the return

Haven't posted in a minute. This will change. I liked how my recent interview with Wes "Maestro" Williams turned out so here it is in all it's glory:

Wes "Maestro" Williams: Still Conducting Thangs
By Ryan B. Patrick
Pride Entertainment Writer
www.pridenewsmagazine.com
Wed Aug 24 2005

At this stage in his hip hop career, Wes "Maestro" Williams is not only still conducting thangs, he's doing so on his own terms.

Considering all that Williams has accomplished, he's definitely earned that right.
Evidenced by the fact Canada's pioneering rapper hardly goes by "Fresh Wes" anymore, Williams has evolved from being just a talented emcee into a talented actor with two hit television series on the go.

It's hard to believe that it's been more than 15 years since Maestro (then known as Maestro Fresh Wes) made Canadian history, with the now-classic hip hop single and video, "Let Your Backbone Slide".

To this day, that song is still the largest-selling Canadian hip hop track, and ranks in the top 15 of the best Canadian songs ever released. Maestro's platinum-selling Symphony In Effect debut album is still the biggest-selling urban music album in Canadian music history. On top of that, Williams is also the first Canadian urban music artist to release five albums: Symphony In Effect (1990), Black Tie Affair (1991), Naaah, Dis Kid Can't Be From Canada?!! (1994), Built To Last (1998) and Ever Since (2000).

His achievements forced the Canadian music industry to stand up and take notice, with the implementation of a Hip hop/Rap Category in the Juno Music Awards, where he's been nominated 11 times, twice for Vocalist of the Year.
Other honours presented to Maestro include a Harry Jerome Award from the Black Business and Professionals Association; two Toronto Music Awards; and four MuchMusic Awards.

Simply put, Williams is the godfather of Canadian hip hop.
To celebrate and document his accomplishments, he's released the appropriately titled, Urban Landmark-1989-2005, which hit stores August 23.

The greatest hits album (featuring hits such as "Conducting Thangs", "Let Your Backbone Slide", classic B-sides, and five new tracks) is being touted as his final album, with the first single (a hip hop mix of Gowan's 1985 hit "Criminal Mind") already in rotation on MuchMusic.

Even though he's releasing a retrospective album, don't expect Williams to be resting on his hip hop laurels. "This is a good project to release - a retrospective - because it's been 20 years," the hip hop icon tells Pride News Magazine, over the phone from his Toronto home. "But I think it could be a crutch for me if I lie on my laurels and think about stuff that I've done before. If I have that mentality, it's a stagnant mentality."

Just as Canadian rock music has its history well documented, Williams feels it is time for Canadian hip hop culture to be recognized in much the same fashion.
"Ain't nobody sold more records than me, and it's been a decade and a half. That's something that should be documented," Williams says matter-of-factly.
"My new album symbolizes a substantial part of Canadian music history."
In terms of the future of Canadian urban music, Williams is content to take a back seat to the emerging players in the hip hop scene.

"I'm proud of these cats. I'm a big fan of k-os, a big fan of Kardinal [Offishall0. I feel good that I can buy Canadian [hip hop] records. That's a dope thing," Williams says.

Yet, even he is willing to acknowledge there may never be another Canadian hip hop artist to make the same sales and historical impact in the game he did.

"Right now, there are artists who are way more talented than me, but it's a different time, a different era. When I was around, the internet wasn't even out yet. In terms of sales and in terms of impact, I don't know if it's going to happen," he notes, "but I think that there's a lot more talent out there, and that's the main thing."
Evolution is the name of Maestro's game, and right now, he's looking to establish himself as an actor.

In the past few years, he's appeared in many TV and film projects, including: playing Tony Bogard in the Golden Globe-nominated film, Redemption; starring in The Stan "Tookie" Williams Story, which also starred recent Oscar winner Jamie Foxx.
Maestro was also featured in the Showtime series "Soulfood", and makes an appearance in John Singleton's recently-released film Four Brothers.

On the small screen, he can be found starring as nightclub owner Quincy Daniels on the television series "Metropia" (Omni TV) and also on CTV's "Instant Star", playing music mogul/manager Darius Mills.

Both series are in their second seasons, and "Instant Star" was recently picked up by US television network Nickelodeon. It's an accomplishment Williams doesn't take lightly.

"How many Black Canadian actors are on two television series at the same time?" he says, adding that there are both similarities and differences in the acting and music worlds.

"They're similar. The work ethic is very important. In other words, if you want to be a great emcee, you got to do certain things. I gotta work at it, and it's the same thing with acting. I'm among thespians, and I've got to be sharp with what I'm doing. Anything you want to be good at, you've got to work at," Williams says.

Although he doesn't go by his old "Fresh Wes" hip hop moniker anymore, Williams is still fresh; while Urban Landmark is supposed to be his last album - a swan song of sorts - he isn't going away anytime soon.

"I'm looking to grow as a multimedia artist," the artiste says. "Right now, I'm not really stressing music like that as an artist.
"In other words, it's not my main focus."

As an elder statesman of Canadian hip hop, Williams is more than willing to be a mentor of sorts to up-and-coming urban music artists, helping them hone their craft.
"I'll always make music and be involved in music in some capacity," he says, "but I'm more looking at assisting the industry, right now, and being an asset that way."