Before there were rappers like Ricky Rozay, Big Punisher, Fat Joe and Notorious B.I.G., another “overweight lover” stole the hearts of hip-hop heads all over America. The year was 1986 and America had seen nothing like it. A Jamaican rapper, who later made Mount Vernon, New York his home, became a double threat to the music industry because not only could he rap but he could also dance.   

In this day and age, we witness R&B/Rap artists who occupy one spot and sing through a microphone during an entire concert, but Heavy D was the exact opposite. He was known for busting moves on the dance floor. Before there were iPods and MP3 players to download music, there was Heavy D & the Boyz cassette tapes and albums for sell at record stores and their fans couldn’t wait to purchase them. 

In 1987 the group’s first album “Living Large,” was released on Uptown Records and they were also the first group that was signed to the label. Heavy D & the Boyz continued on to put out several other albums and were known for many smashing singles like “Now That We Found Love,” and “Gyrlz They Love Me.”

Heavy D was also responsible for creating the theme song for the hit comedy series “In Living Color.” Heavy D went beyond just being a part of a music group, as time progressed on he made even bigger strides in the entertainment world. Heavy D was influential in launching the careers of the R&B group Jodeci, Singer Mary J. Blige and Hip-Hop Extraordinaire Diddy.

“He became my friend. He became my brother, and I’m not talking about friend-brother like we cavalierly use the word, I’m talking about a real friend, a real brother,” Diddy said in a Huffington Post article. “Somebody I shared my dreams and my secrets with, somebody that’s been there for me at my lowest point, my darkest hour when nobody wanted to be beside me.”

Heavy D, whose real name is Dwight Myers also made several television appearances including: Living Single, Boston Public, Roc, The Tracy Morgan Show, Bones, Law & Order: SVU, A Different World and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. Beginning in 1995, the multi-talented entertainer also tackled the movie scene. He played in New Jersey Drive, B.A.P.S., Life, Tower Heist, Larceny and Step Up. Heavy D has a long list of achievements and a host of awards including Soul Train and Grammy Awards. 

On November 8, 2011 the world lost a great person. Heavy D died at the age of 44 in Beverly Hills, California due to complications to pneumonia. The Rev. Al Sharpton spoke about the rapper with great pleasure at his homegoing service.

“You don’t have to cover no scandals. You don’t have to make no excuses. This man changed the world and he did it without getting ugly or violent or degrading,” said Sharpton in a USA Today article, urging everyone at the service to take the same higher road. “The real challenge is what will you leave here to do, and what can we say about you.”

Heavy D traveled a peaceful journey through out  his career, even though he reached celebrity status.

In fact, one of Heavy D’s most noted albums was titled “Peaceful Journey.” The project was dedicated to Trouble T. Roy, a member of Heavy D & the Boyz. Trouble T. Roy, suffered from a deadly fall in 1990 at the age of 22 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The album went platinum and Rappers Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth produced a hip-hop classic song dedicated to Trouble T called They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).

As the first rapper to lead a major record label,  Heavy D  silently touched the lives of many and he will forever be regarded as a heavy weight in the hip-hop industry.

“Silently he’s been influential in a lot of our careers,” Singer Usher said after the rapper’s homegoing service. “His love still lives on.”

-Jaya Franklin