All language subtitles for Be.Inspired.The.Life.Of.Heavy.D.2012.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

Downloaded from
YTS.MX

Dwight Myers, notably
known as Heavy D,

was one of Hip Hop's most
popular and charismatic figures.

Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

Self-proclaimed as
the overweight lover,

Heavy was a nimble character
on the dance floor,

creating signature moves that
seduced people of all ages

to fall for his music,
style, and lovable persona.

* Hey, everybody
shake your body *

* We don't ill, we
chill at a party *

* Keep a groove that's sensual *

* Three-dimensional,
unquestionable *

* The lover is professional *

* Got a category, my own
and I'm the President *

* Don't be alarmed but I'm
sewing up the resident *

* With my particular style *

* style particular,
extracurricular *

(soft music)

- I don't know too many people

who have touched so
many people's lives,

in such a consistent
way, for so long.

Heav had a heart
this big, you know

and it was always love
whenever you saw him.

It was like a big hug and
you felt the love in the hug.

And even guys had
to give up the hug

'cause Heav was just
lovable like that,

but he was also smart,
and he was also strong,

and he was also super capable,

and you know, he was a pioneer,

and he set a great
example for me in my life,

and

God bless him.

You know, I still can't
believe he's not here.

- You know what Heavy
D did in the world,

and the legacy, and
what people saw,

and what people know

is no comparison to what

he would do in a room with you.

Push you to wanna be the
best version of yourself.

The idea of like,
his thing was always

about helping somebody.

That was the thing
that he left me with,

that necessity and that demand

to always be able
to help somebody.

- Even with his last tweet
was, "Be inspired," you know,

and that says it
all right there.

It's like, "Be inspired."

(upbeat music)

* This one goes out to all
the lovers in the house *

* Know what I'm sayin' *

* I'm gonna express my
feelings right about now *

* On the way I
like to do things *

* Good to you *

* T.R., bring it in *

* Is it good to you *

* I like it *

* Is it good to you *

* Oh, I like it *

* Is it good to you *

* I like it *

* Is it good to you *

* Woo, oh boy *

* How would you feel
if I worked you down *

* Made your head spin
like a merry-go-round *

* Take control like
"Charles In Charge" *

* I really can't wait,
let's stay in the garage *

* Oops, let me run as I
get the whipped cream *

* Can't have ice cream
without whipped cream *

* Plus an ice cube,
to make you swing *

* My main man did it in
"Do the Right Thing" *

* C'mon let me tickle you
in all the right places *

* Keep my eyes open while
I watch ya make faces *

* Feelin' quite dandy,
comfortable and cozy *

* Let me draw the curtains
'cause my neighbors are nosy *

* So make a little room,
here comes big daddy *

* Big like a truck,
satisfyin' like a Caddy *

* Many will call but
the chosen are few *

* And all I wanna know,
is it good to you? *

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Heavy D was born
to Dwight Arrington Myers

on May 24th, 1967 in
Mandeville, Jamaica,

and grew up largely in
Mount Vernon, New York.

His mother worked as a nurse,

and his father as a movie
equipment repair man.

- Every time I think
of him I see his smile.

- He gave all of
himself, you know,

for those smiles and the music.

- Heav would always
have open arms

to everybody in the neighborhood

and across the whole community.

- When he would walk
into the studio,

he'll walk into the
room, it was like,

you enjoyed him being there.

- He was a jokester, definitely.

He could be serious
at times, but he was,

pretty much a big kid.

(upbeat music)

* Picture the set,
girlies wet with sweat *

* In the corner people sitting
down they've had as much *

* As they could possibly get; *

* Meanwhile I'm lampin',
feeling like a champ and *

* Push up on a cutie,
phone digits I'm stampin' *

- Everything about Heavy
D was fun all the time.

(upbeat music)

- Big dude, you know,
but just like extended,

living his professional life.

That was his college.
His college was the stage

and entertaining, his great
music for many people.

(dance music)

- These cats were
all 17, 18 and 19,

just out of high school.

So they had a lot of
that energy in them.

Heavy D a big, jovial dude
with a lot of energy in him.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] He was the
front man of the group,

Heavy D and The Boyz

which became the first act
signed to Uptown Records.

- Heav, would be
inspired by artists

like Sting and, you
know, like Maxi Priest.

And it would never
be really a rapper.

You know what I'm saying?

Because every rapper
was damn near competing

with each other,
talking about, you know

come to my hood and
the bridge is over.

So, Heav was never
really into that.

So his creative process
actually was simple

because all he did
was ride around

and he took in his surroundings
and he just wrote about it.

- One of the things that
was most interesting

to me about him was that we'd
always be in a group of kids

hanging out on the block.

And if Dwight saw that
you weren't super involved

or super engaged, he'd reach
out to you and pull you in.

And so when you look at
kind of where he ended up,

he brought everybody in
Mount Vernon along with him.

He wanted everybody
to be part of the fun.

- The thing A lot of people
don't know is that Mount Vernon

even though, it was
Westchester is not technically

the five boroughs.

It is bordered on two
sides by the Bronx

and hip-hop actually
started in the Bronx.

* One two, tell
me what you got *

*Let me slip my quarters
inside your slot *

* to hit the jackpot *

* Rev me up rev me up,
My little buttercup *

* We can tug sheets
snuggle up and get stuck *

* Believe it or not *

* Here comes the
brother with glow *

* A snugglin', bubblin'
overweight lover huggin' pro *

* So what's it gonna
be? Me or the TV? *

* Now let me take time to set
your mind and your body free *

* So why don't you
just stretch. *

* Stretch for a sec *

* Lay down your problems so
I can cop a quick wreck *

* Shake me, Shake me *

* Baby, Baby, Bake me *

No need to fake, here I
am come on and take me.

