Toronto, ON - It was raining when I headed downtown for my interview with Luke Boyd, professionally known as Classified. I don’t get nervous about interviews anymore, but I was excited to find out the kind of person I’d be chatting with. He seems cool and collected in the videos and the interviews, but rappers are always so different in person.

But then again Classified is not your typical rapper. He has released 10 full albums independently, plus two EP’s. Since 1995 he has kept grinding, growing, traveling, touring, and has never missed a beat. His fans from back then are still his fans now, plus a ton of new ones. His music is what he feels is “some of the best hip-hop songs around.”

Now signed to Sony Music, his distribution reaches a little further than Halifax, a little further than Toronto, and a whole lot further than just Canada. As a matter of fact he told me they had just secured distribution in Australia when we spoke.

We last featured Classified on HipHopCanada early last year when he was on his “While You Were Sleeping” tour and now, a full year after he has signed with a major (Sony) and has released his 11th studio album, or 13th release in total.

Here is how the interview went down:

HipHopCanada: This is your 11th studio album, and 13th release including the EP’s. How does it feel?

Classified: It feels great. It feels just good to be done. I’ve been working on this off and on between touring for the past 16-17 months, so it’s been a lot of starting and stopping and going back and editing and now it’s finally done. All packaged up; it’s great.

HipHopCanada: When you listen to it top to bottom is there anything you want to change?

Classified: I haven’t listened to the album yet.

HipHopCanada: You haven’t?

Classified: I probably listened to the album 10,000 times. I produce all my stuff; edit my stuff, so it’s almost numb to my head right now. So I like to just leave it for a bit and go back to it, but I probably should have checked it just to make sure everything was okay [Laughing].

HipHopCanada: What is different about this album?

Classified: Growth. I write about life when I’m going through it. Where I was when I did Hitchhiking Music is a lot different from where I am now. Emotionally, everything; just honesty. I just had a baby. Growing up I don’t care to be that cool anymore. People like that I think; they like honesty and they like hearing where you’re coming from. Everyone isn’t secure. We all go through it. Then on the musical tip there is a lot more instruments and stuff. I still use the same formula. I like to sample but then I like to layer a lot with guitar players, violin players and stuff like that. Before it was about making a beat and now it’s about making a full song. I’m trying to make it more exciting for the listener, but also for myself.

HipHopCanada: If a fan has purchased all the albums, how is the Classified rapping on the first, different from the one on the 11th? Any notable differences?

Classified: Classified the first was whack. That’s a 15-16 year old kid coming from a place where 3 kids listen to hip-hop. I just loved it. I just wanted to rap. I can’t even listen to some of that stuff now. But it’s all growth. You start from there and slowly climb. The fact that everything elevated slowly it kept me moving forward and it kept me excited; to keep upgrading my style. I still get nervous about how I can make things better.

HipHopCanada: Do you think the fans you had back then are still your fans now?

Classified: Yeah, for sure. I keep in touch with all of them. Even cats I meet now that have my first cassettes; it’s crazy. Even new fans want to go back and buy the stuff from before. That’s why we put While You Were Sleeping out; for people who wanted to get that older stuff.

HipHopCanada: Being from Enfield, Nova Scotia, you have a different perspective of hip-hop and how it applies to you. If you were to come from a bigger city like Vancouver or Toronto, what do you think you would have done different? Or would you even have done anything different?

Classified: I don’t know . . . kind of. I think with Halifax being so far on the East . . . No actually I would have probably done it a bit differently, because in Halifax there wasn’t a big rapper that did it, for us to follow in their footsteps like Maestro or Choclair. There are different styles and no one was going for THAT sound. If I came up in Toronto where there is more of a particular sound, I would have came up more with a cliché of saying, I have THAT particular sound.

HipHopCanada: Do you think because there was a scarcity of artists coming out it pushed you to become more successful? Because I find some artists that do come from Toronto see somewhat of a local success and embrace and don’t feel the need to work as hard to reach outside of the city.

