Maestro (rapper)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Maestro Fresh Wes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Wesley Williams | |
| Also known as | Maestro Fresh Wes | |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop Rap |
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| Occupation(s) | Actor, Rapper | |
| Years active | 1988 – 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 achivements have lead to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop." Originally known as Maestro Fresh Wes his moniker was shortened to 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 achive that goal, I even got offered a movie role. Hunh, I turned it down, I didnt wanna be no star portrayin' a n--a that dwelled behind bars..."
After the success of his second album, The Black Tie Affair 1991, 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 (TO Party Anthem)".
In 2005, Maestro covered Lawrence Gowan's song "A Criminal Mind"; Gowan appears in the video and his vocals are sampled on the track. Gowan also performed the song with Maestro at the 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 influencial annual music industry conference.
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[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] Acting in film and television
Ironically, in spite of his early proclamation that he was not interested in acting (cited above), since the late 90s, he has built up substantial acting credits. As an actor, he is normally credited as either Wesley Williams, Wes Williams, or Wesley Paris. On the small screen he has significant ongoing roles in the Omni Television series Metropia and the syndicated series Instant Star as Darius Mills. In addition, he has had small roles in Hollywood productions such as Honey (2003) and Four Brothers (2005). He was set to appear as a security guard in 50 Cent's film Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005), but his scenes were deleted from the film. He had a supporting role in the 2004 film Redemption (the true story of Stan Tookie Williams) with Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx. He also co-stars with Danny Glover in a new film unreleased as of the writing of this article.
[edit] Personal/background
Maestro was born to Guyanese parents and grew up in Scarborough, Ontario after moving there when he was 11 years old. He went to elementary school at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Scarborough. He has previously been romantically linked to Canadian television journalist Marci Ien.
[edit] Discography
| Album information | |
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You Can't Stop Us Now
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Symphony In Effect
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The Black Tie Affair
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Maestro Zone
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Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!!
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Built to Last
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Urban Landmark: 1989-2005
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