Wesley "Wes" Williams (born March 31, 1968) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and author. He is known professionally by his stage names Maestro Fresh Wes (formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes) or Maestro as a musician, and is credited by his birth name as an actor. One of the earliest Canadian rappers to achieve mainstream success, he is credited as the "Godfather of

Canadian hip hop The Canadian hip hop scene was established in the 1980s. Through a variety of factors, it developed much slower than Canada's popular rock music scene, and apart from a short-lived burst of mainstream popularity from 1989 to 1991, it remained lar ...

"."Maestro Fresh Wes Gets Classified, the Trews, Rich Kidd for 'Black Tuxedo' EP, Reveals New Album Plans"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', September 17, 2012. His debut album, '' Symphony in Effect'' (1989), was the first certified platinum album by a

Black Canadian Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

artist, and his 2023 induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and 2024

Governor General's Performing Arts Award The Governor General's Performing Arts Awards are an annual Canadian award, presented to honour distinguished achievements in Canadian performing arts and culture. Administered by the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation in associ ...

were each the first for any hip-hop artist.

Early life and education

Williams was born on March 31, 1968, in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, to parents of

Afro-Guyanese Afro-Guyanese, also known as Black Guyanese, are generally descended from the enslaved African people brought to Guyana from the coast of West Africa to work on sugar plantations during the era of the Atlantic slave trade. Coming from a wide arr ...

heritage. He is the oldest of three children and was raised in

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

and

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

. He attended

Senator O'Connor College School Senator O'Connor College School (also called SOCS, Senator O'Connor CS, Senator O'Connor, OCS, or simply Senator or O'Connor), previously known as John J. Lynch High School until 1967 is a Separate school, Separate High school#Canada, high school i ...

and then moved to

L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute L'Amoreaux Collegiate Institute (AKA L'Am) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada founded in 1973. It is located in the L'Amoreaux neighbourhood of the former suburb of Scarborough, Toronto, Scarborough. Originally part of the Scarbo ...

for the remainder of his high school career. He attended

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public university, public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to se ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, studying law and political science for one year.

Career

1979–1989: Early career

Williams' interest in hip hop music began at age 11. At age 15, in 1983, he met DJ Ron Nelson, who promoted Williams' music under the moniker Melody MC with Ebony MC as the rap group Vision MC’s on his radio show, 88.1

CKLN-FM CKLN-FM was a community radio station based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. From 1983 to 2011, CKLN Radio Inc. was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission as a campus-community FM radio station affiliated with Ry ...

. Nearly two years later, Williams met Farley Flex, who he went on to work with in 1988. That same year, he officially adopted the name Maestro Fresh-Wes and recorded the independent demos, "You Can't Stop Us Now" and "I'm Showin' You". While performing on

MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...

's ''

Electric Circus ''Electric Circus '' (also known as ''EC'') is a Canadian live dance music television program that aired on MuchMusic and Citytv from September 16, 1988, to December 12, 2003. The name originated from a nightclub that once existed at Citytv's fir ...

'', Wes met dance artist Stevie B, who connected him with his NYC-based label, LMR. This changed the climate for hip hop in Canada as Wes performed " Let Your Backbone Slide" for the first time. This song became the first single from a Canadian hip hop artist to go gold, followed by Canada's first platinum-selling hip hop album, '' Symphony in Effect''.

1989–1991: ''Symphony in Effect'' and "Can't Repress the Cause"

In 1989, Maestro released his first album, ''Symphony in Effect''. The following year he became the first Canadian rapper to have a

Billboard Top 40 The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

hit, " Let Your Backbone Slide". In 1991, he collaborated on the one-off single " Can't Repress the Cause", a plea for greater inclusion of hip hop music in the Canadian music scene. The collaboration was with Dance Appeal, a supergroup of Toronto-area musicians that included:

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, Dream Warriors, B-Kool,

Michie Mee Michelle Ann Camille McCullock (born November 1, 1970), better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actress. Canada's first notable female Master of Ceremonies, MC, she is considered a national hip hop music, hip-hop pionee ...

Lillian Allen Lillian Allen (born 5 April 1951) is a Canadians, Canadian dub poetry, dub poet, writer and Juno Award winner. Biography Born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, Spanish Town, Jamaica, she left that country in 1969, first moving to New York City, where ...

, Eria Fachin,

HDV HDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV (video format), DV videocassette Videotape, tape. Conceived as an affordable high definition format for digital camcorders, HDV quickly caught on with many amateur and professional vi ...

