Here’s what happened when Classified performed at the Calgary Stampede this year

Calgary, AB – On Sunday July 10, Classified came through Calgary to perform on the Coca-Cola Stage at the Calgary Stampede rodeo and exhibition.

Classified is almost a regular at the Stampede by now. He’s performed the Coca-Cola stage several times over and he’s usually THE only hip-hop artist to grace the Coke stage for the entire duration of the Stampede. That, and he’s Classified. He defies all stereotypes of the Calgary Stampede.

First of all, Classified is an East Coast artist. Stampede is a full-blown Western Canadian affair. Second of all, the guy is a rapper. But he always packs in a crowd. There were fans waiting at the front of the stage almost three hours before show-time. Classified even brought a few fans backstage before the show started for a little meet-and-greet. It’s cute to see grown-ass adult men get just as geeked to meet Class as their sons and daughters.

Classified’s shows are always a family affair. Class’ brother Mike Boyd always performs on stage as a hype-man and back-up vocalist, while Jake Boyd (also Class’ brother) plays guitar and sings. DJ IV is always up there, too.

Classified ran through his discography of hits including “That Ain’t Classy,” “Inner Ninja,” “3 Foot Tall,” and more. He diverted into full-blown East Coast mode a few songs in with a performance of “The Maritimes.”

At one point Class brought a fan named Nathaniel from Quebec up on stage. Class spotted Nathaniel in the crowd with a sign asking if he could “kick it” with Classified. Classified has this schtick where he loves to get people to crowd dive off the stage. He does it at every show I’ve attended. HE LIVES FOR GETTING PEOPLE TO DIVE OFF THE STAGE. So of course he egged Nathaniel on into diving into the crowd. And even though it bombed after a few seconds, like four guys in the crowd hoisted Nathaniel back up so he could continue crowd surfing.

The show also included a lot of Class’ newer material off the January-released Greatful album. Class performed his Saukrates-assisted “Noah’s Arc” just after the Stampede grounds had undergone a small bout of rain and the weather was still teasing a potential downpour: “I’m pray prayin’ for the rain to wash away/ Hoping that the rain will wash away.”

One of the more sobering performances of the night was Class’ performance of “Work Away,” an ode to the importance of work and a song that has become incredibly significant to Albertans. When Northern Alberta was overtook with wildfires earlier on this year, Classified made the decision to donate all proceeds from the sale of “Work Away” to the Canadian Red Cross to help with relief efforts.

And seeing as the show was an all-ages affair, of course Classified performed his dad rap “Having Kids Is Easy.” He made a shout-out to all the parents in the audience and made everyone take a minute to cheer for their parents. He also took a minute to talk about his own three daughters.

As the night came to a close, the audience stayed at the front of the stage cheering for an encore. So Classified came back on stage with Mike to perform an encore of older material. He did this all wearing his newly acquired white cowboy hat.

For those who aren’t familiar, we do this thing in Calgary where we give people white cowboy hats as a gesture of hospitality. It’s basically like, ‘We like you. You’re an unofficial honorary Calgarian now. Here, wear this white cowboy hat.’ That’s love.