Classified: In Halifax too, I know a lot of guys who are like that; who get their song played on Much, people know who they are, and they are happy with that. But at the end of the day, that shit wears out pretty damn quick. And I also think like you said because I did come out of Halifax I did have to work a little harder because there wasn’t a huge scene. So I had to say of course I have to focus on Toronto and the rest of the country because Halifax is just not big enough. But if I came from Toronto, I could be like “Well this is where MuchMusic is at, this is where Flow is at, and if I focus on this, the rest of the country will follow." But it’s the other way around. I have to focus on the rest of the country.

HipHopCanada: Do you think touring played a strong role?

Classified: Everything. I think if I didn’t tour I would be done by now. It’s just that everyone can make a rap song and put it on the internet now, and everyone thinks that’s going to help them. And it will help get your name out, but at the day Joe Blow doesn’t give a fuck about you. But if you can travel and perform live and put on a good show that’s the next thing. You build that relationship. If someone sees you perform at a show, they’re going to remember that forever; so to me it’s everything.

HipHopCanada: Unlike many rap artists today who glorify a stereotypical rap lifestyle and paint a vivid picture of their “success” you talk about day to day experiences; stuff that people all over Canada can relate to. How do you think fans internationally and globally will relate to you and your experiences?

Classified: I was going to worry about that. I just toured internationally in Europe and after every one of my shows I performed my “Oh Canada” joint, and I had everyone in there going “Oh Oh Canada”

[Both Laughing]

Classified: It was crazy. Even my own brother was like: “are you sure you are going to perform this,” because the song itself it’s kind of dissing the outside, calling them “un-intelligent fucks” but I was like “Nah, I’m going to tell them how I feel, fuck it.” They loved it. It was kind of a joke between me and Bizarre too at some point. After going out there, I’m more proud than ever. Our whole crew was like “we can’t wait to get the fuck back to Canada.” We have it pretty good over here and I’ll be the first to say I am proud to be Canadian and if you don’t like it, fuck it.

HipHopCanada: What was the most difficult part of this project?

Classified: Taking breaks and touring and then recording. I’m usually used to recording straight for 8 months or so . . . maybe doing a show or two in between but not leaving for a month and then coming back. That was a big difference but it almost could have been a blessing too, to be able to leave and then come back to it. The sample thing was another thing with the label.

HipHopCanada: The clearing?

Classified: When we first sat down and talked about the deal I told them that I sample, and I wanted to make sure I could. Going back with that, trying to make that alright was a hassle for a bit, but it worked out. I had to cut a couple of songs. This is the first major label album and I wanted to give people a full album of music.

HipHopCanada: Was it difficult to work with a label?

Classified: No not really. Besides the sample thing where they had to tell me to pull back a couple of times…and I get where they’re coming from. But other than that it was great. When we had our first meeting with Sony I had 4 songs done: “Trouble”, “Up all Night”, “The Break up” and “Get Out the Way”. I showed them those four songs, and they said “Cool, now go back to Enfield and make the rest of the album.” I went home, finished it, picked the singles, and we’ve been able to handle everything so far. They’ve been great putting the team together and I’ve just been focusing on the music, so it was good.

HipHopCanada: What kind of expectations do you have?

Classified: I expect to sell a million in Canada . . .

[Both Laughing]

Classified: It’d be great to have a gold record. I want to just move forward and have an even bigger record than the last one I had, and gain an audience internationally. I want to break out of just doing Canada, and that’s what touring internationally is helping me with.

HipHopCanada: It’s been a long way since 1995. Did you ever have a point to prove and if so do you think you have finally proven it? Or no?

Classified: Uhh [Thinking]  . . . Yeah. I think I have. When I first came in my whole thing was . . . I came from Enfield and moved to Halifax, and the hip-hop scene in Halifax was just a couple of guys that were helping me out, but most weren’t feeling me, and now I have those guys calling me up trying to get me on a record, and you know who you are . . . So, yeah. [Laughing]

HipHopCanada: That’s your camera you’re looking at.

Classified: I keep looking at the camera thinking it’s your cam, and then I’m like wait a minute, that’s not even your camera.

