Maestro (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Wesley Williams better known as Maestro and formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian
rapper
, record producer
, and actor
. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop
".
In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have a Top 40 hit, "Let Your Backbone Slide
". As of early 2008, "Let Your Backbone Slide" remained the best-selling Canadian hip hop
single of all time, and the only certified gold single in Canadian hip hop history. Eighteen years after its release, Maestro's debut album, Symphony in Effect (1989), remains the top selling Canadian hip hop album of all time; at 190,000 units sold, it is 10,000 shy of double platinum.
After the success of his 1991 album, The Black Tie Affair, Maestro's career faltered as he attempted to break into the United States
market. However, he returned to the Canadian charts in 1998, with the hit singles "Stick to Your Vision" and "416/905 (T.O.
Party Anthem)".
In 2000, "Ever Since" featured the track "Bustin Loose", in which Maestro Fresh Wes teamed up with Kardinal Offishall
.
In 2005, Maestro covered Lawrence Gowan
's song "A Criminal Mind" (featuring Infinite); Gowan appears in the video and his vocals are sampled on the track. Gowan also performed the song with Maestro at the Canadian Urban Music Awards in 2006.
In 2006 Maestro again made Canadian hip hop history when he and Rochester AKA Juice joined The Dope Poet Society
on stage in Cannes
, France
. Together, they become the first Canadian hip hop acts ever to showcase at Midem, the world's largest and most influential annual music industry conference.
, Platinum
, Blue Murder
, and The Line, as well as the films Poor Boy's Game
, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Honey
, and Four Brothers
. As an actor, he is normally credited as Wes Williams.
(People's Choice), first Canadian rap artist to go gold (album & single), first Canadian hip hop single to go gold, platinum album - Best Selling Hip Hop Artist in Canadian History, UMAC Pioneer Award -1998, 2002 Harry Jerome
Award for Excellence in Arts (Canada - NAACP), 2002 UMAC Special Achievement Award, and 2003 REEL World Film Festival Trailblazer Award.
, aimed at stronger industry recognition of Canadian hip hop pioneers Wes 'Maestro' Williams and Michelle 'Michie Mee' McCullock
.
, a scholar at OISE
/University of Toronto
dealing with themes related to Black Canadian experiences and expressions, has written about Maestro Fresh Wes' lyrics, as well as his move from Canada
to New York
, in his book Black Like Who?
.
Compilations
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop
Canadian hip hop
The Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the...
".
In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have a Top 40 hit, "Let Your Backbone Slide
Let Your Backbone Slide
"Let Your Backbone Slide" is the debut single of Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1989, from his debut album Symphony in Effect. In Canada, over 50,000 copies of the single were sold, making Maestro the first Canadian rapper to have a gold single. It also reached #1 on The Record Singles Chart, in...
". As of early 2008, "Let Your Backbone Slide" remained the best-selling Canadian hip hop
Canadian hip hop
The Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the...
single of all time, and the only certified gold single in Canadian hip hop history. Eighteen years after its release, Maestro's debut album, Symphony in Effect (1989), remains the top selling Canadian hip hop album of all time; at 190,000 units sold, it is 10,000 shy of double platinum.
After the success of his 1991 album, The Black Tie Affair, Maestro's career faltered as he attempted to break into the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market. However, he returned to the Canadian charts in 1998, with the hit singles "Stick to Your Vision" and "416/905 (T.O.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
Party Anthem)".
In 2000, "Ever Since" featured the track "Bustin Loose", in which Maestro Fresh Wes teamed up with Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
.
In 2005, Maestro covered Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan
Lawrence Gowan is a Scottish-born Canadian musician. Gowan has been both a solo artist and the current keyboardist and vocalist of the band Styx. His musical style is usually classified in the category of progressive rock.-Career:...
's song "A Criminal Mind" (featuring Infinite); Gowan appears in the video and his vocals are sampled on the track. Gowan also performed the song with Maestro at the Canadian Urban Music Awards in 2006.
In 2006 Maestro again made Canadian hip hop history when he and Rochester AKA Juice joined The Dope Poet Society
The Dope Poet Society
The Dope Poet Society is a politically charged hip hop group from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their music is characterized by clever and sometimes controversial lyrics. ProfessorD.us is the lead vocalist of the group, known for his tongue twisting, “rapid fire” rap style. The group has been active...
on stage in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Together, they become the first Canadian hip hop acts ever to showcase at Midem, the world's largest and most influential annual music industry conference.
Acting
He has had acting roles in the series Metropia, Instant StarInstant Star
Instant Star was a Canadian television program which aired from September 2004 to June 2008. The series starred Alexz Johnson as adolescent music competition winner Jude Harrison. The show chronicles Harrison's experience in the recording industry whilst focusing upon character development.Linda...
