Maestro Fresh Wes

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.