Choclair X Classified: Hurt Everybody
Two decades after first connecting, two giants of Canadian hip-hop collaborate on a cut featuring fluent lyrical flows and a cool R&B-tinged production.
By Kerry Doole
Choclair X Classified: Hurt Everybody (Independent): Released yesterday (Nov. 12), this track is a collaboration of two giants of Canadian hip-hop. The timing is perfect too, as this is the 20th anniversary of Choclair's breakout debut album, Ice Cold, and it is also two decades since he and Classified first connected.
In a press release, Classified recalls that “The first tour I ever did was opening for Choclair back in 1999. I was nervous; I had never been on tour or met what I considered to be a real ‘rap star’, and I had no idea what he was going to be like. At the first show, he came up to us backstage and sparked a conversation and was really supportive of me and my music, and that really left a mark on me – most importantly - on how you should treat other artists and people that might not be on the same level as you.
"Fast forward 19 years and we did the Canadian Classic Tour and during that, made plans for me to produce his next album. Well…we did it! He flew into Enfield for four days and we made the record. Now we are ready to release this first single, which I also spit a verse on."
The track is a stone-cold killer triumph, one neatly complemented by the striking black and white video. Choclair's virile voce grabs your attention, while Classified delivers rhymes like Ali jabs, all atop a production with a vintage R&B feel. The only complaint is the cut's brevity, at just 2.24. We sure want more.
Links
Choclair
Classified
Website
Publicity: Charlotte Thompson, Red Umbrella P.R.
Stephen Macklam (left) and Sam Feldman.Courtesy Photos