Canadian hip-hop godfather Maestro Fresh Wes has unveiled his newest release — the inspirational children’s book Stick To Your Vision: Young Maestro Goes to School.
Telling the tale of a young Maestro as he finds new adventures, both in school and as he’s introduced to the world of hip hop, readers follow along as he competes in the school’s writing contest against Julia the Great and Hakeem the Dream. Nervous — but ready — Wes draws inspiration from his family, teachers, friend and mentor DJ Greg, plus all that he has learned from hip hop, to find the power of his pen.
Written by Wes Williams and award-winning teacher, mentor, educational consultant, and student advocate Rhodora Meliton-Vanderpool, the book includes a foreword from fellow legendary music icon Kardinal Offishall, and illustrations from multi-talented artist, entrepreneur, media personality, and author Leon “Eklipz” Robinson.
“This book was written to emphasize the importance of family structure, mentorship, hip hop, and the positive impact of inspirational elementary school teachers,” Williams says.
Stick to Your Vision: Young Maestro Goes to School is an extension of Williams’ now-signature Stick To Your Vision brand; he released an inspirational memoir, Stick To Your Vision: How to Get Past the Hurdles and Haters to Get Where You Want to Be (2010). Fittingly, Stick To Your Vision was the first single released off his fifth studio album Built To Last (1998).
With a foreword by Public Enemy’s Chuck D, and content credited for inspiring fellow Canadian hip hop star Drake, the original Stick To Your Vision book has been incorporated by multiple school curriculums as required reading and, together with his 2017 TED Talks on the subject of self-revision, have seen many guided on the right path by the multi-talented visionary.
It’s all a continuation of the legendary musician’s 30th anniversary of exploding onto the scene by way of 1989’s iconic Symphony in Effect. Its success blazed a fiery trail, becoming the first hip-hop release to receive a Juno for Best Rap Recording, and reach platinum status. The track Let Your Backbone Slide made Williams the first Canadian hip-hop artist to have a gold single and hit Billboard’s Top 20 Rap Singles chart. With 14 Juno nominations (plus a second win for Best Video in ’91), real estate on the Scarborough Walk of Fame, anthems for both ’14 and ’16 Olympics and eight seasons playing the role of Vice Principal Paul Dwyer on the sitcom Mr. D., Williams is one of Canada’s premier and most notable multi-media personalities.
Learn more about Young Maestro on the book’s website and keep up with Fresh Wes on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