, Platinum
Platinum (TV series)
Platinum is an American television series which aired on UPN in 2003.-Synopsis:Platinum is a family saga that follows two brothers who own and operate a record company called "Sweatback Entertainment" in the competitive world of rap and hip-hop...
, Blue Murder
Blue Murder (TV series)
Blue Murder is a Canadian crime drama television series, featuring stories that reflected the turbulence of urban life and the crimes that make headlines...
, and The Line, as well as the films Poor Boy's Game
Poor Boy's Game
Poor Boy's Game is a Canadian feature film directed by Clement Virgo. Co-written with Nova Scotian writer/director Chaz Thorne , it is the story of class struggle, racial tensions and boxing, set in the Canadian east coast port city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The film premiered on February 11, 2007,...
, Get Rich or Die Tryin', Honey
Honey
Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to and is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans...
, and Four Brothers
Four Brothers
"Four Brothers" is a jazz standard composed by Jimmy Giuffre and performed by the Woody Herman Orchestra.The song features four saxes in an arrangement that gives each "brother" a solo and culminates in a hard-swinging sax section chorus.The song so typifies the sound of Woody Herman's second...
. As an actor, he is normally credited as Wes Williams.
Awards and achievements
Maestro was inducted into the Scarborough Walk of Fame in 2006 and holds the following awards and distinctions: two Juno Awards, 12 Juno nominations, four MuchMusic Video AwardsMuchMusic Video Awards
The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos....
(People's Choice), first Canadian rap artist to go gold (album & single), first Canadian hip hop single to go gold, platinum album - Best Selling Hip Hop Artist in Canadian History, UMAC Pioneer Award -1998, 2002 Harry Jerome
Harry Jerome
Henry "Harry" Winston Jerome, was a Canadian track and field runner. He was the grandson of John Howard, a railway porter who represented Canada in the 1912 Summer Olympics....
Award for Excellence in Arts (Canada - NAACP), 2002 UMAC Special Achievement Award, and 2003 REEL World Film Festival Trailblazer Award.
Radio
In 2003, Deejay Ra launched a series of radio PSA's to launch the first Canadian 'Hip-Hop Appreciation Week' with the support of the National Film Board of CanadaNational Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
, aimed at stronger industry recognition of Canadian hip hop pioneers Wes 'Maestro' Williams and Michelle 'Michie Mee' McCullock
Michie Mee
Michelle McCullock , better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actor. As Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.-Early life and career:...
.
Scholarly Engagement
Professor Rinaldo WalcottRinaldo Walcott
Rinaldo Walcott is a Black Canadian academic and writer, currently employed as an associate professor at OISE/University of Toronto in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education. He was previously an assistant professor in the Division of Humanities at York University...
, a scholar at OISE
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
/University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
dealing with themes related to Black Canadian experiences and expressions, has written about Maestro Fresh Wes' lyrics, as well as his move from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, in his book Black Like Who?
Black Like Who?
Black Like Who? is Rinaldo Walcott's first book. It was published in 1997 by Insomniac Press in Toronto.This book came out of Walcott's PhD research which focused on rap music and culture. The essays in Black Like Who? demonstrate Walcott's expanded interest concerning the theorizing of Black...
.
Discography
Studio albums- Symphony in EffectSymphony in EffectSymphony in Effect is the debut album of Canadian rapper Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1989 on Attic/LMR Records. In Canada, the album nearly went double platinum and remains one of the best-selling Canadian hip hop albums of all time...
(1989) - The Black Tie AffairThe Black Tie AffairThe Black Tie Affair is the second studio album by Canadian rapper Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1991 on Attic/LMR Records. Singles from the album include "Nothin' at All" and "Conductin' Thangs", which was nominated for Rap Recording of the Year at the 1992 Juno Awards...
(1991) - Maestro ZoneMaestro ZoneMaestro Zone is the third studio album by Canadian rapper Maestro Fresh-Wes, released April 21, 1992 on Polydor/PolyGram Records. It is a re-packaged version of his previous album, The Black Tie Affair, featuring four new songs. The only single was "Another Funky Break "...
(1992) - Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be from Canada?!!Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be from Canada?!!Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be from Canada?!! is the fourth studio album by Canadian rapper Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1994 on Attic/LMR Records. Singles from the album include "Fine Tune da Mic" and "Certs wid Out da Retsyn". Most of the production was handled by Maestro, with contributions from...
(1994) - Built to LastBuilt to Last (Maestro album)Built to Last is the fifth studio album by Canadian rapper Maestro, released December 9, 1998 on Attic Records. It was his first album released exclusively in Canada. Before its release, he shortened his alias Maestro Fresh-Wes to simply "Maestro". Singles from the album include "Stick to Your...
(1998) - Ever Since (2000)
Compilations
- Urban Landmark 1989–2005 (2005)
See also
- Canadian hip hopCanadian hip hopThe Canadian hip hop scene was first established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much more slowly than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained largely an underground phenomenon until the...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...