When Shaquille O'Neal tried to get into hip-hop in the early 90 's, his rap to benchmark excellence is no big deal or Snoop or even Big Daddy Kane. It Was Heavy D. Shaq is not alone. Heavy D's star faded after the album "blue Funk" in ' 94, but for a while, he was the host of a commercial-minded every rapper wants to be respected: in the streets but loved by millions of people who are not necessarily hip-hop fans first. Heavy d appeared to be holding a golden key.
Because he sometimes likes to play the clown-and hip-hop has a long tradition, which continues to this day, of great and powerful vocalist who goof around on record and in the video–he never mentioned in the list of greatest emcees. Our all-time ranking is very slanted towards a true crime story and grim-faced "reality" rapper intelligence is a mask for a deep pain. But it is a style of hip hop is just one of many. Hip-hop does not have to be a great power that it would have been if it wasn't for the pop-rapper: emcees who can make The move. Heavy d also deftest of rapper party, and one with a sharp. For each song he did about chasing girls, he did the other about the city, friends, and everyday life. If it is not unheard of anguished–if, in fact, he always seemed really happy on the microphone — well, isn't that a legitimate reaction to sudden fame? Who doesn't want to be host in 1988, surrounded by lights and colors, in the midst of a movement that was so clearly ready to conquer the world?
See how many there are recognizable faces in this clip for "Money earnin' Mount Vernon." Salt and Pepa appeared, and a host of other figures who pop casual fans may not be identified, but that's very meaningful to some dedicated. Back in ' 88, hip-hop is still small enough that the Director was able to get the whole crew together to shoot the video; in this case, to The Bronx Parkway to Mount Vernon, where Heavy D
One of the many beautiful things about hip-hop is how it has been illuminated map for us: we learn about Compton from Dre, and Amityville from De La and Seattle of Mix-A-Lot, and the Magnolia projects in New Orleans from Juventus, and Port Arthur of UGK, and a hundred other places in America underreported from correspondents on the scene that we call the emcees. Heavy d is the man from Mount Vernon, and he popularized the nickname that sticks to this day. And in "Money earnin' Mount Vernon," it takes us around the city and tells us where she is eating, where it stores, and invited us to the park where he first distinguished himself as the host. This is a very early on Heavy D, and it is not developed enough fluency to distinguish his most popular record. But the energy and charisma are already there, and love for the block-like components that are essential in all hip hop story worth telling–is real.
I'm not sure if they are doing something in Mount Vernon to commemorate Heavy D's passing; After all, he was born in Jamaica. But Heavy D make Mount Vernon winter. Emcees from Missy Elliott to Talib Kweli started mentioning Westchester in their rhymes. Exceptional artist will come from the area of money earnin' Mount Vernon: the producer and announcer Pete Rock, CL smooth, his partner, who wrote the eternal record "They Reminisce Over You" on the issue of T Roy Boyz, and Puff Daddy, who lives in Mount Vernon for many years, and his move lot cribbed from commercial heavy d. Puffy would take heavy d convenience, showmanship, and pop, and built a huge Empire out of it. Heavy D, unfortunately, will not be part of the Empire, but he deserves to be remembered as one of the main inspirations.