- And I remember getting
a phone call from him

I was in my dormitory.

And he said, I'm
about to make a demo

but I don't have any money.

And I was like, wow.

I just got my
student refund check.

That was $2,500.

I put it right in the bank
and sent him the cash.

And him and Eddie F got together

And they made this
incredible demo.

- So Eddie F of course, being
the brains of the operation

took the initiative to kind
of get us all together.

And I remember recording
the first Heavy D demo

and I believe I still have
a cassette copy of it.

It's called "It's a Party Y'all"

- His recording process
wasn't actually hard.

I mean, Heav would
get in the studio

and finish the song in 20
minutes, "Gyrlz, They Love Me".

We was in the red Cherokee.
It was me, him and Pete.

We rode around the
block six times.

The records was written.

"Overweight Lover in the House"

He said, "I'm in the house,
I'm an overweight lover".

- Heavy D the biggest compliment
to music is being in it.

Music is better
because Heavy D did it.

- It's very interesting
when you hear it now.

I mean it, Heav's skills
were clearly elite and

above everyone else
around the way.

His delivery was
just so charismatic.

And he had something
special to give, obviously.

We all figured that out
later on, around the globe.

- "Mr. Big Stuff" came out

and I remember the
day it happened

and they were all at Lorraine
Park in Mount Vernon.

And I was down there and he
was sitting on the railing.

And, you know, on the railing

and it was my brother
Floyd and Troy

and a bunch of us were
just sitting out there.

And we're waiting
and we're waiting.

And all of a sudden,

it came on the radio.

And we would just like
all like screaming out,

at Lorraine Park

and we couldn't believe
it was on the radio.

We were so excited.
He was excited.

- And then the
phones start ringing

at home, and shows and, you
know, taking this real serious.

My parents were so happy.

- I remember, jeez,
back when Andre Harrell

first started Uptown,

and Heavy D and
The Boyz came out

and he was just kicking
off "Uptown's Kickin' It."

That was back when they had
their Coca-Cola sweaters.

* I'm rough and tough
and all that stuff. *

* I make you dance and prance
'til you huff and puff. *

* There's just no way
you can get enough *

* of me, your
Mister Big Stuff. *

* I'm the overweight-er,
prince dominator MC *

* Heavy D, constant
weight gainer. *

* And since I choose
the weight not to lose *

* I will stay this way
so that I can bruise. *

* MC's around who
front and frown. *

* You go round for round.
I go pound for pound. *

* At the end of the party
when you're sayin' goodnight *

* Don't come to me and
say, "Take it light." *

* I'm your Mister Big Stuff *

- [Narrator] "Big Stuff"
and "Gyrlz, They Love Me"

were comic and fun,
as Heavy D played up

the oversize personality
with colorful style.

- He was that guy
that really could

kind of tag all the areas.

You know, the streets,
the females, the crossover

and you know, your grandmother.

- Heav and I became
friends on tour.

Basically, because he took me
out on my first national tour.

I pretty much just
saw him every day.

Him and The Boyz, the whole
crew, we would hang out.

We were all kind of very young.

I was probably 18 at the time.

- Well, I was 10 years
older than everybody else.

So, I looked at everybody
as young people coming up.

- So, I always seen him as
a solid guy who was always

about representing
something that was positive.

- First time I heard Heavy
D was "Overweight Lover."

And it was dope to
me because, you know

we had The Fat Boys,
Disco 3 was in there

and they were dope, you know,

but they will make
fun of the fact

that they were overweight.

You know, that was their
thing, that was their shtick.

But, we'd had, it's
like you believed them

when they say "all the
overweight lovers in the house"

and you really believe
like, yo, man, I got to

watch my girl around this
dude, because it might be over.

* Now every day of your
life you wanna be with me *

* When you got time to spend
you spend time with Heavy D. *

*I notice that you hold
me gentle as a rose. *

* I'm rough and tough
baby, but then I suppose *

* that I had to be held in
order to start holdin'. *

* I think I got you hittin',
so let's start rollin' *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

- [Narrator] The group
released five albums

between 1987 and 1994.

Three of which went platinum.

Heavy D and The Boyz
became key figures

in softening hip-hop hard edges.

- He's a lover not
a fighter, right?

He say it all the time
overweight lover, right?

He was no a gangster.

He spoke right to the heart
of most of the core consumers.

- My father was a preacher.

And on the way to church,
my dad would put on Heav.

Just to be, you know, cool.

Cause, you know, driving
to church with his son,

he wanted to kind of relate.

He'll put on my Heavy D record.

I'm like, I'm thinking like
my dad is, man, he's cool.

- Summer 86.

It was us,

Jazzy Jeff, Fresh
Prince, Heav, EPMD,

Salt-N-Pepa, Eric B. and Rakim

We all had singles that summer.

We met Heav on the New York leg

at a place called the Rooftop.

And it was sort of the
Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince

introduction into the
world of New York hip-hop.

And we was from Philly.

So, that wasn't an easy,
it wasn't an easy run

but Heav was one
of the first people

that really embraced Jazzy
Jeff and the Fresh Prince

was a great supporter,
really really early.

And just, he got it.

- His music, made
my mother smile,

made my grandmother smile.

Like, they weren't
offended by anything.

You can let the
kids listen to it.

Like it was the music for all
ages, all races, all sexes.

- His music always
was up and loving

and fun and made
me want to dance.

- [Narrator] His music
made the public dance

but more importantly
made them smile.

