Maestro Fresh Wes loving Maritime life since move to Saint John

Maestro Fresh Wes remembers thinking Saint John "was definitely dope" when he performed in the port city as part of a tour with fellow rappers Classified and Ludacris back in the 1990s, but the Canadian hip-hop icon never dreamed he would end up moving to New Brunswick permanently.

"I think we definitely made a good decision because people are very accommodating here in the city," he said of his decision to livecloser to family. "Probably the friendliest people I've ever met in my life in Saint John, New Brunswick."

The award-winning musician and actor appeared on CBC's comedy Mr. D for eight seasons and spent a lot of time in the Maritimes filming the series. He already appreciated the East Coast, but as a full-time resident he is now learning even more about the region.

"I've been getting familiar with a lot of local talent," he said. "There's an MC named Lavender I just got put on to recently. I never heard of Lavender before, you know, but that's a New Brunswick artist like how cool is that? So there's a lot of talent right here in the province, but if I wasn't here, I wouldn't have that opportunity to learn about."

WATCH | Saint John welcomes Maestro Fresh Wes:

The Maestro is in: Saint John welcomes rapper, actor, author as its newest resident

55 years ago

Duration 10:00

The 'Godfather of Canadian hip hop' Wes Williams talks about his musical legacy, current projects and why he's calling the Maritimes home.

Maestro, 52, is hosting a weekly radio show that features the best hip hop from the '90s and early 2000s, which is something he knows a thing or two about.

'It's awesome to be here'

Born Wesley Williams, he made Canadian rap history in 1989 with his song, Let Your Backbone Slide, when it was certified platinum. It wasthe first rap song to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters' Hall of Fame.

• Maestro Fresh-Wes hip hop classic gets thumbs-up from Canadian Songwriters' Hall of Fame

He has also co-written a new children's book called Stick to Your Vision:Young Maestro Goes to Schoolwith Grade 1 teacher Rhodora Meliton-Vanderpool.

It emphasises the "importance of family structure, hip hop, mentorship" and "inspirational elementary school teachers," he said.

Maestro hopes children who read it will see the importance of being innovators rather than assimilators so they'reable to tap into their "own true greatness."

"Did I know last year at this time that I'd be living by the Bay of Fundy?" he said as he laughed. "No but I made a couple of adjustments along the way."

He said COVID-19 has taught everyone that things don't always go to plan, and sometimesyou have to revise your plan.

"I've got wonderful people around me, wonderful book project, wonderful radio show. It's awesome. It's awesome to be here."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.