Heavy D: Requiem For A Quiet Superstar By Sheldon Taylor

                                                         

 

 Huge in stature yet humble and accessible, the late Heavy D transformed four square miles of a neighborhood just outside the Bronx into Money Earnin' Mount Vernon---a musical mecca from which Al B. Sure, Pete Rock and CL Smooth and Diddy and many others would spring from.

Rotund rappers have been around forever. Back in the 70s, seminal star DJ Hollywood ruled the rap roost before hip hop records. Constant fixtures on the first barnstorming rap tours in the mid 80s, the Fat Boys parlayed their popularity into a string of gold and platinum albums, movies and commercial endorsements. There were short-lived West Coast acts CPO and Guerilla Black. 

Despite recording two albums apiece in their lifetimes, the premature departures of the Notorious BIG and Big Pun didn't stop their legacies from growing in stature. Fat Joe's chameleon-like career seems eternal. Straddling the fence between predecessor and contemporary, the Heavy D human highlight film might be underwhelming to a contemporary audience unable to comprehend his accomplishments while at the peak of his powers.  

Arriving in '86 as front man for the Heavy D and The Boyz rap unit, their debut Living Large album sold 400,000 copies during its initial run. Strong yet modest sales for a new rap release, the album's  liner notes proclaimed the arrival of a young Harlem producer named Teddy Riley ("he's coming!!!) destined to play a major role in his musical future.

Playful size references aside ("Chunky But Funky," "The Overweight Lover's In The House") Living Large set the tone for Hev's future collaborations. Subsequent albums featured a revolving door of producers usually consisting of  Eddie F, cousin Pete Rock and future producers Tony Dofat, Jesse West, DJ Premier. This creative nucleus crafted a sonic foundation that gave Heavy D an musical longevity lasting a decade---a rare feat in rap music.

In his era, Heavy D's consistency was akin to Jay-Z's late 90s/ 2000s run. Albums Big Tyme (1989), Peaceful Journey (1991), Nuttin But Love (1994), Waterbed Hev (1997) and Heavy (1999) contained every-man narratives, rugged hip hop jams, social commentary and ladies anthems that connected with consumers who drove the albums to gold, platinum, or multi-platinum sales.

Heavy D's prolific chemistry with frequent collaborator Teddy Riley was undeniable. Over the course of a decade their union was nothing short of prolific. Reworking Jean Knight's soulful Mr. Big Stuff, Gamble and Huff's utopian Now That We Found Love and CJ and Company's pulsating disco anthem  We Got Our Own Thing---they transformed them into hip hop classics. R&B hit Is It Good To You and guest spots on Big Bub's I Want Your Love and Guy's Do Me Right sealed their immortal union. In a 2012 Vibe article, Riley credits Thing's popularity for prompting program directors to added songs with similar tempos to their playlists.

A highly-skilled emceed in the tradition of LL Cool J and Big Daddy Kane, Heavy D was gifted with a superior verbal dexterity and strong writing skills. His stage show was rooted in the model of platinum predecessors Whodini---architects of the modern rap stage show template that would modeled by rappers and contemporary R&B acts for years. While Eddie F manned the ones-and-twos, Heavy joined dancers Trouble T-Roy and G-Whiz executing choreography before launching into his own fly steps.

 At a time when Hammer’s brand of danceable hip hop was unfairly criticized as pop music, Heavy D's hybrid of New Jack Swing, rap and reggae was always embraced. Never one to believe the hype or fall for the divide-and-conquer---he joined Hammer onstage during an impromptu '89 performance on actor/director Robert Townsend HBO sketch show Partners In Crime that rocked the crowd. 

                                                                  

When LL and Kane's lover man images conflicted male rap fans of more hardcore styles, Heavy D's sexy come-ons continued to receive universal love. When rap struggled at the crossroads between underground credibility and commercial viability---Heavy D moved easily between both worlds. He delivered a killer verse on Self Destruction  and pulled off cameos with Levert (Just Coolin')  Janet Jackson (Alright) and MJ (Jam). Slightly before his time, Hev's musical triumphs and forays into TV and film occurred at a time when Black Star Power had yet to reach its high-wattage hold on America.

 Like Luther Vandross before him---the mainstream was slow to embrace his genius.It didn't matter. He was our best kept secret of sorts. Heavy D was our shining Black prince of entertainment. Besides the great music, there were also his exceptional turns in Roc and In Living Color. Hev also performed the theme song for In Living Color. While other rappers boycotted the Grammys, he basked in contentment after winning a Soul Train Award for Best Rap Album of 1989: "Who needs a Grammy when you know you got soul?

 A decade before Jay-Z ascended to Def Jam's top spot, Heavy D became president of Uptown Records, the label he helped build into powerhouse. Guiding the careers of  Monifah and Soul For Real, he later produced songs for Carl Thomas (Summer Rain) Jay-Z (Guns and Roses) and Nas (The Don).

An anti-superstar who celebrated being a regular person, Hev shunned typical rap star indulgences and excess.The son of industrious immigrants, he took pride in sending them on frequent vacations back to Jamaica. During the late 80s/ early 90s when rap tour money was modest at best, Hev spread his earnings around giving friends job on the road.

After tragic deaths of loved ones he vowed to support the children they left behind. On  1993's It's A New Day and 1999's Ask Heaven, Hev reflects on how how violence and addiction darkened his doorstep ("Thanksgiving Day will forever be hard/that's the day we gave my brother to God").

 As new stars began to dot the hip-hop galaxy, Hev graciously stepped aside to let others shine. He didn't bemoan the greater riches and opportunities afforded to others that eluded him in his prime. His personable class was immortalized on Friends and Respect, a skit comprised of voicemail messages of industry peers/friends singing his praises.

Hip Hop's blinding pace anticipates future stars, idolizes current ones yet often fails to acknowledge ones who came before. In life and in death, with Heavy D--- it will always be nothing but love.