- Heavy D
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Heavy D [[File:File:.jpg|frameless|alt=|]] Background information Birth name Dwight Arrington Myers[1] Born May 24, 1967
Mandeville, JamaicaDied November 8, 2011 (aged 44)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.Genres Hip hop, new jack swing, R&B, reggae fusion Occupations Rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, music executive Years active 1986–2011 Labels Uptown, MCA Associated acts Heavy D & the Boyz Dwight Arrington Myers[2] (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011[3]), better known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American actor, rapper, record producer, singer and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and Eddie F (born Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released were produced by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, his cousin Pete Rock and Eddie F.[4]
Contents
Biography
Myers was born on May 24, 1967 in Mandeville, Jamaica, the son of Eulahlee Lee, a nurse, and Clifford Vincent Myers, a machine technician.[5] His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, in the early 1970s,[6] where he was raised.[7]
Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records; their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success, though Big Tyme was a breakthrough that included four hits. Trouble T. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in Indianapolis. Dixon's death led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, Peaceful Journey. Pete Rock & CL Smooth created a tribute to Trouble T. Roy called "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which is regarded as a hip-hop classic.[4]
Heavy D & the Boyz gained even more fame by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv, and Heavy D performed the rap on Michael Jackson's hit single "Jam" as well as sister Janet Jackson's hit single "Alright". Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning the music charts with Nuttin' But Love. After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev.[4] In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with B.B. King on his duets album Deuces Wild rapping in the song "Keep It Coming." Heavy D was referred to in the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G., and appeared in his music video for "One More Chance".
In the mid-1990s, Myers became the first rapper to head a major music label, when he became the president of Uptown Records. Myers helped to develop rhythm-and-blues singer Mary J. Blige's career and hired Sean “Diddy” Combs as an intern.[8] He later became the senior vice president at Universal Music.[9]
Heavy D performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards in October 2011. It was his first live performance in 15 years. Myers died on November 8, 2011, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 44. He collapsed outside his Beverly Hills home and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.[7] It has been reported that his death was due to respiratory distress[10] and that no foul play was involved.[11]
Filmography
- Television
- A Different World episode "Delusions of Daddyhood"
- Roc (recurring)
- Living Single (recurring)
- Boston Public
- The Tracy Morgan Show
- Bones
- Tyler Perry's House of Payne episode "Dream Girls"
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Personal Fouls"
- Films
- 1995: New Jersey Drive
- 1997: B*A*P*S
- 1999: The Cider House Rules
- 1999: Life
- 2002: Big Trouble
- 2004: Larceny
- 2006: Step Up
- 2011: Tower Heist
Discography
Main article: Heavy D discography- Living Large (1987)
- Big Tyme (1989)
- Peaceful Journey (1991)
- Blue Funk (1993)
- Nuttin' But Love (1994)
- Waterbed Hev (1997)
- Heavy (1999)
- Vibes (2008)
- Love Opus (2011)
Awards/Nominations
- Grammy Awards
- 2009, Best Reggae Album: Vibes (nominated)
- 1997, Best Rap Solo Performance: "Rock With You" (nominated)
- 1995, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Nuttin But Love" (nominated)
- 1992, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Now That We Found Love" (nominated)
- Soul Train Awards
- 1992, Best Rap Album: Peaceful Journey (nominated)
- 1990, Best Duo or Group Album: Big Time (nominated)
- 1990, Best Rap Album: Big Tyme (winner)
- 1988, Best Rap Album: Living Large (wiinner)
References
- ^ Cuda, Heidi Sigmund (October 2001). Keeping it reel. Vibe ("born Dwight Errington Myers")
- ^ Samuels, Anita M. (January 14, 1996). Heavy D, the C.E.O. New York Times
- ^ "Heavy D - Dead at 44". TMZ.com. http://www.tmz.com/2011/11/08/heavy-d-dead/. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ a b c allmusic Biography
- ^ "Heavy D Biography (1967-)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/98/Heavy-D.html. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
- ^ Telegraph obituary
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (November 8, 2011). "Heavy D, Smooth-Talking Hip-Hop Star, Dies at 44". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/arts/music/heavy-d-rap-star-dies-at-44.html. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ Shapiro, T. Rees (November 9, 2011). "Heavy D, hip-hop’s self-described ‘overweight lover,’ dies at 44". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/heavy-d-hip-hops-self-described-overweight-lover-dies-at-44/2011/11/09/gIQAVskg6M_story.html. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ Kennedy, Gerrick D.; Jackson, Nate (November 9, 2011). "Heavy D dies at 44; singer who shaped rap music". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/09/local/la-me-heavy-d-20111109. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ^ "BREAKING - Heavy D Dead At 44". Vibe. November 8, 2011. http://www.vibe.com/posts/breaking-heavy-d-dead-44. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (November 9, 2011). "Rapper and actor Heavy D dies aged 44". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/nov/09/heavy-d-dies-aged-44. Retrieved November 9, 2011. ""There doesn't appear to be any foul play," police lieutenant Mark Rosen told the New York Daily News. "We believe it was medically related.""
External links
Categories:- 1967 births
- 2011 deaths
- African American film actors
- American hip hop record producers
- American rappers of Jamaican descent
- American music industry executives
- American television actors
- Deaths from respiratory disease
- MCA Records artists
- People from Westchester County, New York
- Rappers from New York City
- Reggae fusion artists
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