Don't Sleep On Classified's New Album

It's tough to break through in the Canadian hip-hop scene. Just ask any of the guys who stand along Toronto's Queen St. West and attempt to simply give away music to anyone willing to grab a disc.

But Nova Scotian Classified has found some success in both mainstream and underground circles, though it's taken him a decade to get to where he is today.

After a couple of wins at the East Coast Music Awards, including one this past February and a nod at the 2005 Much Music Video Awards, he's now trying his hand at a best of record — of a fashion.

The rather prolific Halifax-based MC released While You Were Sleeping on Nov. 6, a disc that contains some new cuts as well as previously unreleased material alongside his better known work culled from prior releases. The tracks from previous records were selected through an online fan vote, while the rest was up to the DIY rapper himself. The disc also features a deluxe bonus DVD complete with 13 videos.