Maestro (rapper)

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Maestro
Birth name	Wesley Williams
Also known as	Maestro Fresh Wes
Origin	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s)	Hip Hop Rap
Occupation(s)	Actor, Rapper
Years active	1989 – Present
Label(s)	Attic/Independent
Associated acts	Rich London The Dope Poet Society
Website	Official site

Maestro is the stage name of Wesley Williams (born 1968 in Toronto, Ontario), a Canadian hip hop artist and actor. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop". Originally known as Melody MC,^[1] he changed his moniker to Maestro Fresh Wes by 1989. This was shortened to just "Maestro" in the late 1990s.

In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have a Top 40 hit, "Let Your Backbone Slide". As of 2007, "Let Your Backbone Slide" remains the best-selling Canadian hip hop single of all time, and the only ceritfied gold single in Canadian hip hop history. 18 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. On Maestro's song/video "Nothing at All" (Black Tie Affair, 1991), he acknowledges this feat, rapping:

"My first album, symphony in effect went platinum/ in Canada that made me the first Black one/ to achieve that goal, I even got offered a movie role. Hunh, I turned it down, I didn't wanna be no star portrayin' a nigga that dwelled behind bars..."

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 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.

1 Background
2 Acting
3 Awards and achievements
4 Radio
5 Discography
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Background

Maestro was born to Afro-Guyanese parents and grew up in Scarborough, Ontario after moving there when he was 11 years old, but he lived in Flemingdon Park as well. He attended Our Lady of Good Counsel Elementary School in Scarborough and St. Timothy's Catholic School in Willowdale. He has previously been romantically linked to Canadian television journalist Marci Ien. Up and coming rapper Rich London is Maestro's younger cousin.

Canadian Idol judge Farley Flex was his manager at the start of his career.

[edit] Acting

He has had acting roles in the series Metropia, Instant Star, Platinum, Blue Murder and The Weight, as well as the films Poor Boy's Game, Get Rich or Die Tryin' and Four Brothers. As an actor, he is normally credited as Wes Williams.

[edit] 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 Awards (People's Choice), first Canadian rap artist to go gold (album & single), only 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.

[edit] 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 Canada, aimed at stronger industry recognition of Canadian hip hop pioneers Wes 'Maestro' Williams and Michelle 'Michie Mee' McCullock.

[edit] Discography

Album information
	Symphony In Effect Released: 1989 Label: LMR Records/Attic Records Canada Singles: "Let Your Backbone Slide", "Drop The Needle"
	The Black Tie Affair Released: 1991 Label: LMR Records/Attic Records Canada Singles: "Conductin' Thangs", "Nothing at All"
	Maestro Zone Released: 1992 Label: Singles:
	Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!! Released: 1994 Label: Singles:
	Built to Last Released: 1998 Label: Singles: "Stick to Your Vision", "416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)"
	Urban Landmark: 1989-2005 Released: 2005 Label: Singles: "A Criminal Mind"