Widely regarded as the godfather of Canadian hip-hop, Maestro Fresh Wes is undoubtedly a walking legend. The Toronto native, along with fellow emcee Michie Mee, pioneered the rap wave north of the border long before global stars like Drake, The Weeknd, and Jazz Cartier put pen to paper.
Even before OGs like Rascalz and Kardinal Offishall began to make noise, Maestro broke ground with his fresh take on a relatively new genre. His hit 1989 single, "Let Your Backbone Slide", became a massive success on radio, eventually selling more than 75,000 copies. The tune would soon put Maestro in the history books as the first Canadian rapper to have a gold single and spark a decades-long career in music, film, and television.
Now, and almost thirty years after his studio debut, Symphony in Effect, Wes is returning to the scene and promoting a new album. His latest effort, entitled Coach Fresh, put him back into the spotlight and landed him a JUNO nomination this year for Best Rap Recording. To help celebrate his recent wins and to reflect on a legendary run, Maestro sat down with George Stroumboulopoulos to talk about his life, his city, and what he thinks of the current hip-hop scene in Canada. You can watch the full episode in its entirety above via YouTube.
