- Classified (rapper)
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Classified 
Classified at the 2011 MuchMusic Video AwardsBackground information Birth name Luke Boyd Born December 13, 1977 Origin Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada Genres Hip-Hop Occupations Rapper Years active 1995–present Labels HalfLife, Urbnet,TM3 Records, Sony BMG Canada Associated acts DL Incognito, Eternia, Brother Ali, Buck 65, Moka Only, Choclair, Chad Hatcher, Maestro Fresh-Wes, Jay-Bizzy, DJ IV, Jordan Croucher, Royce da 5'9",Alyson Barnhart, Sound Improvement Website www.classifiedofficial.com Luke Boyd (born on December 13, 1977), professionally known as Classified, is a Canadian rapper and producer from Enfield, Nova Scotia.
Contents
Career
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.[1] 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 and evolutionary 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.[2] He also teamed up with Shady Records recording artist, Royce Da 5'9"[2] 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 Choclair, 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."[3] 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.[4]
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),[5] "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.
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 MuchMusic. Classified's thirteenth studio album, Self Explanatory[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.
Discography
- Time's Up, Kid – 1995
- One Shot – 1996
- What Happened – 1996
- Information – 1997
- Now Whut! – 1998
- Touch of Class – 1999
- Unpredictable – 2000
- Union Dues – 2001
- Trial & Error – 2003
- Boy-Cott-In the Industry– 2005
- Hitch Hikin' Music – 2006
- While You Were Sleeping – 2007
- Self Explanatory – 2009
- Handshakes and Middle Fingers – 2011
Singles
Year Song Chart peak Certifications Album CAN
[10]2000 "Unpredictable" — Unpredictable 2001 "Yuh Died Now"
(featuring Dan-e-o & D-Sisive)— Union Dues 2003 "Gossip/This Is For" — Trial & Error "Heavy Artillery"
(featuring Rocky Ninja)— 2004 "Unexpected" — "Just the Way It Is"
(featuring Eternia, DL Incognito & Maestro Fresh Wes)— 2005 "5th Element" — Boy-Cott-In the Industry "Unexplainable Hunger"
(featuring Royce Da 5'9" & Choclair)— "The Maritimes" — 2006 "No Mistakes" — "Find Out" — Hitch Hikin' Music "Feelin Fine (Remix)"
(featuring Jordan Croucher & Jay-Bizzy)— 2007 "All About U"
(featuring Chad Hatcher)— "Hard To Be Hip Hop"
(featuring Maestro Fresh Wes & DJ IV)— "Fall From Paradise" — 2008 "Trouble" — Self Explanatory 2009 "Anybody Listening" 52 "Oh...Canada" 14 "Up All Night" — "Quit While You're Ahead"
(featuring Choclair, Maestro Fresh Wes & Moka Only)— 2010 "They Call This (Hip Hop)"
(featuring Royce Da 5'9" & B.o.B)— 2011 "That Ain't Classy" 45 - CAN: Gold[11]
Handshakes and Middle Fingers "The Day Doesn't Die" 83 "Maybe It's Just Me"
(featuring Brother Ali)— "—" denotes a release that did not chart. Music video chart positions
Year Single Chart Position 2006 "Find Out" MuchMusic Countdown 17 2007 "All About U" MuchMusic Countdown 20 2009 "Anybody Listening" MuchMusic Countdown 3 2009 "Quit While You're Ahead" MuchMusic Countdown 22 2009 "Oh...Canada" MuchMusic Countdown 5 2011 "That Ain't Classy" MuchMusic Countdown 3 See also
References
- ^ HiphopCanada.com
- ^ a b Bliss, Karen (July–August 2005). "Classified", Canadian Musician, 27 (4): 78.
- ^ Ucalgary.ca
- ^ Devlin, Mike. "Nova Scotia rapper stays true to his roots", Times-Colonist, 2006-10-13. Retrieved on 2008-10-17.
- ^ Video of Classified receiving an ECMA from the Trailer Park Boys on February 17, 2007.
- ^ Woo , Andrea."Classified Is Satisfied", Exclaim!, April 2009.
- ^ MuchMusic Video Awards Nominees and Winners
- ^ CRIA.ca
- ^ Chartattack.com
- ^ "Classified - Music Charts". αCharts. http://acharts.us/performer/classified. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
- ^ a b "CRIA – Gold & Platinum: "Classified"". Canadian Recording Industry Association. http://musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=Classified&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
External links
- Classified Official website
- Classified Official HalfLife Records website
- Classified on Myspace
- Classified article April 2009
- Canada.com
- Muchmusic.com
- Classified on Vyou.com
Categories:- 1977 births
- Canadian hip hop record producers
- Canadian rappers
- Living people
- People from Halifax Regional Municipality
- Musicians from Nova Scotia
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