(aka "Pimp of The Microphone"), Dionne, Thando Hyman, Carla Marshall, Messenjah, Jillian Mendez, Lorraine Scott, Lorraine Segato, Candy Pennella, Self Defense,

Leroy Sibbles Leroy Sibbles (born Leroy Sibblies, 29 January 1949) is a Jamaican reggae musician and producer. He was the lead singer for The Heptones in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to his work with The Heptones, Sibbles was a session bassist and arra ...

, Zama and Thyron Lee White."Urban Music"
''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

''.

1991–1999: Entering the U.S market and ''The Black Tie Affair''

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. In 1992, Maestro appeared in a video accompanying a rendition of "

O Canada "O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...

" in which he rapped an improvised second-verse lyric, "aw, yeah, from the east coast, of Newfoundland, to the west coast, of B.C.". He returned to the Canadian charts in 1998 with the hit singles " Stick to Your Vision" and "416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)".

2000: ''Ever Since''

In 2000, he released his sixth studio album, '' Ever Since'', featured the track "Bustin Loose", in which Maestro teamed up with

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall ( ), is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent ...

2005: "A Criminal Mind" cover

In 2005, Maestro covered

Lawrence Gowan Lawrence Henry Gowan (born 22 November 1956) is a Scottish people, Scottish born Canadians, Canadian singer and keyboardist. Gowan is a solo artist and has also been vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx (band), Styx since May 1999. His mus ...

'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.

2006: Midem conference

In 2006, Maestro and Rochester AKA Juice joined Professor D and The Dope Poet Society on stage in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Together, they become the first Canadian hip hop acts to showcase at Midem, the world's largest annual music industry conference.

2012–2013: ''Black Tuxedo'' and ''Orchestrated Noise''

In 2012, Maestro released his first set of new material in over seven years with the release of the EP ''Black Tuxedo'', which was nominated for Best Rap Recording of the Year at the 2012 Juno Awards. This was followed by the album ''Orchestrated Noise'' in 2013, which features rocker Sam Roberts, opera singer Measha Brueggergosman,

, American rapper

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cr ...

of the

Juice Crew The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York–based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice C ...

, and

Brand Nubian Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees ( Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and formerly three DJs ( DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere, and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, '' One for Al ...

veteran

Sadat X Derek W. Murphy (born December 29, 1968), better known as Sadat X, is an American rapper, best known as a member of alternative hip hop group Brand Nubian. Originally known as Derek X, Sadat takes his name from former Egyptian president Anwar ...

, among others. ''Orchestrated Noise'' was released under the name Maestro Fresh Wes, reclaiming his original title from the 1980s.

2015

Maestro released Compositions Volume 1 which included his personal favorite song he ever wrote, "I know Your Mom", and the sports classic "Underestimated", which was played during the 2015 Pan Am Games and was featured on the

EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they imitated real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) ...

'' NHL 17'' video game.

2017–2019: ''Coach Fresh'' and ''Champagne Campaign''

His 2017 album, ''Coach Fresh'', included the song "Jurassic Park", a collaboration with Rich Kidd to celebrate the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

. In 2019, the song was released as a single and video to celebrate the Raptors making the

2019 NBA Finals The 2019 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2018–19 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In the best-of-seven playoff series held from May 30 through June 13, 2019, the Eastern ...

. Coach Fresh was also nominated for Best Rap Recording of the Year but was beaten by Canadian MC Tory Lanez. The album ''Champagne Campaign'' was released in March 2019. This album featured tracks by Lord Finesse and collaborations with Planet Asia, Sadat X, Dusty Wallace and Naturally Born Strangers. On November 21, 2019, "Let Your Backbone Slide" was the first rap song to be inducted into the

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame () is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have m ...

2020–present

In 2020, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams and his family moved to the port city of

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

. The radio show ''Maestro In The Maritimes'' became a regional favourite featuring his own playlists and commentary. In 2021, Willams published his second children's book "Stick To Your Vision: Young Maestro Goes to School" that encourages fun and self expression through hip hop, poetry, and music. His performance of " Let Your Backbone Slide" was performed and celebrated at the 50th anniversary presentation of the country's

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

. in the summer of 2021, he was cast as the host of the hit reality show '' Race Against the Tide'' show which aired on

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

in July of 2022. Produced by Toronto-based Marble Media, and filmed on New River Beach,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, the series brings together the best sand sculptors in the world to win challenges before the tide sweeps their art away. In 2024, Williams was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, becoming the first hip-hop musician to do so.

