Dwight Arrington “Heavy D” Myers was a rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was born on May 24, 1967, to Eulahlee Lee and Vincent Myers in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica. His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, from Jamaica. Much of Myers of early life is unknown. In 1986, Myers formed the group Heavy D & the Boyz with Glen “G-Whiz” Parrish, Troy “Trouble T. Roy” Dixon, and Edward “Eddie F” Ferrell. The group would be the first group signed to Andre Harrell Uptown Records.
In 1987, the group released their debut album, Living Large, which featured the singles “Mr. Big Stuff,” “Chunky But Funky,” and “Don’t You Know.” The album had moderate success but did not sell 500,000 copies. In 1989, the group released its second album, Big Tyme which featured the singles “We Got Our Own Thang,” “Somebody For Me,” and “Gyriz, They Love Me.” The album sold a million units and was certified platinum.
On July 15, 1990, Heavy D & the Boyz member Troy “Trouble T Roy” Dixon died after an accidental fall after a performance in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 1991, the group released their third album, Peaceful Journey which included the singles “Now We Found Love” and “Is It Good to You?” This album also sold a million units and was certified platinum. The fourth album, Blue Funk, was released in 1993. That album included the singles, “Who the Man,” “Blue Funk (Heavy D),” and “Truthful (Heavy D).” The fourth album sold 500,000 units and was certified gold. In 1994, the group released its final album, Nuttin but Love which featured “This Is Your Night.” It sold a million units and was certified platinum.
During his time at Uptown Records, Myers was responsible for convincing Harrell to hire future hip hop mogul Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs as an intern. Myers also discovered R&B performers Soul For Real and Monifah during his career. In 1997, Myers released his first solo album called Waterbed Hev. The album featured the singles, “Big Daddy” and “I’ll Do Anything” and sold 500,000 units. Myers released other solo albums during his career, including Heavy (1999), Vibes(2008), and Love Opus (2011). Myers also has a film career. He appeared in New Jersey Drive (1995), and Life (1999). He also appeared on television shows including A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Living Single,
On November 08, 2011, Heavy D died from a pulmonary embolism in Los Angeles, California at the age of 44. During his lifetime, he had one daughter, Xea Myers. He was also the cousin of record producer Peter “Pete Rock” Phillps.
