Maestro Fresh Wes on Kanye West closing Pan Ams: 'You gotta be kidding me'

The decision to name Kanye West as the headliner for the closing ceremony of the Pan Am Games in Toronto has caused some controversy.

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The backlash surrounding the decision has led to a petition to replace the American hip-hop star and criticism on social media that organizers didn't opt for Canadian talent, such as Maestro Fresh Wes or Drake to close the Games.

"It was a shock to me, like, you gotta be kidding me," the Canadian rapper said in an interview with CBC's Heather Hiscox on Thursday. "It would have been nice to see a Canadian.

"It would have been nice if I got to close the Pan Am Games, but I got to open them, how cool was that?"

Maestro is a Canadian hip-hop star who performed during the Games opening ceremony Friday. The two-time Juno Award winner was active on Twitter after the news was confirmed Wednesday that an American would close the Pan Ams.

The Canadian hip-hop pioneer may have been the more appropriate choice given his interest in supporting the local competitors.

He produced two songs specifically for the Pan Am Games on an album called Compositions Volume 1. The songs, Underestimated and This is my universe are meant to be inspirational for the competing athletes.

"This is something I always like to do," he said. "Just try to motivate people, inspire people because I've been inspired."