[Both Laughing]

HipHopCanada: With the album, how did you choose the direction you wanted to take? What type of influences did you have when recording?

Classified: That was a problem that I had. I wasn’t listening to a lot of good hip-hop when I started the record. I just wasn’t checking for hip-hop at the time. The only time I would listen to it would be in the car driving. When I’m at home I’m in the studio so I’m not listening to music that much. Then I looked into some Black Milk stuff and I found some good music and I was inspired again. I actually just met Black Milk the other day and it was dope. Even the Statik Selektah stuff is dope. Just stuff that comes from that generation that I come from and you can tell that there has been effort put into it.

HipHopCanada: How many of the tracks did you produce yourself?

Classified: All of them. I produced my last 6 albums.

HipHopCanada: Oh, because in your last HHC interview, you mentioned taking a break from shopping beats, so I thought maybe you weren’t producing as much.

Classified: Yeah when I work on the album I’m not shopping beats but I’m still producing for myself.

HipHopCanada: Okay, dope. Do you like any other producers in Canada?

Classified: I love ‘em. Saukrates, Kemo, Rich Kidd . . . he’s got some crazy shit.

HipHopCanada: Are you going to put any other producers on your next album?

Classified: No.

HipHopCanada: Oh, again just you. You’re selfish then.

Classified: Yeah.

[Both Laughing]

Classified: It’s kind of how I am; selfish . . . or hard work (whatever you want to call it) The rap thing is cool. I don’t think I’m the best rapper in the world, or the best lyricist, but I think I make some of the best hip-hop songs around. I want to be able to go in the studio by myself with nothing, and come out with a banging track. And I just like to produce and shape the sound.

HipHopCanada: The album features Royce Da 5'9" and Bobby Ray (B.O.B.) on “They Call This Hip-Hop.” How did that collaboration come about and why Bobby along side Royce? How did you feel they complimented your style?

Classified: I didn’t look at it as complimenting my style really. I think Royce is the best rapper right now, in my opinion. I have a relationship with him. I sent him the beat, he got on it, and I was thinking of who else to get on it. One of my boys had a connection with B.O.B., sent him the beat, he loved it and he got on it. I’m not a fan of a lot of south music, but he reminded me a lot of the Outkast earlier stuff. And you can tell that he puts effort into his lyrics and that he’s trying to do something different with his shit, so when he was down, I was very happy.

HipHopCanada: On the last interview, people wanted to see collabos with you and Moka or Buck 65 and you made that happen. How did you choose the tracks to feature them on?

Classified: Done. Me and Moka and Choclair and Maestro did a track and then me, Buck 65, DL, Shad K and D-Sisive did another one. I put Moka and Choclair and Maestro because to me they are the legends . . .

HipHopCanada: Old school vs. new school?

Classified: There you go. I tried to get Sauks as well but he liked another joint, so I got him on that alone.

HipHopCanada: How do you think the international audience will embrace all the Canadian artists featured on the album?

Classified: I think at the end of the day I didn’t want to get signed, and get a bunch of artists that I’ve never met before, that are successful on radio on my records. And hope that people will go for it. I think you can make better music when you sit down and work with someone who you know and you can work with. It’s more organic that way. I totally get you. The next single that we were talking about “Quit While You’re Ahead” is going to kill Canadian hip-hop but the rest of the world I don’t know. At the end of the day it comes down to emcees doing what they do and they’re either going to feel it or they’re not.

HipHopCanada: Touring in Europe must have been different. What kind of feedback did you get? Anything that you learned about how other people perceived your music that may have made you go back to the drawing board?

Classified: I don’t think that there was anything that triggered me to write any different or focus on different things, but the reception was refreshing. The first show we did, we were in Austria and my DJ went out there and at first it was quiet, and I was sitting in the back laughing because I was expecting it…Bizarre gave me a hug like “It’s okay man,” [Laughing] but by the second and third song it was crazy. People were all up front throwing their hands up. Austria was a little different because they didn’t understand English that much but in places like Germany, England, where they understood English a little more it was hype.

