Heavy D & The Boyz

Dwight Errington Myers, professionally known as Heavy D, assembled Heavy D & the Boyz alongside high-school companions DJ Eddie F (Eddie Ferrell), Trouble T-Roy (Troy Dixon), and G. Whiz (Glen Parrish). A demo reached André Harrell, then a Def Jam executive who was simultaneously preparing to launch his own imprint, Uptown. Harrell signed the group in 1986 as Uptown’s first act, resulting in the 1987 release of their debut album, Living Large. The tracks “Mr. Big Stuff” and “The Overweight Lover’s in the House” helped cement Heavy D’s persona with rap listeners, while “Don’t You Know” crossed over to the R&B charts and fell just short of the Top Ten; overall, Living Large earned gold status.

The 1989 follow-up, Big Tyme, marked the group’s true commercial arrival. Produced again by Marley Marl together with new jack swing architect Teddy Riley, the record revealed greater nuance in Heavy D’s character and stronger songwriting consistency. “Somebody for Me,” “We Got Our Own Thang,” and “Gyrlz, They Love Me” all scored notable R&B success, the first two reaching the Top Ten; additionally, “We Got Our Own Thang” gained MTV airplay, and Heavy D’s cameo on Janet Jackson’s “Alright” broadened his mainstream visibility. Big Tyme eventually topped the R&B album chart, entered the pop Top 20, and achieved platinum certification. Tragedy struck during the supporting tour on July 15, 1990, when Trouble T-Roy fell from a two-story height and died. He later inspired Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth’s elegiac single “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” and a tribute track on the next Heavy D & the Boyz project, 1991’s Peaceful Journey.

Peaceful Journey also attained platinum sales, propelled chiefly by the updated Gamble/Huff song “Now That We Found Love,” originally recorded by the O’Jays; the single propelled Heavy D to broad mainstream recognition by climbing to the R&B Top Five and nearly reaching the pop Top Ten. “Is It Good to You” and the posse cut “Don’t Curse” resonated strongly with hip-hop audiences, while Heavy D maintained weekly television exposure through his theme for the sketch series In Living Color. The 1993 album Blue Funk adopted a harder-edged approach with beats supplied by Pete Rock (Heavy D’s younger cousin), DJ Premier, and Tony Dofat; although it lacked pop crossover, the project still reached gold status. During this period Heavy D began building an acting résumé and secured a recurring role on the Fox sitcom Roc; he also assumed the vice-presidency of A&R at Uptown. He later appeared in another recurring part on the Fox series Living Single.

Heavy D & the Boyz reclaimed platinum standing with 1994’s Nuttin’ But Love, which generated hits including “Black Coffee,” the R&B Top Five entry “Got Me Waiting,” and the title track. The album became their second to top the R&B chart and marked their final release as a group. Heavy D continued balancing music, television, and film work until his death in 2011 from a blood clot.