In addition to the release of Trial & Error, 2003 and 2004 were busy and evolutionary years for Classified. With the continuous support of VideoFACT, he was able to release two additional music videos for the singles "Just the Way It Is" and "Unexpected". Classified also continued to master his production skills and joined forces with some of Canada's most prominent emcees, including Choclair and Maestro Fresh Wes. He also teamed up with Shady Records recording artist, Royce Da 5'9" and opened for Ludacris, Snoop dogg, Busta Rhymes, The Game, Nelly, MC Grizzly, Captain Capota, Nas, The Black Eyed Peas and Black Moon.
Classified's tenth album, Boy-Cott-In the Industry, was a high point in his career. The album includes guest appearances by Choclair, Royce Da 5'9", Jay Bizzy, J-Bru, A-Wall, Spesh K, and Mic Boyd (Classified's younger brother and fellow MC). He has said he enjoys doing music with other people: "It keeps things exciting and there are tons of talented people in Halifax so you make connections 'cause it's not a huge scene." The album reached #46 on SoundScan's Canadian R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart. The singles "The Maritimes", "5th Element", "No Mistakes", and "Find Out", which is the lead single of his 11th studio album, Hitch Hikin' Music, were all Top 20 hits on MuchMusic and MTV Canada that year. The music video for "No Mistakes" won him an MMVA for MuchVibe Best Rap Video. Boy-Cott-In the Industry also earned Classified a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year in 2006.
Riding high off of Boy-Cott-In the Industry, Classified released his eleventh album Hitch Hikin' Music. Produced like previous albums by Classified himself, it is arguably some of Classified's finest work. On "Fall From Paradise", Classified reflects on the difficulty of staying fresh and on top. In the hip-hop meets classic rock song "All About U", featuring singer Chad Hatcher, Classified shows the extent of his growth from his early releases. In "Hip Hop Star", he eschews the current bling-bling culture of popular hip hop to remind people that life is not about trying to impress others. The rest of the album includes guest appearances by Jay Bizzy, Mic Boyd, Jordan Croucher, Preacher K, White Mic and more. Four singles have been released off the album: "Find Out" (which won the 2007 East Coast Music Award for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Single), "Feelin' Fine Remix", "All About U", and "Hard to Be Hip Hop". Hitch Hikin' Music also received a Juno Award nomination for Rap Recording of the Year in 2007.
Classified enlisted the help of fellow Nova Scotia native Joel Roy to beatbox during some of his songs. The actual singles that Roy beatboxed for are unknown but it is believed that he can be heard in the single "The Maritimes".
In early 2009, the hit single "Anybody Listening" brought Classified to mainstream success as it peaked at #52 on the Canadian Hot 100 and the music video received heavy rotation on MuchMusic. Classified's thirteenth studio album, Self Explanatory received highly positive reviews from the critics and debuted on the Canadian Albums Chart at #25 making it Classified's first album on that chart. At the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards on May 21, 2009, Classified won the MuchVibe "Best Hip-Hop Video of the Year" award for "Anybody Listening" directed by Harv Glazer and produced by Robert Wilson of TwoThreeFiveFilms. Off Self Explanatory, Classified would enjoy more mainstream success in early 2010 with another hit single, "Oh...Canada" peaking at #14 on the Canadian Hot 100 and was certified platinum in digital downloads by the CRIA. Also in early 2010, Classified received three Juno Award nominations, which was for Rap Recording of the Year, Single of the Year, and Video of the Year. In early 2011, "Oh...Canada" received a Juno nomination for "Single of the Year".
On March 22, 2011, Classified released his fourteenth album, though it was only his second major studio album, Handshakes and Middle Fingers. The first single off the album, "That Ain't Classy" reached #45 on the Canadian Hot 100. The album debuted at #7 on the Canadian Albums Chart, making it his highest charting album to date.
Danger Bay
Classified Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Welcome to Danger Bay
Where everybody acts up in the strangest ways
In this place when it pours
It rains for days
Ain't no love left only that hate remains
Walk with me, escape or face the flames
Type of place you don't know your neighbour's name
Naw they only wanna kill em and be the villain like scarecrow
It's a place where the athletes and entertainers
Are more valued then the doctors and educators
And they all lost faith in their lord
And the ones who haven't they don't go to church, they go to war
It's a place where the wicked are rewarded, and money and the power's too important
The skies turning grey and the ocean turned black, I think we in too far and we can't turn back
Welcome to danger bay!
Ooh ooh
Don't wanna go back, don't wanna go back
Welcome To Danger Bay
How will You survive through the fires and the winds of change?
Welcome To Danger Bay
You better change directions or count your blessings
Four, three, two, one
You ever been to a place like this? where they have no shame and they show no sorrow?
You ever been to a place like this? where to laugh at another man's pain is normal?
It's hard to believe what it used to be, a beautiful scene for the human being
Then they started polluting the streets, abusing the land and love grew into greed
Then the earthquakes rumbled and the gods rained down as the winds and the hurricanes blew from the sea
The buildings crumbled and the fires spread while the wild tornadoes uprooted the trees
So much hate, so little love, is it the apocalypse we in the middle of?
