Heavy D
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Heavy D & the Boyz | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, Reggae fusion |
| Years active | 1981–present[citation needed] |
| Members | |
| Heavy D G-Whiz DJ Eddie F |
|
| Former members | |
| "Trouble" T. Roy (Deceased) | |
Heavy D (born Dwight Errington Myers on May 24, 1967) Better known by his stage name Heavy D, an American rapper 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.[1] He has recently ventured into reggae music and can now be described as a reggae fusion artist.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Myers was born on May 24, 1967 in Jamaica. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, when he was a young child.
Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records; their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987 (see 1987 in music). The album was a commercial success, though Big Tyme (1989, 1989 in music) was a breakthrough that included four hits. Trouble T. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in Indianapolis (see 1990 in music). Dixon's passing led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, Peaceful Journey (1991, 1991 in music). 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.[1]
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." However, the group's next album, Blue Funk, was not marketed as well as their previous albums[citation needed], but is widely viewed as an underrated gem.[citation needed] Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in the television shows A Different World, Roc and Living Single before returning the music charts with Nuttin' But Love (1994). After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev.[1] In 2005, the Will Smith movie "Hitch" played the song "Now That We Found Love" during the ending scene where a wedding party does a line dance, and gave Heavy D & the Boyz a lot of exposure, sending many viewers to the web to find out more about the song and the group.[citation needed]
He then appeared in the motion picture 'Life", before joining the cast of the television show Boston Public. In 2002, Heavy D had a supporting role as an FBI agent alongside Omar Epps in the movie adaptation of Dave Barry's novel Big Trouble. In 2003 he starred in the supporting cast for the sit-com The Tracy Morgan Show as Bernard. In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with B.B. King on his duets album Deuces Wild rapping in the song "Keep It Coming." He also has a small role in the 1999 Oscar-nominated movie "The Cider House Rules (film)". In 2005, Heavy D appeared as Sid in the hit Fox drama Bones, as the owner and bartender at Wong Fu's. In 2006, he appeared in the motion picture, Step Up, as Omar.[1]
Heavy D has now released a new reggae album via itunes, called Vibes.
Heavy D reportedly has a son who is currently releasing mix tapes as a rapper.
Heavy D was referred to in the song "Juicy" by the Notorious B.I.G. He also appears as the bouncer in the music video for "One More Chance" by Notorious B.I.G.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
As Heavy D & The Boyz
- 1987: Living Large (Uptown) - US Pop #92, US R&B #10
- 1989: Big Tyme (Uptown) - US Pop #19, US R&B #1 (Platinum)
- 1991: Peaceful Journey (Uptown) - US Pop #21, US R&B #5 (Platinum)
- 1993: Blue Funk (Uptown) - US Pop #40, US R&B #7 (Gold)
- 1994: Nuttin' But Love (Uptown) - US Pop #11, US R&B #1 (Platinum)
- 2000: Heavy Hitz (MCA)
- 2002: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Heavy D & The Boyz (MCA)
- 2009: Uptown Heavy Ranking Geffen Records
As Heavy D
- 1997: Waterbed Hev (Uptown/Universal) - US Pop #9, US R&B #3 (Gold)
- 1999: Heavy (Uptown/Universal) - US Pop #60, US R&B #10
- 2008: Vibes (Stride Entertainment/Federal Distribution)
- 2009: Vibes (reissued on Malaco Records)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 |
U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | UK | |||
| 1987 | "Mr. Big Stuff" | — | 60 | — | 61 | Living Large |
| 1988 | "Don't You Know" | — | 12 | — | — | |
| 1989 | "We Got Our Own Thang"
"Money Earnin Mt.Vernon |
— | 10 | 3 | 69 | Big Tyme |
| "Somebody For Me" | — | 10 | 1 | — | ||
| 1990 | "Gyrlz, They Love Me" | — | 12 | 4 | — | |
| "Big Tyme" | — | — | 24 | — | ||
| 1991 | "Now That We Found Love" | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | Peaceful Journey |
| "Is It Good To You" | 32 | 13 | 12 | 46 | ||
| 1992 | "Don't Curse" | — | 69 | 8 | — | |
| "Peaceful Journey" | — | 54 | — | — | ||
| "You Can't See What I Can See" | — | 69 | — | — | You Can See What I Can See 12" | |
| 1993 | "Who's The Man" | — | 52 | 3 | — | Blue Funk |
| "Truthful" | — | 57 | 7 | — | ||
| 1994 | "Got Me Waiting" | 20 | 3 | 1 | — | Nuttin' But Love |
| "Nuttin But Love" | 40 | 18 | 9 | — | ||
| "This Is Your Night" | — | — | — | 30 | ||
| "Black Coffee" | 57 | 15 | 8 | — | ||
| 1995 | "Sex Wit You" | — | 105 | 44 | — | |
| 1997 | "Big Daddy" | 18 | 5 | 2 | — | Waterbed Hev |
| "Keep It Comin" A | — | 46 | — | — | ||
| "I'll Do Anything"A | — | 65 | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "Long Distance Girlfriend" | 20 | 3 | 1 | — | Vibes |
| 2009 | "No Matter What" | — | — | — | — | |
- A Did not chart on the Hot 100 or Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts (Billboard rules at the time prevented album cuts from charting). Chart peak listed here represents Hot 100 Airplay and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts data.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d allmusic Biography
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 249. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
