Classified

A quick glance at this fistful of Classified Essentials, which draws heavily on his late '00s output, might give you the impression that the rapper from Enfield, Nova Scotia, has been slinging rhymes for no longer than a decade . . . but that's not the case. The kid who used to call himself Luke Boyd put out his debut release (on his own label) as a teenager back in 1995, and a winning combination of hard work and talent as both producer and performer ensured that his star rose prominently once the 21st century had kicked in for real. Building instrumentals and "killin' with brilliant rhymes" is the name of Classified's game and that's borne out on "The Maritimes," an accordion-backed portrait of his Atlantic-coast turf, hip-hop superstar collaboration "Quit While You're Ahead," Hitch Hikin' Music standout track "Fall from Paradise," and 2010's alternative national anthem "Oh . . . Canada."