Canadian hip-hop artist Classified recently embarked on a cross-country tour opening for rock band Hedley, and the rapper from the East Coast is looking forward to the chance to bring his music to an audience that may not be that familiar with his songs.
"It has been a couple months since I have done a full tour," said Classified. "I'm excited to get back on the road."
Classified and Hedley will roll through Estevan Feb. 18 when they play Spectra Place, and although the venue in Estevan will be one of the smaller ones on the tour, for Classified it is still going to be a good-sized audience.
"The smaller venues on this tour are going to be a lot bigger than small venues on a typical tour for me," he said.
Classified added that on past tours through Canada, he has played shows for crowds of 20 people.
No matter what the size of the audience is though, Classified said the objective always stays the same.
"I have been doing this (tours) for a long time and I am always trying to get my music out there," he said. "It gets out there by word of mouth, and I am just trying to build new fans every show."
If Classified had advice to offer to upcoming musicians, he said it would be to get out and play as many shows as possible.
"You got to get out on the road and tour," he said. "Build fans on a face-to-face level. You may start by playing in front of 10 people, but you build your way up."
Classified is by no means a newcomer to the music scene. He released his first album in 2001 and has been making music and releasing albums on a regular basis since then. He has released several albums since 2001, but only signed to a major record label on his latest album. In 2009, Classified received lots of attention from the Canadian music industry when his singles Anybody, Listening and Oh, Canada were nominated for Junos.
This tour will represent a great opportunity for Classified as he will be playing for crowds who are coming to see Hedley.
"It's all about making new fans," he said.
The Nova Scotian rapper isn't sure what to expect from the audience on the tour as he said this will be the longest tour he has gone on with a rock band. However he does know what he has to offer to the crowds.
"I like to put on a show," said Classified. "I like getting the crowd involved and having a good time."
As for whether people like his style of music or not, Classified is not about to let other people's opinions change his style, but he does hope to attract some new fans.
"We hope to turn a couple of people into hip-hop lovers," he said. "But we are just going to do what we do. If you like us, great, and if you hate us, that's fine too."
Classified's most recent album is 2011's Handshakes and Middle Fingers, which was recently nominated for the 2012 Juno rap recording of the year.
His latest single off the album is titled The Hangover featuring Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, and Kayo. Classified said he first met Cuddy at the Junos and they got together after that to record the song. Just before leaving for the tour, the two got together again to film a music video for the track.
