Maestro Fresh Wes on his history-making track Let Your Backbone Slide

Before there was Drake, before The Weeknd and before there was Melanie Fiona, there was Maestro Fresh Wes.

Considered the "Godfather"of Canadian hip-hop, Maestro is still recording music and there's a good chance that if you're out in the city's clubs this weekend the DJ still might throw on his 1989 hit Let Your Backbone Slide.

• Learn how to write a song like Maestro Fresh Wes

Maestro, who will perform at next weekend's CBC Music Festival, admits he's amazed the song is still so popular (he recently performed it alongside an 8-year-old girl for a kids' video) but knew he had a hit on his hands. When he was recording it, Maestro remembers thinking it could be a big moment for Toronto hip-hop.

"I knew whoever came out first with it, with the right song, with the right album was going to make history," the Scarborough-raised rapper told CBC Toronto's Dwight Drummond, who actually makes a brief cameo in the opening seconds of the song's music video.

Dummond, for his part, remembered helping out on the set and realizing the song could be a hit.

"I've never heard anything like this out of our city," he remembered thinking.

Maestro said while he appreciates his spot in Toronto's cultural history, and appreciates the nods he gets from current performers like Drake, he doesn't think he influences their sound.

"To be quite honest, absolutely not," he said, noting he sought inspiration from New York, while Drake also finds inspiration from far and wide.

But did he pave the way? Yes.

"Who would have thought back in the day someone from Toronto would be the biggest in the world?" he said, noting how proud he is of Drake's success.

"It's been a blessing."