Brandon's Buzz

Heavy D and the Boyz (featuring Aaron Hall) —
“Now That We Found Love”
(from The Best of Heavy D and the Boyz) —

The niche-fueled success of N.W.A. and Public Enemy clearly portended what was just around the bend, but as the ’80s gave way to the ’90s, the burgeoning hip-hop movement still tended to — or, at least, tried like hell to — maintain an air of fun-loving, gloriously naive innocence about itself. And bridging the gap between the wannabe pop stars (MC Hammer, Young MC) and the real deal Holyfields (Snoop, Dre, Biggie) just waiting in the wings, Heavy D (given name: Dwight Myers) was instrumental in dragging the genre permanently into the mainstream, brilliantly integrating into one cohesive sound elements of raucous rap, infectious dance, and straight-up soul, and riding this smash right into some well-earned crossover success. (Myers passed away yesterday at the too-damn-young age of 44 after collapsing from respiratory failure in the driveway of his California home, but his contributions to the artform won’t soon be forgotten. Rest in peace, Heavy.)

names dropped with reckless abandon: Aaron Hall, Dr. Dre, Dwight Myers, Heavy D and the Boyz, MC Hammer, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B.I.G., Young MC