Sometimes bad news just broad sides you. You have to remind yourself that death rarely
picks a convenient time to show its ugly face.
It strikes without warning or explanation, and on this day it claims one
of Hip-Hop’s most underappreciated talents.
Dwight Myers, better known to his fans as rapper turned actor Heavy D, died earlier today due to complications from pneumonia. He was only 44 years
old. Hip-Hop has been
plunged into a collective state of deep and sorrowful mourning. Heavy D manifested the culture in its purest
sense.
Like many other Hip-Hop icons and pioneers from the empire
state, Heavy D was born on the island of Jamaica. His family moved to the states and set down
roots in Mount Vernon, New York, a mostly Black town in Westchester County that
borders the borough of The Bronx. Similar
to the Bronx, Mount Vernon had a substantial Caribbean/West Indian population, assuring
that young Dwight was surrounded by both the culture of his homeland and a burgeoning
Black American Culture that would be heavily influenced by it. That cross pollination would birth one of
Hip-Hop’s most likeable and unique stars.
Like many New York teenagers in the 1980’s, Heavy D found
his voice in Rap Music. Along with DJ
Eddie F and dancers Trouble T-Roy and G-Whiz, He formed the group Heavy D &
the Boyz. Like the Fat Boys before him,
Heavy made his physical appearance the defining characteristic of his persona. Unlike the Fat Boys, he proved to be
relatively spry and energetic, engaging in full on dance routines with T-Roy
and G-Whiz. His rapping was informed by
his Jamaican roots. He was given to
peppering his rhymes with the chanting and toasting styles of his native land. He also displayed a playfully innocent brand
of sexuality and wasn’t afraid to embrace other contemporary forms of Black
music. All of the aforementioned
characteristics made him something of a kinder, gentler forerunner to the late,
great Notorious B.I.G.
Heavy D & the Boyz signed to Andre Harrell’s Uptown
Records label. In 1987, they released
their debut album Living Large. Though not truly a commercial breakthrough,
the album proved to be a seminal golden era release. It contained two songs that would come to
define his image: “Mr. Big Stuff” and “The Overweight Lover’s In the House.” It also contained the first ever appearance of
future R&B Sensation and fellow Mount Vernonite Al B. Sure. 1989’s Big
Tyme embraced the sounds of New Jack Swing, and as a result fared much
better commercially. Heavy D used it as
an opportunity to step up Mount Vernon’s full scale invasion of the music
industry. It featured production by a
young DJ named Pete Rock, who was also from Mount Vernon and of Jamaican parentage.
All the while, Heavy emerged as one of Hip-Hop’s most recognizable
and requested personalities. In 1990, He
was recruited by Keenen Ivory Wayans to record the theme song for the ground
breaking sketch comedy show In Living
Color. He also collaborated with
none other than the undisputed King of Pop, Michael Jackson, on the song “Jam”
from MJ’s 1991 album Dangerous.
On July 15th, 1990, Trouble T-Roy was accidently killed
during a bit of horseplay following a stage performance in Minneapolis, MI. He fell two stories to his death. The tragedy reverberated throughout the
Vernon, manifesting itself in two very different works. One was Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s
breakthrough single “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)” and Heavy D & the
Boyz third LP, 1991’s Peaceful Journey. Like its immediate predecessor, Peaceful Journey also achieved platinum status. From 1993 and 1999, Heavy D would release four
more rap albums, including 1994’s extremely well received Nuttin’ But Love.
During this period, Heavy was bitten by the acting bug. He became a reoccurring character on FOX sitcoms
such as Roc and Living Single. He also
appeared in the 1999 Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence buddy comedy Life.
Over the years, he could also be seen in Law & Order SVU, Tyler
Perry’s House of Payne and Boston
Public. In 2008, he fully indulged
his Jamaican roots by releasing the Reggae album Vibes. On a Foxxhole radio
broadcast preceding the album’s release, he declared his rap career as being
very much over.
Even when taking his considerably full life into account,
Heavy D’s death comes as a decidedly unpleasant shock. Heavy is one of the few rappers in the
history of the music that seemed to truly enjoy and savor his craft as well as
his time in the spotlight. Even in his recent performance at the 2011 BET
Hip-Hop awards, his enthusiasm was apparent.
He basked in the adoration of the crowd, but he also enjoyed providing them
with the gift of entertainment. In the
end, Heavy D’s legacy is one of love. Peaceful
Journey, Heavy D. We are already missing you.
thanks
ReplyDeleteDwight Myers was a big lost in the hip-hop industry. I’ve always look up to his new songs before but it stopped because of his death.
ReplyDelete