How the godfather of Canadian hip-hop got the name 'Maestro'
The MC from Scarborough, Ontario is now the first rapper to win a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award
It was 1987 — about a year before he'd release the song that would change Canadian hip-hop forever — when Wesley Williams first heard he was too "old."
The Scarborough rapper had established himself as a mainstay in the nascent Toronto hip-hop scene, performing under the moniker Melody MC since the early 1980s. But at the ripe old age of 19, Williams already felt like he needed to reinvent himself.
The musician worked the graveyard shift as a security guard at Parkway Mall to pay for studio time. One night on his rounds he noticed the crisp black tuxes on display at the suiting retailer Tuxedo Royale. It made him think of a conductor — a maestro. That's when it came to him: "I think I'm gonna change my name to Maestro Fresh Wes," he said, recalling the moment in a recent conversation with CBC's Metro Morning.
From there, it was a fateful appearance on MuchMusic's Electric Circus that resulted in a record deal and led to a Billboard Top 40 hit with Let Your Backbone Slide. His debut would be the first album by a Black Canadian artist to be certified platinum, and its smash single would later become the first rap song inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The sudden success felt like an "out-of-body experience," he remembers. But even before that, the MC says, his motto was always "Don't make records, make history."
In a career decorated with firsts, Maestro Fresh Wes will soon mark another. At a gala on June 8 in Ottawa, he will be honoured with a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, making him the first rapper to earn the distinction.
"It's an honour to be honoured," Williams says. "Awards mean that my city, my community, my country appreciates me. But what am I doing for my community? That's the question I ask myself."
The trailblazing artist has long had an influence that extends beyond music, and today, from his home in Atlantic Canada (where he hosts CBC's sand-sculpting competition show, Race Against the Tides) he's making an impact in more ways still.
"I'm proud to tell you that I've established a Maestro Fresh Wes scholarship for Black youth interested in learning skilled trades," Williams told Metro Morning. "I don't think we have a shortage of rappers, but we definitely have a shortage of Black youth interested in learning skilled trades … It's good to have a backup plan."
The scholarship is offered at the Nova Scotia Community College, where the musician was awarded an honorary diploma in 2017 for his leadership and dedication to community.
"I think I've built the Black music community in Canada to some capacity," Williams says, "so it'd be irresponsible not to at least try to inspire young Black builders … From a community perspective, those are the things that I want to do and continue growing and influencing my other colleagues to do the same."
