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.
Used To Be
Classified Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Classified: Man, remember tape cassettes?
Mic Boyd: Tape cassettes?!
Classified: I remember goin into record stores, gettin so excited
For that new album, you know?
When you got it, is was like nothin else mattered
Mic Boyd: Oh yeah, yeah, I guess, you had to pay for that shit
Classified: Yeah man, it's not like that anymore
When they used to say they don't make music like they used to
(The way it used to be)
Mic Boyd: No, I see what you're sayin man, I see what you're sayin
Classified: Check this out, look, yeah
Mic Boyd: What you got?
[Verse 1 - Classified]
My, my, my, my dad says they don't make music like they used to
And nowadays there ain't no record store to root through
We upload and then we viewin it on youtube
Digital to Bluetooth, I see why that confuse you
This day and age, shit it's hard to tell who's who
So many artists, every week you hear a new group
Maybe it's me or possibly I got a screw loose
A raisin short of two scoops but we don't do what you do (do, do)
[Verse 2 - Mic Boyd]
Now-now-nowadays when I turn on the radio (yeah)
It's like they take the same old song and play it out (true)
Might be your favorite now but hated in a day or so
Here today, gone tomorrow, that's how the saying goes
The oldies were timeless and classic (that's right)
Music now is models and actress (ah naw)
Who we pay to ogle they asses (yeah)
Never liked metal but still prefer it to plastic
[Chorus - Classified] (Mic Boyd) - w/ ad libs
My dad says they don't make music like they used to
(Oh no they don't, no they don't, no they don't)
And my crew says they don't make beats like they used to
(Oh no they don't, no they don't, no they don't)
You know what I-I think? It's just the music that I'm used to
(It's what I'm used to, It's what I'm used to)
I need my headphones louder, louder, louder, louder, louder, louder,
Louder, louder
[Verse 3 - Mic Boyd]
From machines with touch screens, this must be the future
One man band all recorded on computer
Cue race tape walkin Pro Tool users
Felt the effects and overused Auto-Tuners
If you can't hit the note, then hit a switch
Artists can't get the picture and end (*Auto-Tune voice*) "singing like
This"
Sounds like robots are takin our jobs
While these same record labels keep on payin 'em off
[Verse 4 - Classified]
Now have you ever thought about the old records we were proud to play
(yeah)
And if you heard them for the first time nowadays? (yeah)
Would we give the same props, same amount of praise? (nope)
I highly doubt it, hey it'd probably sound out of date (yeah)
Or maybe life nowdays kind of cloud our taste (yeah)
And hearin old tracks takes us back around the way (woo)
Yeah, still soundin great, off that outer space
Without a trace, leavin eardrums bent out of shape
[Chorus] - w/ ad libs
[Outro] (Sample from "Back in the Day" by Ahmad)
Classified: Yeah, the records that I play (back in the days)
Mic Boyd: You know the clothes that I wear (back in the days)
Classified: Haha, hey yo people! [she know just how I feel]
Classified: When?
(Back in the days when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore) (*echo*)
In "Used to Be" by Classified, the artists reflect on the differences between the music industry now and when they were young. They express nostalgia for the experience of going to record stores and purchasing new albums, a feeling that is absent in today's digital age where music is easily accessible on platforms such as YouTube. They also express disappointment in the current state of music, suggesting that the quality has declined and is no longer as timeless and classic as it used to be. The artists also touch on the rise of music technology, such as touch screen machines and Pro Tools, which can take away from the authenticity of music and replace it with an overuse of Auto-Tune.
The song was released in 2013 as part of Classified's self-titled album. The music video for "Used to Be" was directed by RT! and features Classified and Mic Boyd performing the song in a dimly lit studio, surrounded by record crates and cassette tapes. The song was well-received by critics and is praised for its social commentary on the state of the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
My, my, my, my dad says they don't make music like they used to
My dad thinks that nowadays music is not great as it was in his time
And nowadays there ain't no record store to root through
There are no record stores nowadays where people can search for new albums
We upload and then we viewin it on youtube
We now listen to songs online by uploading them on YouTube
Digital to Bluetooth, I see why that confuse you
Switching from digital to Bluetooth might confuse someone who is not used to modern technology
Now-now-nowadays when I turn on the radio (yeah)
When I turn on the radio nowadays,
It's like they take the same old song and play it out (true)
radio stations play the same old songs repeatedly
Might be your favorite now but hated in a day or so
A song that was your favorite yesterday might not be liked by you soon.
The oldies were timeless and classic (that's right)
Classic songs that were popular in the past are timeless and memorable
Music now is models and actress (ah naw)
Music nowadays mostly includes videos featuring models and actresses
From machines with touch screens, this must be the future
Machines with touch screens indicate a future with advanced technology
One man band all recorded on computer
One person can now create music without the need for a full band using computers
If you can't hit the note, then hit a switch
If a singer cannot hit a note, they can switch to a software program that automatically tunes the note for them
Now have you ever thought about the old records we were proud to play
Have you ever thought about the old records that we used to love?
And if you heard them for the first time nowadays? (yeah)
If you listen to those songs for the first time now, it's different
Would we give the same props, same amount of praise? (nope)
We might not give the same amount of praise for those songs if we listen to them now
Yeah, still soundin great, off that outer space
Some old tracks still sound amazing even after all these years
You know the clothes that I wear (back in the days)
I also miss the old days when I used to wear cool clothes
When?
The lyrics `when?` is not a complete sentence
(Back in the days when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore) (*echo*)
This line is a sample from the song `Back in the Day` by Ahmad
Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.