A sentiment that was genuinely
embedded in the heart

of Dwight Myers and always
displayed through Heavy D.

- We would always incorporate
like R&B with Rap.

And that's why our first album

was like a struggle for
us because it was like,

nobody was really
accepting it at the time.

You know, it was just, like
you said, beats and rhymes.

So, when we came out with like

Eddie F was like
the first brother

to come out with a Rap
record with arrangement,

a chorus, a break, a bridge.

And it was like,
everybody was like,

Wait. Should we like this?

Maybe not. Maybe so.
Maybe not. Maybe so.

Heav, like,

he really didn't

care what other people said.

Like he kind of had his
own reality going on,

like the the overweight
lovers in the house.

Like nobody was really
checking for overweight lovers.

He made hip-hop sexy.

He was dancing, you
know, back in the day.

When cats wasn't really
getting down like that.

- When that boy starts dancing,

that arena would just go crazy.

- I got a license from Heavy
D to do a lot of what I do.

Big fly brother light
on his feet, agile.

You know what I'm saying,
still looking attractive.

And I'm saying, you know, I
seen the blueprint from him.

- I think I was greatly
influenced by Heav's music

because Heav was part of that
New Jack Swing kind of era.

Like he helped usher
in New Jack Swing.

His music wasn't just
beats and rhymes.

It wasn't just hardcore like

a lot of peoples'
music at the time.

He wasn't thugged out.

I mean, he could
hang with thugs.

He could be around
thugs, but he wasn't

like a thug and he would
be respected by thugs.

- Heavy. Heavy's music

made hip-hop popular

to grandkids and grandmothers.

It was so across the
board without selling out

because the hardest cats
in Harlem and Brooklyn was

going all the way in
on a Heavy D joint.

When the Heav joint came on,

everybody got up
on the dance floor.

But then also, when
you ride in the car

and it's playing on a
New York radio station.

You didn't have to
turn the station,

if your grandmother was
in the car with you.

Or the kids were in the car.

- Because he was able
to walk a fine line

that not everyone can walk
and he did it superbly.

He was a great statesman, as
far as hip-hop is concerned.

- Of course, being a part of
the group when we first started

and singing all the backgrounds

and from "Money
Earning Mount Vernon"

and "Don't You Know",
'Somebody For Me"

* I want somebody
to love me for me *

* Happy happy is the
way that I wanna be *

* I want somebody
to love me for me *

* Happy happy is the
way that I wanna be *

* I'll search low and
I'll search high. *

* Trying to find
myself a cutie pie. *

* My destination leads
me to a dead end, *

* Over and over
and over again. *

* They told me to
wait, so I waited. *

* Anticipated, debating
and delayed it. *

* But still came up with
the same ol' thing, *

* Nothing. *

- And Heav was, you know,
he was in everyone's home.

You know what I'm saying?

And for me to kind
of step into a room

and know that I was about to
get on a record with Heavy D,

was like, you know I felt a
real sense of accomplishment.

You know what I'm saying?
Because that's how I viewed him.

I really respected this man.

* I want somebody
to love me for me *

* Happy happy is the
way that I wanna be *

* I want somebody
to love me for me *

* Happy happy is the
way that I wanna be *

- I just remember Heavy D being
again, like a heavy-weight

rapper who was confident
about who he was.

But, I remember him more
so, being just a dope MC.

And before people like a JZ,

or those rappers who could
ride that fine line between

crossing over and staying
with their core audience.

I remember Heavy D being
one of those first people

that could do that first.

* a commitment,
something to live for *

* Maybe if you take, your time *

* Time has been taken
and time has been spent *

* Now, it's time for
the lover to score *

- Heavy D wasn't a common
music industry person.

Heavy D gave my production
company a deal on Uptown

when he was running
Uptown Records.

And that the thing
that was special

about Heavy D is he wasn't
a typical music industry.

He wasn't all about money
and in his pursuit of money.

Like, forget about the personal
relationship with people.

He was one of the
most personable people
that I knew in the

in the music
industry, kindhearted.

And you couldn't
run into someone

that had something
negative to say about Heav

and that's not common
in the music business.

- We did a record together
called Summer Rain.

And like I said, Heav was
always trying to get me

to do something that
I didn't want to do

or felt like I felt
like I couldn't do.

And so he was on this whole
thing for like weeks and weeks,

that yo, "why don't
you play the guitar?"

I was like, "I don't know
how to play the guitar."

He said, "Yes, you can. If
you can play the keyboard.

You can play the piano.
You can play the bass.

You can play the drums.
You can play the guitar."

I was like, "No, I
cannot play the guitar."

So he bought a guitar, right.

I come to the studio
and it's sitting there.

I was like, he was like,
"man, just try it."

I'm telling this is all,
this was his catch phrase.

"Just try it. I'm telling
you, just try it."

I was like, "all
right, I'll try it."

And the first thing I
played was the the lick

from the Summer Rain record,

he was like "that's it! Go in
the booth lets record that."

And that's how we came
up with that record.

I was like, man, he knew,

I don't know how he
knew that, but he knew.

And I've been playing
the guitar ever since.

- First time I met this
gentlemen, there was a party

I did up in a club
up in Mount Vernon.

The man at that
time was this guy

by the name of the
Everloving Kid Dust,

which is now known
as Brother Arthur

they used to work
along with Karl Kani.

The Everloving Kid Dust

was a member of the Almighty
Universal Zulu Nation.

He was the man, as far as the MC

is concerned up in Mount
Vernon, at the time.

He hired me to do a
party up in Mount Vernon.

