Nassau, Bahamas – As the sad news of the recent and unexpected death of Jamaican-American rapper Heavy D travels across the globe, the affects of his death are hitting close to the heart for two artists in The Bahamas.
Bahamian visual artist Lavar Munroe had the opportunity of doing the cover artwork on Heavy D’s most recent album, “Love Opus” released by Stride Entertainment in September 2011, and recording artist / songwriter, Terneille Burrows collaborated on a project with Heavy D last year.
The working relationship between the rapper and Munroe started when Heavy D inquired about buying art from Munroe with a dual interest in finding a cover art design for his latest album. Munroe expressed,” I believe he thought it was the piece most suited for the purpose of communicating the content of his album.”
“What started as a mutual love for The Arts, organically grew to a business relationship and soon a friendship,” said Munroe. “Heavy D’s down to earth persona aided in the fostering of a relationship that proved to have many similarities. During the time we worked together on his last album, I would get calls all hours of the night ‘You can’t sleep bro…we gatta get this done’ would be Hev’s chuckled after every call.”
Munroe continues, “Our conversations would merge from the task at hand, to family, roots and heritage all of which we shared a lot in common , as he was of Jamaican decent and shared many of the island experiences and joys of family that I did. Conversations would always end on a positive and encouraging note. He was a joy to work with and a great friend who thoroughly understood the arts and our shared passion for it. He also had a great sense of family and I feel for his young daughter who he spoke about a lot. . Hev will be greatly missed by many!
– Lavar Munroe, Visual Artist, www.lavar-munroe.com
“I was honoured to have had the chance to collaborate on a song with Heavy D, even though we never met in person. Technology made it possible to work together without being in the same place, and its through the online medium of Twitter that Heavy D was able to communicate positive messages to his fans around the world,” said well-known Bahamian songwriter and recording artist Terneille ‘TaDa’ Burrows.
“Most know Heavy D as a rapper, but I got the chance to work with him as a music producer because he also made beats. I was unaware of his Caribbean heritage until last year, and was intrigued when I learned he was native of Jamaica.”
“The artists of The Bahamas and Caribbean at large will never forget the contributions of this multi-talented trailblazer in the field of music and entertainment,” Burrows added.
– TaDa, Recording Artist/Songwriter, www.facebook.com/tadalive
Wikipedia: Dwight Arrington Myers aka Heavy D (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), better known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American actor, rapper, record producer, singer 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.
Myers was born on May 24, 1967 in Mandeville, Jamaica, the son of Eulahlee Lee, a nurse, and Clifford Vincent Myers, a machine technician. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, US when he was a young child, where he was raised.
Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records; their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success, though Big Tyme was a breakthrough that included four hits. Trouble T. Roy died at age 22 in a fall on July 15, 1990, in Indianapolis. Dixon’s death led to a tribute on the follow-up platinum album, Peaceful Journey. 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.
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” as well as sister Janet Jackson’s hit single “Alright”. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning the music charts with Nuttin’ But Love. After appearing in the off-Broadway play Riff Raff at Circle Repertory Company, Heavy D returned to recording with the hit Waterbed Hev. In 1997, Heavy D collaborated with B.B. King on his duets album Deuces Wild rapping in the song “Keep It Coming.” Heavy D was referred to in the song “Juicy” by the Notorious B.I.G., and appears in his music video for “One More Chance”.
Heavy D performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards in October 2011. It was his first live performance in 15 years. Myers died on November 8, 2011 in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 44. He collapsed outside his Beverly Hills home and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. It has been reported that his death was due to respiratory issues and that no foul play was involved.
By Robbin Whachell
