I had the pleasure and honor of working with Dwight Meyers, more affectionately known as Heavy D, at a time when it was the norm for rap artists to hold their crotch when they performed. That was not the case with Heavy D. Heavy was agile and energized with dance moves that thrilled his audiences and earned respect from other artists.
When I was at MCA Records, Heavy D was the single most influential artist who prompted us to sign a joint venture deal with Uptown Records. Heavy D the artist was totally original: charismatic and groundbreaking in his style, his dress and his showmanship. As a man, he was sincere and possessed great enthusiasm, was extremely articulate and an amazing personality that everyone loved.
Who could have imagined that this Over Weight Lover, as he called himself, would have dance moves that most seasoned dancers would find difficult to imitate? This prompted the memory of the sad loss of one of his dancers, “Trouble” T Roy, who died in a stage accident on tour with Heavy over 2 decades ago. At least they’re together now.
Heavy always had songs that everyone could relate to whether it was his rendition of “Mr. Big Stuff” or the thought provoking “Now That We’ve Found Love” (originally done by his fellow Jamaican countrymen reggae legends Third World). One could always relate to the message in his songs. Of course let’s not forget one of his greatest blockbuster jams, “We Got Our Own Thang”.
Even if one just heard one of his songs playing, one can visualize where he was coming from. No doubt he was a legend with a lot of class and when it came to being an entertainer, he had his own style. Heavy D made rapping and dancing cool when most other artist would-be ridiculed if they would have tried it his way thus setting a trend.
His stage performances were energetic and engaging. Although we will miss him, his family will miss him even more. Our condolences and prayers go to his family and Xea his lovely daughter.