I think the name of the
club was called The Bank,

I could be wrong.

The opening act for
him was this gentlemen.

and I got to hear this
gentlemen for the first time.

And I listened to his
style I was like, Whoa.

Where'd he come from?

Not knowing that
within the next year

he will be signed as an artist.

- You know, he used to always
come to the House of Hits,

up to my house, we
used to record a lot.

Me, Heavy D and Pete Rock,

we used to have a chicken
wing eating contest

up at the House of Hits.

You know, there's a
place called Rib Cage.

That used to be up in Rockland.

And you know, we
used to order ribs

and we used to see who
could eat the most ribs

or the most chicken wings
in the least amount of time.

And you know, Pete
Rock always won,

but you know those are
some of my fondest moments

of being with Heavy
D other than creating

some of the songs
that touch the world.

But, you know, Heavy D was,

he's like one in a
million, you know.

The best guy you would
ever want to know

in your life was Heav, for real.

- Our last conversation was
about how good we both looked

and how good we were doing.

You know what I'm
saying? Real talk.

It was like, you know, of course

Heav always been good on his
feet, you know what I'm saying?

But, he seemed like he was
getting his health in order.

I was getting mine in order.

It was one of those
those conversations.

You keep doing what you're
doing, I'm keep what I'm doing

and it was all fair, it was
just, you know what I'm saying?

Just, just standing
there and just talking.

It wasn't about radio.

It was just us. We're
like catching up.

Like, man, you look good.

Keep doing what you're doing.

And, and it was it was
a longer conversation,

but it wasn't radio.

It was just, you know, the
time that I had a chance

to speak to him not knowing

that that'll be our last
real conversation, you know?

- And I remember when I lost
my brother when I was 22.

You know, I really became
disillusioned about the business

because people would say,

"Yeah, I heard about
your brother, Latifa.

Can I get an autograph
the autograph"

or "I heard about your
brother, can I get a picture?"

Like in the same sentence.

And I felt like people
really didn't care

and Heavy D and Patti LaBelle
were two of the people

that really from the
business really reached out.

And I think Heav, because he
had lost a brother, as well.

He knew the pain
that I was feeling.

He knew what I
was going through.

And he just encouraged
me and to let me know

it'd be all right, that I
would make it through it.

- I think he inspired the
entire hip-hop nation, honestly.

Like I can just keep going on
with names and names and names

but Heav is just a big
ball of inspiration.

Like, I mean, when
you see Heavy,

he lights up a room, I mean,

If anyone that's been privileged

to be in his presence,

Heav is just inspiration.

- When you look in the
dictionary under the word loyal

you should see
Heavy's face there,

hands down, without a doubt.

- I saw one day he
was very, very cold

some guy on the
street and he said,

"Dad, look at that
guy over there."

He's like, cold.

And he got out of that car,

he took his coat off
and gave it to him.

And I said, "that
is something else.

You are something else."

He said, " Dad, that guy
was cold, we're not cold."

This gentle giant, who was

always willing to help,

anyone who was in his path.

- He did a lot of good
for a lot of people

and people would be
surprised, how many people

he's helped in this
industry, so many.

- It seemed like every
time I would get ready to

do something stupid
or I was about to go

and drink myself on the
table, I would run into Heavy.

And he'd be like, "where are
you going? What you doing?"

And it's like, he always knew

that I was about to do something

ridiculous and he was saying,
"you're better than that.

You know, you're better
than that, Mary."

- I'm just watching him
night after night go out

and give it everything,
no matter what,

was inspiring to me,
artistic and just as a man,

you know, that that
concept of one person,

one life at a time,
leaving your mark

and creating your legacy.

- He would just say one
thing that would really

like make my stomach hurt,

like how a brother
is with a sister.

But, what I realized now is,

that was his way
of making me tough.

That was his way of poking me

to make sure I was
still being inspired.

- Heavy was more like a
mentor, a big brother,

a guy with a real big heart.

- He and I had just
recently gotten together

and going to Vegas
and like he got,

he got up and got
on stage with me

and did another, we found love.

We talked all night
and we laughed.

And like, you know, he
gave me so much wisdom.

So much advice.

- Heav played a very significant
role in a lot of our lives.

- He's touched so
many people's lives

that every time
someone would call me

or our say and they
would say things like,

he's done this for me,
he's done that for me.

And everybody has the
same thing to say.

He was my best friend.

- Now, let's welcome of
the hottest rap crews

in the business, this
is their latest single

on the MCA label

entitled "The Overweight
Lover in the House."

And they are Heavy
D and The Boyz.

- [Narrator] Heavy D
and The Boyz took a ride

on the soul train in 1988.

His collaboration with
Teddy Riley's New Jack sound

had the dancers
grooving and mimicking

his signature footwork.

Even Don Cornelius, who
was slow to embrace hip-hop

had to recognize and respect
that the overweight lover

was definitely in the house.

* In the House *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

* The Overweight
Lover's in the House *

- You fellows have sold a
tremendous amount of records,

and most of it happened without
a great deal of radio play.

- We started from like playing
in front of like 150 people

all the way up to
15,000 and 20,000.

You know, it's just a
stage that we had to take.

Radio wasn't, you know,
they was very particular

about what records
they were playing,

as far as rap was concerned.

You know? And at the time
we, you know, we was out

with like major artists,

like LL Cool J. was
out at the time.

Other artists was
out at the time.

So, it was harder for us.

So, we had to work
all the clubs.

We had to do all the
work that we could do

to sell our records.

And it's paying off now.

Cause here we are on Soul Train.

- [Cornelius] Heavy
D and The Boyz.

