Classified - Self Explanatory - 2009 - Sony BMG

Written by Alex

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Disclaimer: This review is intended to be a part of the future development, HorribleHipHop.com. And by that we mean, not horrible.

Just in time for Canada Day, a Canadian hip hop review:

I'm not sure if he expected this when he released it, but it is going to be very hard to top the performance on this album. It is rare that you find an album so well produced from start to finish, especially considering Classified does the work himself. Packed with 23 officially released tracks, it would be very difficult to listen to this cd without finding a few songs to crank the volume to. Of course, this is assuming you have listened to and enjoyed any type of hip hop at any time in the past. But that's how good this album is. That's how well Self Explanatory is written, produced, and delivered. A first, second, third, and 100th listen of Self Explanatory will prove that there are hip hop gems littered throughout the lineup.

This is classified's first release on a major label. He has signed to Sony BMG, citing their ability to properly market and manage his distribution. Makes sense to me, and any Classified fan knows this has had no affect on his work. He went with a different approach on this album, opting for a "Choose Your Own Adventure" story book album. There are several songs on the cd that are strung together as a story, and the listener has the option of proceeding through the story in different ways. Whatever your opinion of this concept is, Classified makes it work. Its fun, interactive, original, and a clear sign of the amount of work that goes into Classified's art.

One of my favorites off the album is a track entitled 'Used To Be', featuring Mic Boyd. It is a seemingly throw-back old school hip-hop track written as a reflection of the way music used to be. Smooth beat, good foil between Classified and Mic Boyd, a good reminder of the music we should all be aspiring to, and there is even a great auto-tunes chirp half way through. Also be sure to check out the heavy hitting banger "They Call This (Hip Hop)," featuring Royce Da 5'9" and B.o.B. Suburban residential neighborhoods fear this song, and every cool kid into underground (canadian) hip hop already has his windows rolled down blaring this beat.

Of course, there are too many songs to highlight on this album. I don't even know if the two I just mentioned are even in the top five. Everyone will find their favorites, but no one can miss "Oh... Canada", "Anybody Listening", or "Still Got It". Classified's video for "Anybody Listening" climbed to number three on the MuchMusic video countdown, and you can watch the video below. On a slightly more depressing note, the best written track on the album is perhaps the track "Inspiration". I won't go into detail about the song's story, but I insist that you head to Itunes right now and give 'er a listen. Great stuff, and a good testament to the tragedies of life.

The number of Canadian acts on this album is quite impressive. Classified went out of his way to promote Canada's fragile hip hop scene. Just about every decently known canadian act is present on this album, save for K-os and K'naan. For the sake of the fans, I don't think anyone would mind if future collaborations including the two K's came to fruition. While there is surely variance in their styles in comparison to Classified, it is impossible to deny the appeal that lurks behind the corner if they were to use that to their advantage.

Overall, this is definitively one of the best hip hop albums released this year. Unfortunately it has already gone well under the radar and will likely continue to do so. Odds are the hip hop world at large will not recognize him this time around again, but anyone who has heard this album knows a different story. Though flying under the radar is something that Classified himself might appreciate, everyone fan of his wishes that everyone was just as hyped up about him as they were. There are a plethora of solid new songs that hit hype, heavy, light, happy, dark, and everything in between on this album, and I highly reccomend picking up a copy. That being said, I am not sure if my recomendations are worth anything.

Stay tuned, and be excited for his next releases.