Hip Hop, and Urban Music in general, will forever be indebted to Dwight "Heavy D" Myers. Born May 24th 1967, Heavy was one of the first hip hop artists to elevate & transcend into other avenues of entertainment. The best part of that is that he did it without compromising his standards or image. From movies to television to collaborations artists of other musical genres, Heavy ALWAYS personified DIGNITY & ClASS. Heavy D and the Boyz were the first act signed to the legendary Uptown Records (the pre-cursor to Bad Boy Records), and quickly garnered attention, as they danced & spit superior vocals over everything from soul breaks to reggae beats to the new Teddy Riley-inspired "New Jack Swing" style of R&B/Hip Hop Soul. Heavy D and the Boyz released five albums, between 1987 & 1994, and three of those albums went platinum. Whether a Hip Hop fan, or not, every 80's baby knows they rocked out to "Mr. Big Stuff," "Gyrlz They Love Me," and "We Got Our Own Thang." And of course there were the collaborations with both Michael Jackson (Jam 1992) & Janet Jackson (Alright 1989). Never one to become complacent, Heavy D smoothly transitioned into acting, and landed memorable roles in movie & television shows such as "ROC," "Living Single," "Life," "Bones" and many others. Heavy also blessed us with the theme songs behind the movie & television shows: "New Jersey Drive," "Who's The Man" and "In Living Color." There just wouldn't be enough words to honor Heavy D's contributions to entertainment, and those who grew up during the 80's & 90's. And sadly, as Hip Hop is the ONLY Genre/Culture that does not honor its Pioneers, I feel that it is the duty of us that know better to be sure that the story is passed on to future generations-lest we forget. RIP Dwight "Heavy D" Myers.
3 Comments
A.T.
5/24/2013 01:13:50 pm
I think that blue funk lp was probably his best full release. All his LPs r dope, but that one was my JOINT!
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Big Sith
5/26/2013 11:57:19 am
Good read! They put Pete Rock on! Sup A.T.!
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