Acting

Williams was nominated for a

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in t ...

for Best Supporting Actor in a Dramatic Role for his performance on the television series '' The Line'' on HBO Canada. He has also had acting roles in the series '' Metropia'', '' Instant Star'', ''

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

'', and '' Blue Murder'', as well as the films ''

Poor Boy's Game ''Poor Boy's Game'' is a 2007 Canadian drama film directed by Clement Virgo. Co-written with Nova Scotian writer/director Chaz Thorne ('' Just Buried''), it is the story of class struggle, racial tensions, and boxing, set in the Canadian east co ...

'', ''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

'', '' Paid In Full'', '' Four Brothers'' and '' Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story''. As an actor, he is credited as Wes Williams. Williams played the role of teacher and vice principal Paul Dwyer on the

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

program, '' Mr. D'' for 8 seasons from 2012-2018. Relatedly, Williams also hosts the

program '' Race Against the Tide'', taking over from

Shaun Majumder Shaun Majumder is a Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his role on ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes,'' where he worked from 2003 until 2018. He won a Gemini Award for his work on the series in 2006. Early life Majumder was raised in Bu ...

for the show's second season which originally aired in 2022.

Author

In 2010, co-wrote a self-help motivational book with his wife called ''Stick to Your Vision: How to Get Past the Hurdles & Haters to Get Where You Want to Be''. The foreword of the book was written by

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...

of the hiphop group

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

. It is part of the

Nova Scotia Community College Nova Scotia Community College or NSCC is a Canadian community college serving the province of Nova Scotia through a network of 14 campuses and three community learning centres. The college delivers over 130 programs in five academic schools: Acc ...

(NSCC) curriculum and a mandatory reading for high school students in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. In 2016 Wes received an honorary diploma from the NSCC Akerley Campus in Dartmouth NS for his contribution to the community and inspiration to the students.

Charity work

Over his career, Williams has supported the following charities: War Child,

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...

, SickKids Hospital,

Covenant House Covenant House is a large, 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization in the Americas, whose goal is to provide safe housing and holistic care to youth ages 16–21 experiencing homelessness and survivors of human trafficking. Covenant House was ...

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

, Battered Women's Support Services (BWSS), and the African AIDS Society.

Personal life

Williams has previously lived in major cities including

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. In October 2020, he and his family relocated from Toronto to their current residence in

, influenced by both the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and family-wise interests, such as being closer to relatives. Since moving to Saint John, Williams became actively involved in the community, having hosted a weekly radio show "''Maestro in the Maritimes''" on the city's 97.3 The Wave station, focusing on 90s-2000s hip hop music. He has also been appointed as an ambassador for Saint John, and has coached for children's sports teams in the area. Additionally, Williams was the host and MC of the 2022

East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association (ECMA) is a non-profit association purposed towards supporting the music industry in the Canadian east coast, i.e., Atlantic Canada. The ECMA hosts the annual East Coast Music Awards (formerly the Maritime Music A ...

in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and he ran an

Atlantic Canadian Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landmass of the four Atlantic pro ...

-based cooking show "''Maestro Chef Wes''". In 2023, Williams introduced the annual Maestro Fresh Wes Scholarship at the

(NSCC), which provides financial support for Black trades and transportation students.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Symphony in Effect'' (1989) *'' The Black Tie Affair'' (1991) *''

Maestro Zone ''Maestro 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 ...

'' (1992) *'' Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be from Canada?!!'' (1994) *''

Built to Last ''Built to Last'' is the thirteenth and final studio album by the Grateful Dead (their twentieth album overall). It was recorded between February 1 and October 20, 1989, and originally released on October 31, 1989. The album was released on ...

'' (1998) *'' Ever Since'' (2000) *'' Orchestrated Noise'' (2013) *'' Coach Fresh'' (2017) *'' Champagne Campaign'' (2019)

EPs

*''

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a Standard (music), stand ...

'' (1990) *''Black Tuxedo'' (2012) *''Compositions Volume 1'' (2015)

Compilations

*''Urban Landmark 1989–2005'' (2005) *''Rap Prime Minister'' (2024)

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1968 births Living people 20th-century Canadian male musicians 20th-century Canadian rappers 21st-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian rappers Attic Records (Canada) artists Black Canadian male actors 20th-century Black Canadian musicians Canadian children's writers Canadian hip-hop record producers Canadian male film actors Canadian male rappers Canadian male television actors Canadian people of Guyanese descent Carleton University alumni Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year winners Male actors from New Brunswick Male actors from Toronto Musicians from Saint John, New Brunswick Rappers from Toronto Harry Jerome Award winners Governor General's Award winners Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century Black Canadian male singers Actors from Saint John, New Brunswick 21st-century Black Canadian musicians