Heather B. Gardner (born November 13, 1970) billed professionally as Heather B., is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

artist, actress, and reality television personality who first gained fame as a member of the hip hop group

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

before becoming a cast member on '' The Real World: New York'', the 1992 inaugural season of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

's reality show ''

The Real World Real World or The Real World may also refer to: * Real life, a phrase to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds Television * ''The Real World'' (TV series), 1992–2017 * "The Real World" (''Stargate Atla ...

''.

Career

From February 16 to May 18, 1992, Gardner filmed '' The Real World: New York'', the first season of MTV's reality television series, ''

'', on which she appeared as a cast member."SoHo Loft"
realworldhouses.com. November 28, 2010 The series premiered May 21 that year. On the show, she was depicted as a hip-hop artist with the group

, on the verge of getting her big career break. During the season, she is seen recording her first album. According to MTV's biography for her: "She has a lot of drive and dedication to whatever she is doing. She makes friends quickly and always speaks her mind regardless of the consequences." Gardner was affiliated with the rap group Boogie Down Productions, and was signed to

Pendulum Records Pendulum Records is a hip hop-oriented record label originally founded in 1991 by Ruben Rodriguez, who was then working as a senior vice president for urban music at Elektra Records. In 1992, Rodriguez resigned his position at Elektra to devote m ...

in 1995. In 1996, she released her first album, '' Takin' Mine''. The single "All Glocks Down", an anti-gun violence anthem, received radio play, as did the follow-up single "If Headz Only Knew." Heather scored a minor role in the 1995 film ''

Dead Presidents ''Dead Presidents'' is a 1995 American crime film co-written, produced and directed by the Hughes brothers, Hughes Brothers. The film chronicles the life of Anthony Curtis (Larenz Tate), focusing on his teenage years as a high school graduate an ...

'' as "Peaches". In 1997, Gardner signed with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

and in 1998 she released the single, "Do You," which had a considerable amount of television and radio airplay. In 2002 Gardner produced her second album, ''Eternal Affairs'', with production from Pete Rock and DJ Premier. The album met with positive reviews despite not charting on ''Billboard''.AbduSalaam, Ismael
"Heather B. Returns With DJ Premier For 'Open Bar'"

AllHipHop AllHipHop is a hip hop news website founded by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur in 1998. History The website was founded in 1998 by Greg Watkins and Chuck Creekmur. In 1997, Watkins registered the allhiphop.com domain to promote the artists on ...

. March 12, 2010 Outside of her music career, Gardner has appeared in various projects and television specials related to ''The Real World''. She also appeared in the film '' The Wedding Video'' directed by ''Real World'' alum

Norman Korpi Norman Korpi (born in Wakefield, Michigan, Wakefield, Michigan) is an American Painting, painter, fashion designer, filmmaker and reality television star. He is best known for being one of the original cast members/roommates on the The Real Worl ...

, and a 2005 television commercial for

America Online AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

anti-virus software. Gardner's third studio album, ''Open Bar'', which was executive-produced by DJ Premier. As of 2012, Gardner is the co-host of the

Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...

show ''Sway in the Morning'' with former

reporter

Sway Calloway Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. Known as Sway, he is known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Wake U ...

. In 2016 both Heather B. and Sway Calloway appeared in the twelfth episode, "Soliloquy of Chaos," of ''

Marvel's Luke Cage ''Marvel's Luke Cage'' is an American television series created by Cheo Hodari Coker for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), acknowledging the continuit ...

'', interviewing

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of t ...

, about being rescued by Cage during a hold-up of a Harlem bodega.Cecchini, Mike (October 1, 2016)
"Luke Cage: Complete Marvel Comics Easter Eggs and Reference Guide – Luke Cage Episode 12: Soliloquy of Chaos"
Den of Geek. She appeared as herself in the 2018

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

film '' Death Wish''. In 2021, she portrayed the character Aunt Ruth in the

Jussie Smollett Jussie Smollett (, born June 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He began his career as a child actor in 1991 debuting in ''The Mighty Ducks (film), The Mighty Ducks'' (1992). In 2015, Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox Bro ...

movie ''B-Boy Blues'', Smollett's adaptation of the novel series written by

James Earl Hardy James Earl Hardy (born 1966 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York) is an American playwright, novelist, and journalist. Generally considered the first to depict same-sex love stories that take place within the Hip hop, hip-hop community, his wr ...

Discography

Albums

*'' Takin' Mine'' (1996) *'' Eternal Affairs'' (2002)

Singles

*"I Get Wreck" *" All Glocks Down" *" If Headz Only Knew" *"My Kinda Nigga" *"Live M.C." *"The Game Don't Stop" *"Guilty" *"Steady Rockin'"

References

External links