deliver an ode to a country who owns the rights to both the telephone and the garbage bag, “Oh…Canada.” Full of proud Canucks draped up and dripped outside in red, white and booze, this fine piece of Cazhmere-direction proves how much habitual pride can hold you down regardless of radio play. Read the rest of this entry »

Since his last video was so on point, it’s not surprising the kid Classified had to go against the theme of “Quit While You’re Ahead” to grace us with this Canadian All-Star posse cut/third single/video from his still steadily-bumped 2009 album Self-Explanatory.

Great beat. Good song. Great artist.

Keep up the hustle.

Previously Posted — Classified – “Up All Night” | Classified – “Up All Night” Video

As promised, here’s the second visual from Classified’s Self Explanatory. Read the rest of this entry »

If you still haven’t peeped Classified’s Self-Explanatory, shame on you because it’s 360° dope. Read the rest of this entry »

A month ago or so, I posted on Classified, one of the most creative cats coming from the bitter cold Canadian tundra. The shine didn’t really reach the regulars, which only sucks for them, but Read the rest of this entry »

My two favorite artists of early 2009 – Josh Martinez and Classified – just dropped their visual to the second single Read the rest of this entry »

The homie Shake said he was “on the fence” about “Anybody Listening,” the new single from Maple Leaf rapper Classified.

Well, I’m officially over that fence and headed to the party. Read the rest of this entry »