HipHopCanada: And that kind of tells you to keep doing what you’re doing because people are obviously appreciative of it in other countries.

Classified: Yeah exactly. It was real . . . I loved it. It was like here five years ago, when no one really knew the music. I hope next time they’ll tell 10-20 of their friends that will come to the show.

HipHopCanada: Yeah for sure. Europe is crazy. I know people . . . artists in the US who don’t even bother with the US but still make their cake out in Europe.

Classified: Half the 90’s rappers I listen to are all over there.

HipHopCanada: Yeah for sure. They just love music over there. Anything else you’d like to add? Anything in the works?

Classified: Mic Boyd has a new record . . . he works very slow. He’s a Halftime rapper. [Laughing]

HipHopCanada: Are you still working with Jordan Croucher?

Classified: He’s not on Halflife anymore, he’s doing his own thing but we’re still working on some stuff together. He comes by the studio and records. Chad Hatcher is also working on some stuff. I worked with J-Bru a little bit; he has a new track coming out, and I’m also producing on this new kid called Miracle who’s really, really dope. Great lyricist . . . almost reminds me of like a Drake, almost.

HipHopCanada: Singing Drake or rapping Drake?

Classified: [Laughing] Rapping. He’s got that smooth flow with aggressive lyrics. It’s some honest shit.

HipHopCanada: Any advice to give to other Canadian artists?

Classified: Tour. It’s fun to make the music in the studio, but you have to tour. Get up, get on the Greyhound, play for 15 people, sell your music, and then go back and play for 50 people.

Editor's note: For more information Classified check out http://www.myspace.com/hiphopclassified.

The Classified - Self Explanatory Tour dates:

- April 23 - Vancouver, BC @ Boss Nightclub (19+)
- April 24 - Whistler, BC @ Garfinkels (19+)
- April 25 - Kamloops, BC @ Cactus Jack Saloon (19+)
- April 27 - Victoria, BC @ Element (All Ages Matinee)
- April 27 - Victoria, BC @ Element (19+)
- April 29 - Medicine Hat, AB @ KC Jax Ultra Lounge (18+)
- April 30 - Calgary, AB @ The Whiskey (18+)
- May 1 - Lethbridge, AB @ Blarney Stone (18+)
- May 2 - Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room (18+)
- May 5 - Banff, AB @ Wild Bills (18+)
- May 6 - Saskatoon, SK @ Odeon (All Ages/19+)
- May 7 - Regina, SK @ Distrikt (19+)
- May 8 - Winnipeg, MB @ Pyramid Cabaret (18+)-
- May 9 - Thunder Bay, ON @ C2 (19+)
- May 11 - Cobalt, ON @ Cobalt Classic Theatre (All Ages / 19+)
- May 13 - Waterloo, ON @ Starlight Club (19+)
- May 14 - London, ON @ London Music Hall (19+)
- May 15 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre (All Ages / 19+)
- May 16 - Whitby, ON @ Johnny B’s (19+)
- May 19 - Peterborough, ON @ Montreal House (19+)
- May 20 - Milton, ON @ Hardball (19+)
- May 21 - Hamilton, ON @ Club Absinthe (19+)
- May 22 - Ottawa, ON @ Ritual Night Club (19+)
- May 23 - Montreal, QC @ Les Saints (18+)
- May 29 - St John, NB @ Ozone (19+)
- May 30 - Fredericton, NB @ Capital Exhibition (All Ages)
- June 5 - Halifax, NS @ The Palace (19+)

Video Zone: Classified

  

Lola Plaku http://www.myspace.com/lola00 http://www.iluvlola.net Lola Plaku is a senior writer/journalist for HipHopCanada.com. She has been writing for the company since early 2005. Lola also work does PR work for several clients, keeping a strong focus on their press material and presentation. In addition to writing for HipHopCanada.com, Lola also writes for Swagg News, and has her own column called Ask Lola, where people write her in for advice on different areas of life and the entertainment industry. Lola is the Toronto Representative for a DVD based out of NY by the name of Epydemik, where she provides content from the industry in Toronto.