In partnership with the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), this temporary exhibition celebrates the 2024 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, Maestro Fresh Wes.
Toronto-born Wes Williams, known as Maestro Fresh Wes, revolutionized the country’s music scene through hip-hop after the release of his groundbreaking 1989 track, "Let Your Backbone Slide," off his debut album, Symphony in Effect. As the first Canadian rap artist to achieve gold and platinum status in the country and the first to break into the Billboard Top 40, he paved the way for future hip-hop artists in Canada. With multiple JUNO Award wins, including the first-ever JUNO Award in the Best Rap Recording category in 1991, and an induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, he officially joined the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2024, becoming the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into both halls.
Hailed as the “Godfather of Canadian hip-hop,” this new temporary exhibition will celebrate his pioneering 40-year career with an immersive video experience and stage outfits he wore during The 2024 JUNO Awards Broadcast in Halifax earlier this year.