Spinderella is back and blogging about her favorite music show, UNSUNG! The legendary DJ herself recalls her close and personal moments with Heavy D and shares why he is a bricklayer in hip-hop history.
In the words of the late great Notorious B.I.G.:
It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt-n-Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
—- that’s how it was FOR REAL!!!!**!!!! I mean, to re-live my time touring with Heavy D and the Boyz as part of Salt-n-Pepa while watching this premiere episode of Unsung was such a RUSH, I couldn’t help but think of that classic Biggie verse! It was such a fun ride and little did we know, we were making hip-hop history! The first faces I saw in the beginning of my ‘Spinderella’ journey were of course, Salt-n-Pepa and none other than Heavy D. He was more than a mentor to me. He was like my big brother and I simply adored him.
TOURING WITH HEAVY D
*Photo Courtsey of JP Edmond
My first touring experience with Salt-n-Pepa was an extreme amount of fun because we shared a bus with Heavy D and the Boyz!!! The tour bus would stop in Brooklyn first at our then manager’s (JP Edmund) house and me and Salt-n-Pepa would get on. Then we would go to Mt. Vernon to pick up Heavy D and the Boyz and that’s when the fun began. The guys were straight pranksters and would be in something from the time we left until we reached out destination. They would have the bus turned UP, ALL THE WAY LIVE!#*!!!!
Just seeing Heavy in person for that first time was like WOW. He had such a presence about him. You could tell he was BOSS MAN for real. LOL!!! Back then, there was no internet, Twitter, Facebook, etc. so we were forced to interact with each other and we did! My fondest memories of being on tour with him were all the pranks, stopping to eat and going to the mall to shop.
Heavy D and the Boyz saw Salt-n-Pepa like no other. LOL. Them days on the tour bus was ROUGH! LOL. We started off small but would eventually fill arenas. Heavy D and the Boyz was a tough act to follow for sure but Salt-n-Pepa held our own!!!!! When Salt-n-Pepa started to blow-up we started touring on our own and the two groups went their separate ways but those memories of touring with them are the best. I knew every STEP and every SONG of their routine.
ME & THE BOYZ
Yes! LOL. Me and Eddie F, the DJ of Heavy D and the Boyz were quite the item back in those days. When you saw one of us, you saw the other!!!! Heavy even taught me how to drive so Eddie wouldn’t always have to drive to Brooklyn from Mt. Vernon to see me when we weren’t on tour. LOL! Watch my DIARY OF A DJ BLOG HERE about Heavy teaching me to DRIVE.
Since Eddie and I were a couple, I was ALWAYS in the mix with Heavy D and the Boyz. LOL! They couldn’t get rid of me if they tried!!! One could’ve easily referred to this group as ‘Heavy D and The Boyz and a Girl!#!!!’
I’m not surprised that Eddie F. went on to become a successful music executive. He was ALWAYS about the MUSIC and never a rah-rah dude tooting his own horn – that was never his style. Eddie F. was the nicest dude oozing with talent, that’s what I liked about him most. To me, he was and still is a quiet giant who got the job done. Just like the Unsung episode discussed, Eddie F was heavily influenced by Teddy Riley’s style. Riley was like a mentor to Eddie and it paid off big time!
Losing Trouble T
When we got the news about Troy’s horrific accident it was such a blow. I mean when you hear something like that, you just can’t rap your mind around it. I was very concerned for Heavy and the Boyz after that incident because of how connected they were.
Back then, Pete Rock was a young teen and what I would consider a music child prodigy. I remember watching him blow up as he produced that now hip-hop classic “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y).” To this day, that song is probably one of the biggest hip-hop classics!!!!!
SPINDERELLA ON HEAVY’S STYLE
What I didn’t know about Heavy D and The Boyz that was exposed on this Unsung episode is that G Wiz was originally in charge of the groups’ fashion. WHO KNEW?!?? How did I not know that? Maybe I did and forgot or was just oblivious to all that was going on because I was having so much fun!!!! They were always about the music and the look. They were always on POINT- no question!
If you compare Heavy D and The Boyz to other music during that period, they were definitely on the cleaner side. LOL! You could definitely tell that they had morals and seeing Heavy’s family on this episode proved that even more. Don’t get me wrong- Heavy D and the Boyz weren’t perfect but they had THAT wholesomeness about them that reflected in their style and music that set them apart from everyone else.
* WATCH MY DIARY OF A DJ VIDEO BLOG ABOUT HEAVY’S FASHION HERE.
Spinderella on Heavy’s Contribution to Hip-Hop
Just because Heavy D and the Boyz didn’t make it to Michael Jackson megastar status doesn’t mean they didn’t help mold hip-hop. Heavy D is a bricklayer of the music we love today. God bless him and his legacy!
Later!
Spinderella AKA Spindeezy!
Follow me on Twitter @Spindeezy!
Spinderella talks about her personal experiences with Heavy D and The Boyz in her very own Diary of a DJ video blog. Watch here! Tune in Wednesdays at 8/7c for an all-new episode of Unsung.
TELL US: WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE HEAVY D SONG?
