| 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 |
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.
Discography
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)
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.
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.
External links
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