Interview with Canadian rapper Classified
By: Markos Papadatos
Canadian rapper Classified chatted via telephone with Markos Papadatos about his new single “Inner Ninja,” which features David Myles, as well as his latest studio album. “I have been doing music in Canada for the past fifteen years and this song exploded to a whole new world for me. It opened up a brand new fan-base and now people in the United Sates are getting to hear it. I am excited about this track. It is such a positive and a fun song and it has its own twist,” he said. “I hope the fans are feeling it too. It’s doing some great things for me and it is a great tune for hip hop right now.”
“Inner Ninja” is already a Top 10 hit in Canada and it dominated the Top 40 radio and the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 charts. Presently, it is making its way up the charts on pop radio in the United States. He is signed to Atlantic Records.
His album reached No. 1 on the Canadian album charts and it has earned praise from musical critics, thus earning accolades such as a pair of MuchMusic Video awards (and four nominations), as well as four Juno award nods, which included a win for “Best Rap Recording of the Year” for “Inner Ninja.” “The Juno win was great. It was my seventh time being nominated and my first time winning the award. I had tons of friends and family there and to be able to play on the show felt pretty good,” he said.
A native of Nova Scotia, Canada, Classified noted that his single is approaching quadruple platinum status. “It is one of the biggest singles this year in Canada,” he said. “The song’s chart success has been unbelievable for me. It has been a nice surprise.”
He grew up listening to hip hop music from the early 1990s era. “Right now I listen to almost anything as long as I find a good song,” he said.
On the song selection process of his new album, he stated, “I will usually work on a song for three weeks and then put it away and start another one. I try to find enough songs that have their own spirit.”
He added, “When I am in the studio writing and recording, I am usually by myself. It’s a little bit more laid back. When I perform live, the crowd is energetic and the live recordings are a little more upbeat and exciting for me.”
Regarding his plans for the future, Classified remarked, “I hope to do a lot of more shows. We just finished a big Canadian tour and I hope to come down to the States to do promo there. I just want to let the people know that there is music coming out.”
He noted that he is an approachable person and he enjoys singing autographs for fans, as well as staying connected with them via his social networks, his Facebook and Twitter pages.
To learn more about Classified and his new music, visit his official website https://www.classifiedofficial.com/.
Photo Credit: Scott Munn
