Maestro Wes Wiliams

BY: Jon Sarpong with files from Andrew Miller

Very few artists have navigated the road to success as well as Wes “Maestro” Williams. Over the past two decades, Williams has become a fixture in Canadian music culture, inspiring new artists to follow in his footsteps.

In 2009, Williams celebrated the 20th anniversary of his monumental album, Symphony in Effect, which remains the top-selling Canadian hip-hop album of all time. Ever the trendsetter, Williams turned his triumph as a musician into a successful acting career well before it became the norm for rappers like Bow Wow, Andre 3000 and T.I. Looking back on his accomplishments, Williams sees the connection between success on stage and on screen.

“You get that confidence working through music. One thing with hip-hop is that you have to be assertive. You have to have some type of confidence and work ethic to get you to a certain level. I applied what I learned in hip-hop to help me become a better actor with my television projects. ”

Having starred on OMNI TV’s Metropia as Quincy Daniels, and on CTV’s Instant Star, playing music mogul/manager Darius Mills, Williams’ acting resume is growing. His current project has taken him to Vancouver to film an independent drama series for the Movie Network titled The Line.

“I’m excited about my character, Andre, on The Line. I’m looking forward to showing more people what I can do,” says Williams. “There’s a lot of negative stigma in hip-hop culture with acting. People have their prejudices and whatnot and they expect you to be not as good of an actor.”

Determined to once again prove to the world that he is a first-rate talent, Williams is taking his passion for art and experience as a musician to the silver screen.

“With music, I write all my lyrics — when I’m performing a show, I’ve got one take, and it had better be good. But in television, if the take is no good, the director says ‘do it again.’ We have so many different times to get the right scene. When you act, you have to submit to the character; you have to humble yourself to make him real.”

Williams is the only Canadian rap artist to have a platinum selling album with Symphony in Effect and a gold single with 1989′s “Let Your Backbone Slide.” With 12 Juno nominations, two Juno Awards and four MuchMusic Video Awards under his belt, Williams is proud to see the success of his fellow Toronto MC’s.

“A lot of Canadian artists, whether up-and-coming or established, are doing their thing right now,” says Williams. “Artists like k-os and Kardinal; they are like my younger brothers. A lot of artists grew up watching me so they show me that respect and I love and greatly appreciate that.”

Seeing himself as a role model and elder statesman of the hip-hop industry, Williams embraces his role as an inspirational figure. Recognizing the good fortune that he has enjoyed, Williams is satisfied to know that he has left a legacy on which other artists can build and grow.

“Canada’s been really good to me, in terms of artists acknowledging me for the work I’ve done. People have told me that I’ve inspired them to work throughout the years, and that makes me feel good. It makes me feel really good to know that I’ve helped someone achieve, that I’ve done something positive.”