Classified: Self-Explanatory

It’s a brand fucking new day in hip hop, both Canadian and across the world. Veteran Halifax rapper/producer Classified has released Self-Explanatory, one of the best, most cohesive, thoughtful, and well-crafted Canadian hip hop albums in years. With the abhorrent proliferation of Auto-tune-tainted, money/hustler/make it rain/trap rap, the near demise of “abstract, backpack rap” (damn yoo hipsters! *shakes fist at sky*) and the strange state of affairs with revolutionary/conscious rap music that the lack of balance in modern American hip hop culture can be cured with a healthy dose of humble, Canadian boom-bap. And Classified makes a grip of it here.

Classified is no longer on Urbnet, the solid independent rap label that houses more unsupported Canadian rap artists that a homeless shelter made by Videofact. Class is now barking with the big dogs, signing his hometown-friendly label Half-Life Records from EMI to Sony Music Canada, and upping the ante on everything from guests to sound quality in the process. An immaculate glisten covers damn near every song here, as the levels and layers of Class’s rugged, sometimes smooth beats bludgeons your expectations as it surpasses them.

Now, let’s be real. Not everyone likes Classified as a rapper. (Thankfully) he’s not trying to be the next Eminem, much less the next Pharaohe Monch on the mic. He just has a bit of beats, rhymes and life to share with you, that’s all. Plus, he pokes more fun at himself as an MC than most, often professing to enjoy beatmaking more than rapping. But this time, he’s truly come into his own as a songwriter and a musician with a vision. Every one of his songs pretty much hits the bulls-eye of its intentions, both sonically and lyrically. Even with the occasional concession to more mainstream palates, he delivers rich and respectable music that should satisfy a few heads out there, whether they rock pony tails or custom designed New Era hats. Listen to “Inspiration” from start to finish, and ask yourself if you didn’t feel it as much, if not more, than you felt Eminem’s “Stan.” This is where Classified’s everyman honesty really takes a song from touching to timeless. The guy may be keeping it too real and regular in some of his other stuff, but when a strikingly serious song like this is manifested, you truly realize the universal power of music.

Let’s stop and appreciate the brilliant song, “Oh… Canada,” too. Rarely ever has the burden of being a Canadian been so well captured, on a variety of levels. Class adds some Canuck history, some good old CDN self-deprecation, some local shout outs and last but certainly not least, the most genuine integration of the Canadian National Anthem ever used in a hip hop song. The Canadian content doesn’t stop there.

Saukrates brings his baritone glow to the show too, and their chemistry is much better in practice than it seems on paper. On “Where Are You,” Class goes to Sauks’ world and lets the moody guitar reverberations and galloping thump of his crisp organs and organic keys carry his messages higher into your consciousness, especially with the heavenly bridge built in. A number of delightful and historic moments appear on Self-Explanatory, from it being the first Canadian album to ensnare the Southern drawl of the ATLien-ish 2008 phenom Bobby Ray, as well as locking in the beast known as Royce the 5′9″ to wyle out for 20 bars on ‘”They Call This (Hip Hop)”. And sampling Jay-Z saying “you can pay for school but you can’t buy Class”? Yes! Let’s not forget about the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series, which surely has to be a first for a hip hop album, where Class hits the listener with a little bit of nostalgia of allowing the listener to pick a destination in the story at the command of particular song. Dopeness.

The crew track “Loonie” finds a Busta Rhymes-placed Buck 65 layering his weary wit in ways that should silence any haters, after Shad K bobs and weaves words with a stinging, floating powerful grace that would impress Muhammad Ali. That guy’s gonna be big one day. Soon. DL Incognito does a good job in bringing his syrupy mindspray to the fore, but D-Sisive comes up short on his verse until he quotes Redman at the end. Better luck next time.

So basically, Classified just fucked Canadian hip hop in its ass. With Self-Explanatory, he silently challenged producers and emcees to create and accomplish something similarly impressive. It’s no easy feat.

83/100

“Quit While You’re Ahead”

“Loonie”

“Oh… Canada”

“Where Are You”

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