| Where Are They Now: (Not So) Heavy D | |
| Features - Editorials |
|
Never one to boast or brag about jewelry and cars, nor use an abundance of profanity in his rhymes, Hip Hop’s “Overweight Lover,” Heavy D, made party track after party track that had Hip Hop’s original generation cuttin’ up the dance floor. Heavy was neither a sideshow, nor an opportunist who exploited his size for notoriety, but rather a large size MC with skills both on the mic. and on the dance floor.
Heavy released several successful albums in the late 80’s and early 90’s, penning a list of hits like “Nuthin’ But Love,” “We Got Our Own Thang,” “ Somebody for Me,” and “Gyrlz, They Love Me.” Heavy faced the first real adversity in his career when group member and dancer Trouble T-Roy was killed during an onstage accident at a concert in 1990. Hev and the group grieved, but recovered and wrote a tribute to Trouble T-Roy on their 1991 release "Peaceful Journey." Childhood friends and Mount Vernon natives Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth also wrote the Hip Hop classic "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" in honor of their friend. By the mid-90’s, Hip Hop had nearly completed its transformation to rap, and party MCs like Heavy D were not popular with the new generation of rap fans. However, Heavy D had earned a recurring role on the sitcom “Living Single” and found a new career as an actor. Along with “Living Single,” Heavy D has had roles on the television shows “Roc,” and “Boston Public,” as well as big screen roles in movies like “The Cider House Rules,” and “Life.” Hev thought of himself as a qualified actor, but felt that he was being passed over for roles due to his weight. As a result, through exercise and diet, "Mr. Big Stuff" lost 135lbs. and vaguely resembles the big boy who used to cut up the rug in those MC Hammer pants back in the day. Keeping the stage name that made him known across the world, Heavy D has turned to theater to fine tune his acting skills. He was in the motion broadway play “Riff Raff” and in 2005, assumed a role in the Will Smith executive produced play “Medal of Honor Rag,” which was performed in L.A. to sold out crowd during its six month run. Nearly a decade after his last studio album, Heavy D released the reggae-inspired album "Vibes" in 2008 to critical acclaim. Though New School Rap seems to be in a perpetual search for the next best thing, Heavy D and the Boyz' legacy will live on through Old School Tribune. |
Dwight Errington Myers was born in Jamaica on May 24, 1967 and moved to Mount Vernon, NY at an early age where he honed his rap skills under the moniker Heavy D. Heavy D and the Boyz were the first artists signed to upstart Uptown Records, and released their debut album “Living Large” in 1987 . The album’s first single, “Mr. Big Stuff” was an instant hit and started the whole Coca-Cola fashion fad in Hip Hop.