- He came across, like,
you knew him all the time.

- He was honest.

If he didn't like something,

he would tell you, "Hey
man, that ain't cool."

Or, you know, you never
heard him say a bad word

about anyone.

It was always that
he was that guy that

that was trying to make
every situation all right.

Almost give you a hug without
even touching you, you know?

- And I performed on
one of his albums.

We did a song together,
you know, he sought me out-

He saw something in me.

That's the old G, you know,
like I'm cut from this cloth.

- Being in the business.

As long as he was
in the business,

you never felt that way.

You know, he just
felt like your buddy

that you went to school with,

or you know, that you
grew up with round away

and they made it, but
they didn't become it.

- "Gyrlz, They Love Me" mean

that they love Heav
for who he was, man.

And how he stayed
clean is because

he never really slept
around like that.

You know, "if I find
somebody and we vibe, cool.

Other than that, I ain't
running around like that."

So, that was just
a clean cut guy.

* It feels really
good to be Heavy D *

* because the girls, the
girls, they love me. *

* Gyrlz they, gyrlz
they love me. *

* Cause he's The
Overweight Lover Heavy D! *

* Gyrlz they, gyrlz
they love me. *

* Cause he's The
Overweight Lover Heavy D! *

- Here's explosion from the
time that Mr. Big stuff erupted,

you know, through
the early nineties

that brought more
people into our circle

and around us like, again,
that might've taught us

life experiences, professional
experiences, you know,

had things to offer that we
might not have ordinarily

have been exposed to,
but it never changed him.

Heav stayed at home.

He didn't, he didn't run
out and buy a mansion.

He didn't run out and
buy a thousand cars.

He stayed at home.

- Heavy D was very lower
middle-class neighborhood.

He was like every
black kid, honest.

And that honesty made him real.

- Heavy D was the mayor of
Mount Vernon and it showed.

- Well, Mount Vernon is a city
that is four square miles.

We have Denzel Washington
who comes from Mount Vernon.

So the music explosion
happened, of course,

Heavy D and The Boyz,

myself- Jeff Redd, Al B.
Sure, Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth,

but Mount Vernon was
always rich in culture.

And it still is.

- It's amazing what
folks from Mount Vernon

have accomplished.

You go into studios and
kids from Mount Vernon

or now grown men and women
from Mount Vernon are

behind the cameras,
are behind the records,

are managing people.

All because we've been
able to reflect the values

that we grew up with.

- I just remember us being on
tour with half a Mount Vernon

from the barbershop on the
road with us, you know,

one's the wardrobe guy and
one's helping the catering.

And the other ones with luggage

because he gave everybody a job,

take them out of the
hood, put them to work

let them see the world.

And that was the kind
of dude that Heav was.

- Now, where we about to
enter is the famous park

that everybody know Heav
from, Lorraine Park.

With the loss of Heavy D,

this park is now named Heavy
D and The BoyZ playground,

which is going to go through
a lot of renovations.

A big mural of Heav will
be placed on the wall.

We gonna fix it back up, man.

We going to make it the
real Lorraine Park, but

it's going to be Heavy D
and The Boyz playground.

Whatever you think where
Heav started for, man,

with the lumberjack jacket,

with the corduroy
with the old Timbs.

This is where it began.

- When I think
about Heavy's music,

he was the one who
brought in melody

and brought in
that aspect of R&B

that nobody else had thought
to use and he did it so well

* I'm steady, picking my brain *

* Trying to figure your game *

* What's your angle, tell me *

* Where you're coming from *

* The whole picture is strange *

* So I'm digging the frame *

* Because I like what I see *

* And I want some *

* So tell me what's your plot *

* What's your plan *

* You're looking for
A brother to get got *

* I'm not your man *

* But believe in me *

* You want to be with me *

* But you won't
even talk to me *

* To tell me what it
is you see in me *

- I was on tour with Heav,

when Trouble "T"
Roy was killed and

I just in such shock
at how he was even able

to make it through that tour.

- Heavy D was, was my
family. He was my cousin.

And it meant a lot to
not only us, as family

but the world out there.

He's very ambitious with doing
things even off the record,

not talking about music,
but talking about musically.

He always put his
best foot forward

and always looked up to him.

Even,

for anything, you
know what I'm saying?

So, when we started doing music

he just kind of put
me under his wing.

I just kind of took it
day by day, step by step.

We did it as a hobby.

You know, we listened
to it for so long.

As younger kids, got a
chance to be involved in it.

Once we got involved in it
then he made his first record

and we enjoyed listening
to it for the first time

on the radio.

The whole neighborhood
was so happy

and we felt we
had a niche going.

And I was only like doing

baby things at the time

like co-producing
and lending my ideas.

And then I got involved
with learning the equipment.

And once I learned how to
work the equipment, you know

we started having fun, then.

It was just like
a family venture.

(soft music)

- He was really strong
about just be who you are.

And you can get out
in, in this world.

And with entertainment,
you can get lost

and Heav never really got lost.

- I look at Heavy as
a protector for me,

an angel, a friend.

- he really, truly,
honestly had nothing,

but love for everybody.

- I think it was always a shock

for people to see such a big guy

get out there and shake
and move the way he did.

- He has such a
great personality.

When I first met him, it was
like, I knew him forever.

Even though I had just met him.

- I hear it is I'm a big dude.

And he was a big dude, but
he was just out there moving.

Like he was well, 40.

- There was one thing I remember

about Heavy that nobody
could ever duplicate.

Everybody's always
trying to do to.

(rhythmic singing)

See, I can't do it.

