TORONTO — Toronto’s rising hip-hop duo Kid DET and Sad Classes are gaining national attention with their latest single, “Rearview”, a melodic and emotionally charged track that has already surpassed 125,000 views across streaming platforms. The song marks the first release from their upcoming project Soul Food II: At The Cabin, set to debut October 17, 2025, and represents a pivotal creative moment for two artists helping to redefine the sound and story of Canadian hip-hop.
Blending introspection, soulful production, and cinematic atmosphere, “Rearview” delivers what the pair describe as a meditation on growth, resilience, and the act of looking back only to move forward. The single builds on the conceptual and emotional groundwork of their earlier project Soul Food, expanding their exploration of healing, identity, and friendship through music.
A Collaboration Born From Contrast
Both artists began making music in their early teens but came from vastly different worlds. For Kid DET, songwriting started as a personal lifeline. “Music gave me relief and helped me make sense of what I was feeling,” he shares. Beginning to write at just 12 years old, he used music as an outlet to manage anxiety and self-discovery—a practice that grew into a mission to help others feel understood.
Sad Classes, who also started rapping at 12, found in hip-hop a path out of hardship. “I grew up in an environment where the stories you hear in gangster rap were real,” he explains. “Music was how I got out, how I found peace.”
The two met as teenagers in high school—the same one once attended by global superstar Drake—and quickly discovered a shared vision for authentic storytelling through sound. Their creative chemistry led to the launch of Soul Food, a concept project designed as a trilogy charting personal evolution and escape.
Crafting the “Rearview” Sound
“Rearview” serves as both a sonic and emotional cornerstone of Soul Food II: At The Cabin. The song opens with moody, reflective instrumentation and evolves into a layered blend of melodic rap and R&B-infused rhythm. The pair trade verses with understated intensity, navigating themes of change and self-reflection.
“We made ‘Rearview’ in one take,” says Sad Classes. “We hit record on a voice memo, and what you hear today is almost exactly what came out that moment.”
That raw immediacy, they say, was essential to capturing the track’s emotional weight. The accompanying music video—directed by Fatty Soprano, known for his bold visual storytelling—translates that feeling onto the screen with stylized imagery and cinematic tone.
The single was produced by Kid DET and Sad Classes themselves, with compositions by Conor Fitzgerald and Theevoni Theevoni, under the banner of Finest Edge Music Inc. It highlights their growing expertise as producers and musicians, not just performers.
“We wanted to make something that feels like freedom,” says Kid DET. “A song you can drive to, think to, and feel with. It’s about looking back only to move forward.”
Building a Brand of Emotionally Intelligent Hip-Hop
The duo’s sound sits at the intersection of hip-hop, R&B, and alternative pop—an increasingly dominant current in modern Canadian music. Their approach to production and songwriting mirrors the direction of a global movement within the genre: one that prioritizes narrative depth, emotional authenticity, and cross-genre fusion.
For Sad Classes, that evolution reflects a broader generational shift. “We’re not afraid to be honest or to mix vulnerability with rhythm,” he said in earlier interviews. “That’s what people connect with now—the feeling that someone else has lived what you’re living.”
With Soul Food II: At The Cabin, Kid DET and Sad Classes aim to build on the foundation laid by their first volume, which introduced fans to their dual themes of introspection and perseverance. This sequel, they explain, will be divided into two halves: one that captures energy and celebration, and another that dives into solitude and reflection—mirroring the emotional duality of life after success.
The Business of Independent Creativity
Both artists remain fiercely independent, taking an entrepreneurial approach to their careers. They manage creative direction, production, and distribution, while partnering with select collaborators for visuals and marketing. Their success with “Rearview”, which has organically gained traction online, underscores the growing power of Canada’s independent hip-hop scene to compete globally without major label infrastructure.
Industry observers note that the country’s urban music landscape has matured significantly in recent years, bolstered by streaming accessibility and cross-border collaborations. Artists like Kid DET and Sad Classes exemplify a new generation of Canadian musicians turning personal narratives into professional growth—and proving that emotional honesty can be a viable artistic brand.
As “Rearview” continues to build momentum across YouTube and Spotify, the pair are looking ahead to Soul Food II: At The Cabin’s official release. “We’ve grown a lot since the first project,” Kid DET says. “Now it’s about pushing ourselves further—creatively, emotionally, and musically.”
For Kid DET and Sad Classes, the rearview mirror isn’t a symbol of what’s behind them—it’s a reminder of how far they’ve come, and how much further they intend to go.
