Typically, Sundays at HipHopDX are for admiring dope music from the previous that goes under the radar of most. With the sudden and tragic death of emcee/singer/producer/actor Heavy D of ’80s and early-’90s Hip Hop group, Heavy D & The Boyz, we opted to turn our attention to the man born Dwight Arrington Myers 44 years ago. Although he was recently nominated for Grammy Awards, and remained working with top stars of Hip Hop, including Jay-Z and Diddy, Heavy D is not an artist frequently heard on the radio or championed in “Top 5” lists. He was better known as “a really nice guy,” a friend to most who knew him, and an example of artistic evolution. However, DX wanted to spotlight some pivotal moments for us as fans, and remember Heavy D as he was first introduced – a dope emcee.
Heavy D featuring The Fugees – “Maxine”
‘Clef and Heavy D worked together in the mid-’90s, the product of which was the Caribe-infused track “Crazy.” As a B-Side was this rare gem with Lauryn Hill tacked on. The song is basically about a stripper who does what she does because she has to, not because she wants to. It set the tone for a brief period in Wyclef’s career. Remember his “Perfect Gentleman” song? Well that whole “just ‘cause she dance the Go-Go, that don’t make her a ho, no,” shtick originated with this track. Lauryn kills her verse with fluidly poetic lines like “Drunk off the irony, it’s the sweet intoxication,” while Heavy D maintains the manifesto he set out to deliver at the door. The value of this song sums up the appeal of Heavy D and his contribution to Hip Hop as a whole. Hev managed to subtly inject positive messages while simultaneously tell a story in his songs. There was an intrinsic Pop value to the raps Heavy D presented, but at the same time they were still fresh. This was something that the Fugees also did during their heyday, no doubt an influence from the “Overweight Lover” himself. Watching them side by side on a track only makes that more apparent. – Kathy Iandoli
Listen to “Maxine”
by Heavy D featuring The Fugees
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Heavy D – A Different World Appearance
Technically, this is neither a music video nor is it slept on, but I don’t care. I’m picking Heavy D’s cameo on NBC’s A Different World as one of the many examples of his cultural impact. During the show’s revamped second season in 1989—when the show finished second overall in ratings—Waterbed Hev made a cameo as himself in an episode entitled “Delusions of Daddyhood.” Much like he did in real life with the song “Don’t Curse,” Heav stood up for Hip Hop culture. Only this time, he found himself comparing Hip Hop to Opera and defending it against bougie-ass Whitley Gilbert instead of Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center. That cameo established a pattern. And whether he was providing the theme song for FOX’s In Living Color, rocking next to Michael Jackson on the track “Jam” or working with Jay-Z and Lenny Kravitz as the producer of “Guns & Roses,” Heavy D had a huge impact as an ambassador of Hip Hop culture for someone that seemingly preferred to fly under the radar. – Omar Burgess
Heavy D & The Boyz – “Check It Out”
I discovered Heavy D thanks to a school cancelling Nor’easter and a convenience store that had a meager stack of videos to rent right next to their Slush Puppy machine (which was for some reason still wildly popular in the dead of winter). Maybe I grabbed New Jersey Drive because it was sandwiched between Boyz In The Hood and Menace II Society or maybe it was because it had a cool B-Movie title and featured places that were recognizable. Either way the film turned out to be starker, less sappy and more documentary-like than its shelf-mates thanks to a cast of talented unknown actors. What stuck out most of all was the soundtrack, especially the Heavy D & the Boyz cut “Check it Out.” It was one of the first times I’d experienced a song recorded specifically for a film that the viewers literally shared with the characters on the screen. We were listening to the song they were listening to on the radio. “Check It Out” introduces us to Sharron, the central character, in the film’s only carefree exchange before shit hits the fan, the bullets start flying and everything goes from bad to worse. It’s a perfect track to close out the (relative) peace and contrast the chaos that follows. Coming from the car speakers, Heavy D sounded anything but “heavy;” gliding effortlessly over the incomparable – and understated – Easy Mo Bee production. It wasn’t forced; it was smart, witty rhyming from “a lyric freaker, a public speaker, a tweeter beater, a bass thumper, a cutie humper.” You could practically see Heavy in the booth delivering his verse while lounging on Lay-Z-Boy smiling the whole time. Heavy D even has a short cameo in the film. The moment he storms into the frame, he rules the rest of the scene and – even if you know nothing about Hip Hop – you know you’re watching someone important; an icon rather than a bit player. – Michael Sheehan
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Listen to “Check It Out” by Heavy D & The Boyz