Will this world burn, freeze, or will it flood? Shit I dunno I'm trying to stay afloat in
Danger Bay
Ooh ooh
Don't wanna go back, don't wanna go back
Welcome To Danger Bay
How will You survive through the fires and the winds of change?
Welcome To Danger Bay
You better change directions or count your blessings
Shit We Livin in Danger Bay
Ooh ooh
I Don't wanna go back, Don't wanna go back
Yeah we livin in Danger Bay
I Don't wanna go back, I Don't wanna go back
In Classified’s song “Danger Bay”, the lyrics describe a place where everyone is acting up in strange ways. It’s a place where the rain never stops and hate is the only thing that remains. The singer invites us to walk with him, to escape or to face the flames of Danger Bay, a place where a neighbor's name is unknown and there are no heroes. The only desire of people in this place is to kill and be the villain like Scarecrow. The athletes and entertainers are more valued in Danger Bay than the doctors and educators. People have lost faith in their God, and those who haven't, don't go to the church, they go to war. It's a place where the wicked are rewarded, and money and the power are too important.
The second verse describes how what used to be a beautiful scene for human beings turned into a place where they pollute the streets, abuse the land and greed grew into the love of money. Natural disasters also occur, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and fires, which make every situation worse. People are full of hatred and are low on love. The singer thinks we might be in the middle of an apocalypse, and he wonders if the world will burn, freeze or flood. In the end, the singer emphasizes how much he doesn't want to go back to Danger Bay.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to Danger Bay
The singer introduces Danger Bay as a place of chaos and danger.
Where everybody acts up in the strangest ways
The people in Danger Bay are unpredictable and behave strangely.
In this place when it pours, It rains for days
Danger Bay experiences extreme weather conditions, with heavy rainfall lasting for days.
Ain't no love left only that hate remains
Love is scarce in Danger Bay, and hate prevails.
Walk with me, escape or face the flames
The only option in Danger Bay is to leave or face the dangerous consequences.
Type of place you don't know your neighbour's name
People in Danger Bay don't have close relationships with their neighbors.
And in danger bay there ain't no heroes, Naw they only wanna kill em and be the villain like scarecrow
There are no heroes in Danger Bay, only villains who want to kill others and be seen as powerful.
It's a place where the athletes and entertainers are more valued than the doctors and educators
Society in Danger Bay doesn't place importance on education or medical professions, instead valuing sports and entertainment.
And they all lost faith in their lord, And the ones who haven't they don't go to church, they go to war
Religion has lost its significance in Danger Bay, and the few who still believe have turned to war instead of church.
It's a place where the wicked are rewarded, and money and the power's too important
The immoral and corrupt are the ones who succeed in Danger Bay, with wealth and power as the ultimate goal.
The skies turning grey and the ocean turned black, I think we in too far and we can't turn back
The environment in Danger Bay is severely damaged, with polluted skies and oceans. The damage may be irreversible.
Welcome to danger bay!
The artist reiterates the dangerous and chaotic nature of Danger Bay.
How will You survive through the fires and the winds of change?
The singer questions how one can survive the constant turmoil and unpredictability of Danger Bay.
You better change directions or count your blessings
Changing course and making different choices is necessary to survive Danger Bay or else one should consider themselves lucky to still be alive.
You ever been to a place like this? where they have no shame and they show no sorrow?
The singer questions if the listener has ever experienced a place like Danger Bay where people are shameless and lack remorse for their actions.
You ever been to a place like this? where to laugh at another man's pain is normal?
Is it familiar to experience a place like Danger Bay where people find pleasure in others' suffering?
It's hard to believe what it used to be, a beautiful scene for the human being
Danger Bay was once a beautiful and peaceful place for people to live in which it is now unrecognizable.
Then they started polluting the streets, abusing the land and love grew into greed
The society in Danger Bay ruined the environment and became consumed with greed, causing the loss of love and respect for the land.
Then the earthquakes rumbled and the gods rained down as the winds and the hurricanes blew from the sea
Nature fought back against the damage caused by humans, with earthquakes, storms and hurricanes bringing havoc to Danger Bay.
The buildings crumbled and the fires spread while the wild tornadoes uprooted the trees
As a result of the natural disasters and damaged infrastructure, buildings crumbled, fires spread and trees uprooted due to wild storms.
So much hate, so little love, is it the apocalypse we in the middle of?
Danger Bay is filled with hate and the lack of love, which makes the artist question if it is the end of the world.
Will this world burn, freeze, or will it flood? Shit I dunno I'm trying to stay afloat in Danger Bay
The future of Danger Bay is uncertain and the artist is just trying to survive whatever may come their way in this dangerous place.
Shit We Livin in Danger Bay
The singer reiterates that people are living in Danger Bay and cannot escape its dangers.
I Don't wanna go back, Don't wanna go back
The artist does not want to return to Danger Bay once they have escaped its dangers.
Contributed by London D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.