- Whether it was a blood family

or community family,
or friends family,

just people in general.

He, he just had a
love for people.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] The icon's
success like most,

had its turbulent times in
1990 when one of the group's

dancers, Trouble "T" Roy, died

from an accident fall backstage

the group's career
took a dramatic change

and sent Heavy into an
emotional whirl-wind.

- When Troy passed, it was
actually like the centerpiece

of the group kind
of was missing.

And that's how the group started

to drift apart, at that time.

It was because
Troy was the person

that really held the
whole thing together.

- Knowing he had to go
out on stage every night

and fulfill his
commitment to this tour.

Having lost one of
his best friends

and yet still going
out on that stage

and showing up for 20,000
people every night.

It just was, you know, amazing
to me how strong he was.

And I know he was broken.

You know, watching the poise
at which he handled it.

I thought was just unbelievable.

- This is hard.
It was real hard.

It's like, you lose
everything at once.

You know, you don't have no,
self-esteem, no motivation.

I'd just like to thank
all the fans out there

who support us because
they're the main reasons

why we are able to come
back and come back stronger.

- These guys are
on the 1990 tour,

all the way, even up to the
Trouble "T" Roy incident.

I remember I had to
kind of like be the

indirect bad-guy

by saying things like, look,
nobody play around behind stage

and keep your clowning and your
playing around to a minimum.

I think I was somewhere
else, you know,

doing some work
interviews or whatever.

They come off the stage.

We came on the stage, played
to the Indianapolis crowd,

did our show, came off the stage

and first thing I'm
looking at faces

and I'm like, what
the hell happened?

And they point to areas and
they said this would happen.

They were playing backstage.

Troy fell over onto the street.

And everybody was
at the hospital.

I couldn't have perceived that.

Something like
that would happen.

We all go to the hospital,

the whole tour, the
whole damn tour.

And the minute we
walked through the door,

of course, I see,
you know, I mean

the same guys I always used
to see happy, fun loving,

jovial, clowning, playing

Everybody had that
look on their face.

They're crying.

And I seen seriously that
in that 24-hours span

Heavy D go from boy to
man in the worst way.

- [Narrator] In the mid 1990s,

he became the president
of Uptown Records.

And in many ways, his influence
extended beyond his albums,

as he discovered and
mentored new talent

and collaborated on hits such
as "Jam" with Michael Jackson.

and "Alright," with Janet.

- I'm introduced to Janet

I got an advanced
copy of your album.

I heard your album.

And I wrote a rap for
one of your records.

Oh, well, I'd love to do it.

And I, you know, get
with you and we'd do it.

And we exchanged numbers
and she never called me.

Two months later, I was in
California in my hotel room

and I get a phone call
from someone saying,

"Jackson would like to
meet with you about the rap

that you wrote for her record,"

I'm like, Ooh, what?

Cause I'm forgetting
all about this now.

It's like, what record?

What, which Jackson, who?
They're like "Janet Jackson?"

I was like, I said, "I
gotta call you back."

So, I send my man down to the
store and he get the album.

And like I wrote the
rap and I called back.

I said, "yeah, I
have the rap, now.

I had it, you know, but
I was on the interview,

so I couldn't do it."

And then like three weeks later

I was in Minneapolis
with Jimmy Jam

and Terry Lewis
and cut the track.

- Well, I think we
all, personally,
we're a Heavy D fans.

I know myself and Terry
got a chance to work

with him with
"Alright" with Janet

and he added so much magic and
so much energy to the song.

* Now be it thick
as a milkshake *

* Or thin as a cornflake *

* I love you to death
but I ain't pressed
for the heartbreak *

* And anyway, who cares about
what other people talk about? *

* I'd rather hear it
from the horse's mouth *

* See, I believe in,
being believed in *

* No love lives, no low
tides, it's all paper thin *

* But watch for the trickery,
some people are slippery *

* They appear making history,
disappear like a mystery *

- Certainly one of the
pioneers in rap music

but also one of the people
that moved it forward as

as hip-hop and rap came together

and soul music all
came together as one.

He was one of the
leaders in doing that

and putting melody on it.

And, but he, but beyond
that he was just a great,

just a great person.

* The overweight
lover MC, the cap *

* The rap, the hand
clap, foot tap *

* Heavy D, dee, dee, dee. *

- I think it was 1990

Where the Fresh Prince
of Bel Air came around.

And so, you know, we went
West, we started looking in the

in the TV world and
Queen Latifa and LL,

we started seeing the, you know,
the possibilities of moving

from the hip-hop and being
able to parlay hip-hop

into something else
and Heav called.

He was like, "yo man,
I'm moving to LA."

He was like, "I
think I can do that.

I wanna, I wanna act, man"

- I moved to Los Angeles to
do "Living Single" as an actor

and Will was already there.

We were all friends, like
we'd all toured together.

So, we're all good friends
from just being on the road.

And growing up in hip-hop.

- Heav's acting
career could have been

even larger than
his music career.

Heav was a real actor.

- And then the key to
acting is not to act.

He would tell me all these
things that he learned.

He said, "man, I had lunch
with Bobby the other day."

I'm like, "Bobby, who?"

"Oh, Robert de Niro."

- I admired him for taking
the craft very seriously,

And he did.

He started training and
he was studying in LA.

I know he was taking
a bunch of workshops

and he started doing
a bunch of plays.

- I've seen, Heav act.

I've, you know, I've
seen the movies,

but I seen Heav come on stage.

And I watched him get
into this character.

I literally say, "yo
man, you're a real actor"

- The first time we met was
on the set of "Living Single."

