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Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)
Heavy D, the C.E.O.
''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
(May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group that included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish) and "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), as well as DJ and producer Eddie F (Edward Ferrell). The group maintained a sizeable audience in the United States through most of the 1990s. The five albums the group released included production mainly by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, DJ Premier, Myers's cousin
Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ ...
, and "in-house" beatmaker Eddie F. Myers also released four solo albums and discovered
Soul for Real Soul for Real (also known as Soul 4 Real and Soul IV Real) is an African-American R&B group from Wyandanch, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia made up of brothers Christopher Sherman Dalyrimple a.k.a. Choc (born April 30, 1971), Andr ...
and Monifah. allmusic Biography/ref>


Early life

Dwight Arrington Myers was born on May 24, 1967, in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica, the son of nurse Eulahlee Lee and machine technician Clifford Vincent Myers. In the early 1970s, his family moved to
Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...
, where he was raised. In an interview, his mother stated that he spent most of his childhood hanging out with his brother Floyd and his friend Mo.


Career

Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records, with Heavy D as the frontman and only rapper. Eddie F was his business partner in the group, DJ, and one of the producers. The other two members, T-Roy and G-Wiz were the dancers. Their debut, '' Living Large'', was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success; ''
Big Tyme ''Big Tyme'' is the second album by American hip hop group Heavy D & the Boyz. ''Big Tyme'' is also the final album to feature bandmate Trouble T Roy (Troy Dixon), who died from a fall in 1990. Reception The album was released in 1989 for Upto ...
'' was a breakthrough that included four hits. " Trouble T. Roy" died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. Dixon's death led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, '' Peaceful Journey''.
Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Age As a pr ...
created a tribute to Trouble T. Roy called " They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" which is regarded as a hip hop classic. In 1989, Heavy D performed a guest rap on
Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
's hit single " Alright", an early example of rap appearances on pop songs. It was also the highest peaking song which he had performed on in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1992 he appeared on
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
's single " Jam", and also gained a higher profile by singing the
theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
for the television program '' In Living Color'' and also '' MADtv''. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning to the music charts with '' Nuttin' But Love''. After appearing in the
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
play ''Riff Raff'' at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit ''
Waterbed Hev ''Waterbed Hev'' is the first solo album and sixth album overall by rapper Heavy D. The album was released on April 22, 1997 for Uptown Records and was produced by Heavy D, DJ Battle Cat and Tony Dofat. This marked Heavy D's first album without ...
''. 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". While still an artist at Uptown Records, Myers was instrumental in convincing
Andre Harrell Andre O’Neal Harrell (September 26, 1960 – May 7, 2020) was an American music executive and multimedia producer. In 1986, recently a rapper, he formed Uptown Records, soon a leader in R&B, rap, and their fusion, "hip hop soul" and "new ...
to originally hire Sean "Diddy" Combs for his first music business gig as an
intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...
. He became the president of Uptown Records. During this time, Myers also developed the
boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Ma ...
Soul for Real Soul for Real (also known as Soul 4 Real and Soul IV Real) is an African-American R&B group from Wyandanch, New York, currently living in Atlanta, Georgia made up of brothers Christopher Sherman Dalyrimple a.k.a. Choc (born April 30, 1971), Andr ...
, and was the
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
and principal writer of several songs on the group's breakout album, ''Candy Rain''. He later became senior vice president at
Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and it ...
. As an actor, Heavy D is perhaps best known for his role in the 1999 drama film '' The Cider House Rules'', where he plays a
migrant worker A migrant worker is a person who migrates within a home country or outside it to pursue work. Migrant workers usually do not have the intention to stay permanently in the country or region in which they work. Migrant workers who work outsi ...
. He fathered a daughter in 2000 with chef
Antonia Lofaso Antonia Lofaso (born 1976) is an American celebrity chef and restaurateur. She has appeared on the reality television shows ''Top Chef'', '' Chopped'', ''Cutthroat Kitchen'' and '' Restaurant Startup'', among others. Lofaso owns the restaurants ' ...
, a contestant on the fourth season of ''Top Chef''.


Death

Heavy D's final live performance was with Eddie F at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards on October 11, 2011, their first live televised performance together in 15 years. Myers died on November 8, 2011, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 44. He collapsed outside his home in
Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
, and was taken to
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...
. His death was initially thought to be connected to
pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severit ...
. An autopsy report, released on December 27, 2011, stated that the cause of death was a
pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream ( embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...
(PE) caused by a blood clot in a leg. He had also suffered from
heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...
. Craig Harvey, chief of the
Los Angeles County Department of Coroner The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner (formerly the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner and Department of Coroner) was created in its present form on December 17, 1920 by an ordinance approved by the Los Angeles County Board ...
, said that the blood clot that resulted in the PE was "most likely formed during an extended airplane ride". Heavy D had recently returned from a trip to
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
, Wales, United Kingdom, where he performed at a
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
tribute concert. Shortly after his death, MC Hammer and others paid tribute to Heavy D on Twitter. Hammer tweeted that, "We had a lot of great times touring together. He had a heart of gold. He was a part of what's good about the world." His funeral was held at Grace Baptist Church in his hometown of
Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...
. He was buried in Hartsdale, New York.


Discography

;With Heavy D and The Boyz * '' Living Large'' (1987) * ''
Big Tyme ''Big Tyme'' is the second album by American hip hop group Heavy D & the Boyz. ''Big Tyme'' is also the final album to feature bandmate Trouble T Roy (Troy Dixon), who died from a fall in 1990. Reception The album was released in 1989 for Upto ...
'' (1989) * '' Peaceful Journey'' (1991) * ''
Blue Funk ''Blue Funk'' is the fourth album by rap group Heavy D & the Boyz. Reception The album was released on January 12, 1993 for Uptown Records and was produced by DJ Eddie F, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Jesse West aka 3rd Eye and Tony Dofat. Blue Fu ...
'' (1993) * '' Nuttin' But Love'' (1994) ;Solo albums * ''
Waterbed Hev ''Waterbed Hev'' is the first solo album and sixth album overall by rapper Heavy D. The album was released on April 22, 1997 for Uptown Records and was produced by Heavy D, DJ Battle Cat and Tony Dofat. This marked Heavy D's first album without ...
'' (1997) * '' Heavy'' (1999) * '' Vibes'' (2008) * ''
Love Opus ''Love Opus'' is the ninth and final studio album by Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24 ...
'' (2011)


Filmography


Film


Television


Sampling

*"We Got Our Own Thang" - James Brown "Funky President", James Brown "My Thang", CJ & Co "We Got Our Own Thing" *"You a'int heard Nuttin' Yet" - James Brown "It's a Man's Man's World", Lyn Collins"Think" *"More Bounce" - Zapp "More Bounce to the Ounce" *"Somebody for Me" - Big Daddy Kane - Word to The Motherland *"Here We Go Again Y'all" - JB's "Pass the Peas" *"A Better Land" - Main Ingredient "Everybody Plays the Fool"


References


External links

* * *
Heavy D
at Find A Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Heavy D 1967 births 2011 deaths Pete Rock American rappers of Jamaican descent Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors American rappers of Caribbean descent American hip hop record producers American music industry executives Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Businesspeople from New York (state) Deaths from pulmonary embolism East Coast hip hop musicians Jamaican emigrants to the United States MCA Records artists People from Mandeville, Jamaica Musicians from Mount Vernon, New York Rappers from New York City American male television actors Actors from Mount Vernon, New York Record producers from New York (state) Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni