Maestro Fresh Wes

Wes Williams, performing as Maestro Fresh Wes, grew up in Toronto and released "Let Your Backbone Slide" in 1989, a single that became the first Canadian hip hop release to go gold and one of the first to get significant national radio and video play at a time when Canadian radio gave hip hop almost no space. The song's success made Maestro one of the first Toronto rappers to prove there was a commercial audience for homegrown Canadian hip hop.

Opening a path

Maestro's early success predates the city's broader hip hop scene that developed through the 1990s and 2000s, and he is widely credited by later Toronto artists as a foundational figure who proved the format could work commercially in Canada. He continued releasing music and also pursued acting and broadcasting work in later decades, but "Let Your Backbone Slide" remains the record most associated with his legacy and with the start of Canadian hip hop as a commercially viable genre.

Sources

• The Canadian Encyclopedia — Maestro Fresh Wes
• Wikipedia — Maestro Fresh Wes

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