Built to Last is the fifth studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by Canadian rapper

Rapping

Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

 Maestro

Maestro (rapper)

Wesley Williams , better known as Maestro and formerly Maestro Fresh-Wes, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, and actor. His pioneering status and outstanding achievements have led to him being referred to as the "Godfather of Canadian hip hop".In 1989 he became the first Canadian rapper to have...

, released December 9, 1998 on Attic Records

Attic Records (Canada)

Attic Records was a Canadian independent record label, founded in 1974 by Alexander Mair and Tom Williams. The label was known for developing Canadian talent, including Anvil, Lee Aaron, Maestro Fresh Wes, The Nylons, Teenage Head, and Triumph...

. It was his first album released exclusively in Canada. Before its release, he shortened his alias Maestro Fresh-Wes to simply "Maestro". Singles from the album include "Stick to Your Vision

Stick to Your Vision

"Stick to Your Vision" is the first single from Maestro's fifth album, Built to Last, released in 1998. Produced by 2 Rude, the song contains a sample of "These Eyes" by The Guess Who. It became his first song to appear on Canadian charts since "Conductin' Thangs" in 1991.-Music video:The music...

" and "416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)". It was nominated for Best Rap Recording

Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year

The Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year has been awarded since 1991, and is awarded for the best rap album in Canada. It was awarded under the title Best Rap Recording from 1993 to 2002....

 at the 1999 Juno Awards

Juno Awards of 1999

The Juno Awards of 1999 honouring Canadian music industry achievements were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The primary ceremonies at Copps Coliseum on 7 March 1999 were broadcast by CBC Television and hosted by Mike Bullard....

.

Background

After living in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 for most of the 1990s, Maestro moved back to Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 in 1997. Although his attempt at commercial success in the U.S. was a failure, he worked on a comeback album with local hip hop and R&B artists. The first single, "Stick to Your Vision", became Maestro's biggest hit since "Let Your Backbone Slide

Let Your Backbone Slide

"Let Your Backbone Slide" is the debut single of Maestro Fresh-Wes, released in 1989, from his debut album Symphony in Effect. In Canada, over 50,000 copies of the single were sold, making Maestro the first Canadian rapper to have a gold single. It also reached #1 on The Record Singles Chart, in...

" was released nine years prior. It reached the top 20 on the Canadian Singles Chart

Canadian Singles Chart

The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....

.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Featured guest(s)	Length
1.	"Foundation/Intro"	2 Rude	Michie Mee Michie Mee Michelle McCullock , better known by her stage name Michie Mee, is a Canadian rapper and actor. As Canada's first notable female MC, she is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.-Early life and career:...	1:19
2.	"Stick to Your Vision Stick to Your Vision "Stick to Your Vision" is the first single from Maestro's fifth album, Built to Last, released in 1998. Produced by 2 Rude, the song contains a sample of "These Eyes" by The Guess Who. It became his first song to appear on Canadian charts since "Conductin' Thangs" in 1991.-Music video:The music... "	2 Rude		4:48
3.	"Built to Last"	Scam		4:11
4.	"Still in da Game"	2 Rude	Snow Snow (musician) Darrin O'Brien , better known by his stage name Snow, is a Juno Award-winning Canadian rap and reggae musician. He is best known for his 1992 single "Informer", which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.-Life and work:...	3:50
5.	"Clap Ya Handz/Turn It Out (Part I)"	Scam		4:00
6.	"G.O.D. We Tru$t"	Scam		4:11
7.	"Quintessential"	Scam	Black-I, Choclair Choclair Kareem Blake, better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He helped develop Canadian hip hop in the 1990s, as a member of the Circle.-Career:... , and In Essence In Essence In Essence is a 5-member Canadian R&B group that has had success both in Canada and USA. The groups members, Dru, Pops, Smooth, Que and Touch all met in Toronto, Ontario in 1993. On a trip to NYC, In Essence met Funkmaster Flex and his manager and in 2001 they were signed to Franchise...	3:57
8.	"The Visine"	Scam		2:54
9.	"Hard Cranberry"	2 Rude	Glenn Lewis Glenn Lewis Glenn Lewis is a Canadian R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter. Originally planning to pursue a career in animation as a teenager, Lewis instead decided to focus on music. His father was a member of the musical group Crack of Dawn...	3:44
10.	"Holy Water"	Kwajo Cinqo Ghetto Concept Ghetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of Ghetto Concept.-History:...	Ghetto Concept Ghetto Concept Ghetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of Ghetto Concept.-History:...	3:07
11.	"416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)"	2 Rude	Latoya & Miranda	5:05
12.	"Krazy"	DRK	Carla Marshall and Jason Simmons	3:30
13.	"Verbal Exodus"	Scam		3:10
14.	"Clap Ya Handz/Turn It Out (Part II)"	Scam	Stone Poet	3:52
15.	"Trigonometry"	Scam		3:56
16.	"We Got It Sewn"	Jay Rome	Jason Simmons	4:11
17.	"Make the City Stand Still"	Kwajo Cinqo	Wade O. Brown	4:46

Samples

• "Stick to Your Vision" – Contains a sample of "These Eyes
  These Eyes (song)
  "These Eyes" is a 1968 song by the Canadian rock band The Guess Who. The song was co-written by the group's lead guitarist Randy Bachman and lead singer Burton Cummings and originally included on the band's 1968 album Wheatfield Soul. Bachman had the original piano chords with an original title of...
  
  " by The Guess Who
  The Guess Who
  The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Initially gaining recognition in Canada, they also found international success from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with numerous hit singles, including "American Woman", "These Eyes" and "Share the Land"...
  
  
• "Built to Last" – Contains a sample of "Crazy World" by Ghetto Concept
  Ghetto Concept
  Ghetto Concept is a Canadian hip-hop duo from Toronto, Ontario, composed of Kwajo Cinqo and Dolo. Infinite, who is currently a solo artist, is a former member of Ghetto Concept.-History:...
  
  
• "The Visine" – Contains samples of "Boiling Point" by Concrete Mob and "No Lawz" by Black-I
• "Verbal Exodus" – Contains a sample of "Emcee" by Thrust
  Thrust (rapper)
  Chris France , better known by his stage name Thrust, is a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He is most known for his appearance on the Rascalz' 1998 single "Northern Touch" which also features Kardinal Offishall, Choclair, and Checkmate...
  
  

Chart positions

Singles

Year	Single	Peak position
		Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....	RPM Singles Chart RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
1998	"Stick to Your Vision"	13	32
1999	"416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem)"	—	27

Personnel

• Nick Blagona – Mastering
• Alun Davies – Bass
• Ghetto Concept – Performer
• Glenn Lewis – Performer
• Carla Marshall – Performer
• James McCollum – Guitar
• Michie Mee – Performer