Reup on the 2019 East Coast Music Award nominations ahead of tonight’s big Jonathan Torrens-hosted awards show in Charlottetown, where the event is parked until Sunday. Classified‘s big 2018 has rolled into 2019, with the rapper racking up seven nods. Other multiple nominees include Fortunate Ones, Hillsburn, Neon Dreams and Ben Caplan. If you can’t […]
Classified
Posted inArts + Music
Rich Aucoin and Classified nominated for Prism Prize
The seventh annual Prism Prize announced its finalists today, with two familiar names in the top 20: Rich Aucoin, for Meags Fitzgerald‘s cleverly animated clip for “The Middle,” and Classified‘s “Powerless,” an ode to MMIW shot in the Millbrook First Nation and directed by Andrew Hines. The Prism Prize will be handed out in Toronto […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best MC
Gold Winner Classified Silver Winner Quake Matthews Bronze Winner Ghettosocks The rapper/producer has just released a new album, Tomorrow Could Be The Day Things Change—his fifth major-label release, but his catalogue is way into the double digits nowadays—13 tracks for you to get stuck in your brain. It covers the usual range of subjects—“Legal Marijuana,” […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Music Video
Gold Winner Classified, “Powerless” Silver Winner Quake Matthews & Neon Dreams, “Confessions” Bronze Winner The Town Heroes, “Poets” The emo-indie rock quartet Kids Losing Sleep has just one recorded song to its name, “In Love No More,” three-and-a-half minutes of guitar-driven youthful turmoil. And it’s definitely grabbed your attention—KLS has won Best New Artist over […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Producer
Gold Winner Joel Plaskett Silver Winner Classified Bronze Winner Erin Costello Joel Plaskett opened The New Scotland Yard in Dartmouth in 2013, and the likes of Christina Martin, Old Man Luedecke and Gypsophilia have made magic there. The man himself has been making his own records since the late ’90s, including his latest with his […]
Posted inBest of Halifax
Best Hip Hop Artist / Band
Gold Winner Classified Silver Winner Quake Matthews Bronze Winner Ghettosocks Two thousand eighteen has been another busy year for Enfield’s main man Classified, AKA Luke Boyd. In between producing tracks at his studio for a wide variety of artists—Hillsburn, Jody Upshaw, Elijah Will—he performed his MMIW anthem “Powerless” at the East Coast Music Awards show […]
Posted inArts + Music
Becoming Elijah Will
Elijah Will 3am release party w/Universal Soul, DJ IV and OKAY TK Friday, February 2, 10pm The Seahorse Tavern, 2037 Gottingen Street Elijah Will was discovered at a songwriting camp, but it turned out his mentor lived right up the road. Born Elijah Wohlmuth, four years ago the young R&B singer from Enfield attended Gordie […]
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The pop life of Ria Mae, from shy radio listener to hit singer
“Do you like this song?” Ria Mae turns up the radio in her car. She repeats the pattern at least a half-dozen times through the next couple hours: Breaking off from what she’s saying, asking that question, turning it up, stating a fact about the song, then respectfully returning it to just-audible. “I’ve always been […]
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A touch of Class: David Myles and his new EP Here Now
This month, Halifax singer-songwriter David Myles released Here Now, a six-song EP produced by hometown rapper and his good friend Luke Boyd, AKA Classified. It’s not a huge departure for Myles; his previous releases have always had a jazz-folk vibe, influenced by his love of R&B. But on this collaboration, Myles offers something a bit more […]
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An interview with hometown rap hero Classified
On January 15, Halifax rapper Classified released Greatful, his 16th studio album with features from the real OG Snoop Dogg, Brooklyn’s DJ Premier (PRhyme), and local artists like singer-songwriter David Myles and popstar Ria Mae. This week, I called up Class (real name: Luke Boyd), chilling in his studio, to chat about the album, his upcoming tour and watching Netflix. […]
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Watch Classified’s new vid produced by Dave Hung & Tyler Ross
This morning, Dave Hung and Tyler Ross dropped their new video for Classified‘s “No Pressure” featuring Snoop Dogg on Maxim.com. Filmed in both L.A. and Halifax, it’s fucking hilarious and well-shot with a great storyline, and features cameos by Ron Jeremy, Tom Green, Jonathan Torrens, Paul Doucette, Grant Keddy, Emily Ross, Pat Harland, and many more […]
Posted inArts + Music
Classified Ad: Extras needed for Snoop Dogg/Classified video
Earlier this week, Classified released his new jam, “No Pressure,” with a sick feature from Mr. One-Eight-Seven himself, Snoop Dogg. The original dee-oh-double-gee references Scotia and it’s tight to hear those words out of his mouth, TBH. The track comes out in advance of Classified’s upcoming album, Greatful, which will be released on January 15 via HalfLife Records and Universal. […]