They told me, Yvette
who was the creator

and executive producer
for "Living Single"

She first told me that
Heavy D was going to be

a new love interest for Regine

and I was like, "really cool!"

There was this great
role for this guy who

Regine would wind up dating.

And she, you know, her
character was so, you know

kind of stuck up that, you
know, when she winded up

when she wound up
dating this guy sort of

and then he winds up brushing
her off, it was hilarious.

- Hey, it was fun hanging out.

- Well, we're friends
right? And friends hang out.

So, I'll call you.

- All right
- Okay, take care.

- You, too.

- So? How did he take it?
- Not well.

(studio audience laughs)

- I remember thinking
that I was, I was kinda

disappointed that the storylines

or that arc of that romance

was so short lived, I guess.

Because, like I said, from
a very selfish standpoint,

I liked where it took Regine.

- I don't know, in some small
way, I kind of think, you know

Kim really liked Heav.

I think Heav had
this like swagger.

He could kind of put it on you.

So, I think she sort of,
I saw her blush in ways

that I've never seen her
blush with other guys

who made guest
appearances on the show.

So, I think Heav
might've put that swag

on a little something.

- As a teenager, I
was, I was involved

with death row records.

That's who I worked for.

And you know, the whole
East Coast, West Coast,

Death Row, bad boy thing.

So, you know, I'm 18,
you know, whatever.

And he calls me and says,
"yo, has he ever met Puff?"

I was like, "nah, I ain't never
met Puff, this is Death Row"

You know that whole thing.

He said, "man, quit being
stubborn. You need to meet him

I'm telling him you got to meet
him and see the opportunity

of a lifetime."

I was like, "what?"

And I'm just headstrong
and stubborn like.

So he's, I didn't know.

He was actually
sitting next to Puff,

While he is talking to me,

he's like, "man, you get
down here to the studios"

And he did it like, and
I hung up, we hung up.

He called me an hour later.

And again, he was like, "man,
are you coming down here?"

I was like, "man, I'm
not coming down there."

And finally he called me again.

I was like, "all
right, I'm coming."

This time he cursed me out
like for 20 minutes straight.

Like I'm like, "okay,
I'll come down.

Came down there, he
introduced me to Puff

and we got to talking
and Puff asked me, weird,

He asked me a question about
gospel music for some reason.

I don't know why.

Cause you know, he
doesn't know me.

I don't know him.

And at this point I've
never done any gospel music

not professionally like that.

At that point, I had done
Death Row and some R&B stuff

you know, but I had
just met and signed

to my production company
two girls called Mary Mary.

And so, and Heav
didn't even know this.

And I had two records
in my pocket on them.

He said, "man, I'm working on
this bad boy gospel record."

I said, "really? I just
signed a gospel group."

So I played him the record
and Heav was in the room.

He's watching me.
He's looking at Puff

and watching me, you know,
and I played a record.

And Puff goes nuts.

Like, "Oh, I want to
sign them right now."

You know, Heav's, you
should have saw his face.

He just beamed like,
I did it again.

Like, I did it again
and we never did sign

that deal with Puff, but it
started a spark, an interest.

So everybody being
interested in the group

because Puff was interested
in the group, you know,

we had a whole bidding
war thing go on

and that would've
never happened.

You'd never heard or
hear of Mary Mary,

if Heav didn't insist and
curse me out into coming

to that studio, you know,

I'm not going to
ever forget that.

- [Narrator] Consumed in the
sounds of Freddie McGregor,

Beres Hammond and Bob
Marley Heavy's 2008, Vibe CD

was heavily influenced
by the reggae tones

of his Jamaican roots.

- You know,
Ba-diddly-diddly Dee,

that part there, that's
the Jamaican rift'

- Heavy was probably
one of the first rappers

that was doing that
diddly-diddly thing

and like kinda mixing
reggae with hip hop.

- And when people
heard it and was like,

wow this big light-skinned
Teddy bear guy.

it was a fun time to see
him bring that to life.

- One of the things
that people love

about Heavy D was he
was fly, number one,

his personality, number two

and then his stage show
was consistently good.

- A lot of what you see in
the music videos with Heavy

the laughing and the smiling

and the dancing is
really who he is.

- Like I worked on "Black
Coffee", no sugar, no cream.

That's the kind of
girl down on my team.

* Black coffee, no
sugar, no cream *

* That's the kind of girl
I need down with my team *

* Black coffee, no
sugar, no cream *

* That's the kind of girl
I need down with my team *

* Black coffee, no
sugar, no cream *

* That's the kind of girl
I need down with my team *

*Black coffee, no
sugar, no cream *

*It's just the way I like it *

- [Narrator] Heavy D's
death shook the foundation

of the hip-hop community.

With one day of
preparation, hip-hop legends

worked through the
night to perfect

The tongue-twisted,
syncopated-flow of Heavy D.

- I got a call from Paxton.

It just came out of the
clear blue sky was, like

two AM in the morning.
Three in the morning.

Paxton was calling me,

say, "yo, we going
to do this for Heav"

The Heavy D tribute was a
very interesting project

because I was so emotionally
wrapped-up in it.

We were calling people trying
to see who would participate.

And I was really trying to see

if I can get even more
people to contribute

because I felt the
bigger the better.

Time was of the essence.

I didn't sleep for a
couple of days for that.

I know that what we
did and the intentions

on what we did was really,
really clean and was sincere.

You know, I feel
we did good work.

I feel we did great work

and I feel Heavy D is very happy

cause he know the
love was there.

- [Narrator] At the
2011 Soul Train Awards,

legends that came before and
after Heavy performed a tribute

and had the entire
country chanting.

"We got nuttin' but
love for you Heavy."

(crowd chanting)

(crowd chanting)

- We love you, We love you!

(soft music)

- If I wasn't doing this
I'd be bagging groceries.

I was good at that

I was good at this.

And I was very clear about that.

I was always good with words.

I love reading from
the very early age

I would just pick up
anything and read.

I just love what
we're still doing.

Still, always fascinated
by words and people.

To me, those are the
two most dynamic things,

in my structure

I was like, I could
always look at people

and just words like this.

I think the American language
has too many damn words

with 17 words to describe one
thing is very unnecessary.

I got up there, I
got a voice message.

- There's your picture?
- [Heavy D] Handsome fellow

- When did you
take that picture?

- [Heavy D] We'll
not talk about that.

I got a voicemail from him

that I saved just
before he passed away.

- [Interviewer] Scott La Rock?

- And on the flip side of that
is a voice message from Troy.

My best friend, who passed
away in the (indistinct).

I got a little cassette,

remember when we had
cassette voicemail?

That's ironic.

- [Narrator] November 8th, 2011,

Mount Vernon lost
one of their sons.

When Dwight
Errington Myers died,

unexpectedly of a
pulmonary embolism

in Los Angeles, California.

Heavy D credits the
streets of Mount Vernon

for his upbringing.

Thus, it was only fitting
that Mount Vernon be the home

of his final farewell.

- I hold on to the good things

that people have
to say about him.

There's no way I walk streets,
anywhere in Mount Vernon,

it's "Mr. Myers, I'm sorry.
You had a great son."

- In a lot of ways.

I think God sent me to him
and God sent Heav to me.

You know what I mean?

Because I know I
wouldn't be who I am

and doing what I'm doing.

If I'd never met him.

- His music, you
know, touched everyone

in such a positive way.

- And it was so fitting to see,

at even the service,
to see how many people

that showed up and that
talked about their experiences

with Heavy, you know,

It's because that's just
truly who Heavy was.

- I miss Heavy.

And if it wasn't for him, we
probably, none of us, you know

from the Uptown movement
would be here right now.

- God gave him to us
for that period of time.

And he accomplished so much

in that time that
he was with us.

And he's with God.

- The outpour of love from
people all over the world.

It's beyond just New York and
California, in the States.

I mean, I've gotten phone
calls and emails and letters

from Australia, from
Jamaica, from Ghana,

Nigeria, South Africa.

- I miss him a lot when I'm sick

because he would always be
like, "Oh, it's okay, Xea"

And I would get
that big bear hug.

So I guess I really
miss his big bear hugs.

- You don't have a lot of
friends in his life, man.

You may think so.

A lot of constituents,

but you don't have a lot
of friends in this life.

So, one of my friends as well

- [Announcer] "Big Time"
by Heavy D and The Boyz.

(audience cheers)

A HA!

- On behalf of me and
my DJ at Eddie F.,

right here we would like
to thank our parents

Mom and Dad, you in the
audience, I love you.

There were two prior award
shows before this one.

We all know what they were.

I won't mention the names.

Grammy's and American
Music Awards.

(audience laughs)

The point that I'm
trying to stress is this.

I felt real bad that
they didn't even consider

us for a nomination.

And no, no, but
it's cool because

I felt bad up until
the time, I sat there,

walked up here, grabbed this.

(audience cheers)

Hold up, and it's nice to know.

It feels good to be black,
even though I'm a yellow-black.

I'm Black

and it's nice to know
American Music Awards

and Grammy's y'all
alright, but I got Soul.

- I am going to make an effort
to keep his memory alive.

His goodness on this Earth
should never be forgotten.

(soft music)

* Uh huh, Uh huh *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Hey, Lady. *

* Uh huh *

* Hey, Lady. *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* All I want to do
is pay my bills *

* Feed my chills,
stack my mills. *

* House in the hills,
this is real. *

* Don't care about
what you drive *

* How you live, who you
screw, who you did *

* I'm a focus on the
good life, good wife. *

* That's it. Wrap it up
then it's good night. *

* But, right now one
more joint to bounce to *

* Thug-Cats one more joint
to smoke an ounce to *

* One more joint to
get my point across *

* Double shot of Henny,
and then a malt. *

* Ya'll aint never
gonna forget me *

* Ya'll always going
to respect me. *

* To the death of me. I'm *

* Heavy *

* Who keeps you bouncing *

* Heavy *

* Who keeps you rockin' *

* Heavy *

* All night long *

* Heavy *

* All night long *

* Heavy *

* Girls, the girls they love. *

* Heavy *

* Who keeps it in the chain *

* Heavy *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Hey, Lady. Uh
huh. Hey, Lady. *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* Who you talkin' about *

* All I want to do
is pay my bills *

* Feed my chills,
stack my mills. *

* House in the hills,
this is real. *

* Don't care about
what you drive *

* How you live, who you
screw, who you did *

* I'm a focus on the
good life, good wife. *

* That's it. Wrap it up
then it's good night. *

* But, right now one
more joint to bounce to *

* Thug-Cats one more joint
to smoke an ounce to *

* One more joint to
get my point across *

* Double shot of Henny,
and then a malt *

* Ya'll aint never
gonna forget me *

* Ya'll always going
to respect me. *

* To the death of me. I'm *

* Heavy *

* Who keeps you bouncing *

* Heavy *

* Who keeps you rockin' *

* Heavy *

* All night long *

* Heavy *

* All night long *

* Heavy *

* Girls, the girls they love *

* Heavy *

* Who keeps it in the chain *

* Heavy *