Dwight Arrington Myers^[2] (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011),^[3] better known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, singer, actor, 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. The five albums the group released were produced by Teddy Riley, Marley Marl, his cousin Pete Rock and Eddie F.^[4]

Biography[link]

Myers was born on May 24, 1967 in Mandeville, Jamaica, the son of Eulahlee Lee, a nurse, and Clifford Vincent Myers, a machine technician.^[5] His family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, in the early 1970s,^[6] where he was raised.^[7]

Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records, with Heavy D as the frontman and only rapper, and Eddie F was his business partner in the group and one of his producers. The other two members, T-Roy and G-Wiz were the dancers. Their debut, Living Large, was released in 1987. The album was a commercial success; Big Tyme was a breakthrough that included four hits.

Dancer Troy "Trouble T. Roy" Dixon 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.^[4]

Heavy D gained even more fame by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv. 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.^[4] 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 appeared in his music video for "One More Chance".

In the mid-1990s, Myers became the first rapper to head a major music label, when he became the president of Uptown Records. Myers helped to develop rhythm-and-blues singer Mary J. Blige's career and hired Sean “Diddy” Combs as an intern. During this time, Myers also developed the R&B boy band Soul for Real, and was the executive producer and principal writer of several songs on the group's breakout album, Candy Rain.^[8] He later became the senior vice president at Universal Music.^[9]

Death[link]

Heavy D performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards on October 29, 2011. Although it was his first televised live performance in 15 years, it was also his final live performance. 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.^[7] Heavy D's death was initially thought to be connected to pneumonia.^[10]

An autopsy report, released on December 27, 2011, found that the cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.^[11] The coroner's office found that Myers died of a blood clot in his lung. He also suffered from deep leg vein thrombosis and heart disease. The blood clot was "most likely formed during an extended airplane ride," said Craig Harvey, chief of the Los Angeles County department of coroner. The rapper had recently returned from a trip to Cardiff, Wales where he performed at a tribute to Michael Jackson.^[11]

Discography[link]

• Living Large (1987)
• Big Tyme (1989)
• Peaceful Journey (1991)
• Blue Funk (1993)
• Nuttin' But Love (1994)
• Waterbed Hev (1997)
• Heavy (1999)
• Vibes (2008)
• Love Opus (2011)

Filmography[link]

• New Jersey Drive (1995)
• B*A*P*S (1997)
• The Cider House Rules (1999)
• Life (1999)
• Big Trouble (2002)
• Larceny (2004)
• Step Up (2006)
• Tower Heist (2011)

Television appearances[link]

This section may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the article's layout. (November 2011) Click [show] on right for more details. No reason has been cited for the Wikify tag on this article.You can insert a reason using the |reason= parameter, like this: {{Wikify|reason=Your reason here}} Please replace HTML markup with wiki markup where appropriate. Add wikilinks. Where appropriate, make links to other articles by putting "[[" and "]]" on either side of relevant words (see WP:LINK for more information) and check that your links work as expected. Please do not link terms that most readers are familiar with, such as common occupations, well-known geographical terms, and everyday items. Format the lead. Create or improve the lead paragraph. Arrange section headers as described at Wikipedia:Guide to layout. Add an infobox if it is appropriate for the article. Clean up / format the references and footnotes, using citation templates when appropriate. Remove this tag.

• A Different World episode "Delusions of Daddyhood"
• Roc (recurring)
• Living Single (recurring)
• Boston Public
• The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, 2 episodes: "Someday Your Prince Will Be In Effect" (Parts 1 & 2) aired 29 October 1990.^[12]
• The Tracy Morgan Show
• Bones
• Tyler Perry's House of Payne episode "Dream Girls"
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Personal Fouls"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Heavy D on Facebook
• Heavy D on Myspace
• Heavy D at the Internet Movie Database
• Heavy D on Twitter

Kool G Rap
Kool G Rap performing in New York City, 2004
Background information
Birth name	Nathaniel Thomas Wilson
Also known as	Kool G. Rap, G Rap, Giancana
Born	(1968-07-20) July 20, 1968 (age 43) Queens, New York City, US
Origin	Corona, Queens, New York City, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, mafioso rap, hardcore hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, record producer, screenwriter, author
Years active	1986–present
Labels	Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records Cold Chillin' Cold Chillin'/Epic Street/SME Records KOCH'
Associated acts	DJ Polo, Juice Crew, Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, Fat Joe, Canibus, Five Family Click, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, MF Grimm, Mobb Deep, R.A. The Rugged Man, Ras Kass, DJ Premier, Rick Ross, Game (rapper)

Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968^[1]), better known by his stage names Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap, and originally Kool Genius of Rap) is an American rapper, from the Corona neighborhood of Queens, New York City.^[2] He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is often cited as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time^{[3][4][5][6][1][7][8][9][10]} as he is a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content^{[5][10][11][12][13][14]} and multisyllabic rhyming.^[15] On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana" (after the mobster Sam Giancana), but on other occasions he's stated that it stands for "Genius".^[1][16]

He has also been cited as a major influence to some of hip-hop's most critically acclaimed figures such as Eminem, Nas, Jay-Z, Big Pun, RZA and more.^[9][17][18]

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Wilson grew up in the poverty-ridden streets of Corona Queens, New York with legendary producer Eric B.^[19] In an interview with The Source he stated;

Growing up in Corona was like a little Harlem, it wasn't that hard for a nigga to be influenced by the street life type of mentality. I was like 15 years old, Ma dukes couldn't dress a nigga no more and at that age you want a little money in your pocket. That's what gets us all, material possessions. A nigga got caught up in that mentality. Nigga started selling drugs at a certain point, and all that shit, it's what was goin' on in the streets ... eventually all my friends got smoked. Everybody was droppin'. All my friends started packing burners everyday, we was wild shorties.

—Kool G Rap, The Source Magazine, issue 72, September, 1995.^[20]

Around this time, Wilson was looking for a DJ, and through Eric B., he met DJ Polo, who was looking for an MC to collaborate with.^[19]

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo[link]

Juice Crew producer, and Mr. Magic DJ; Marley Marl knew Polo, and allowed him and G Rap to go to his studio to do a demo, which resulted in the song "It's a Demo." The song was written and recorded in one night, and had Marley so impressed, that he instantly embraced Kool G Rap and DJ Polo as Juice Crew members (it's worth noting that this was the first time G Rap had ever met Marley.)^[21] In 1986 on Mr Magic's Rap Attack radio show on 107.5, the duo got their first exposure which created more buzz. They eventually released "It's a Demo" as a single with "I'm Fly", along with two more singles. Shortly after this, Kool G Rap appeared on the Juice Crew's classic posse cut 'The Symphony' before they released their debut album, Road to the Riches in 1989.^[22][23] This album and their two later albums, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) and Live and Let Die (1992), are highly regarded and considered Hip-Hop classics.^{[12][15][22][24][25][26]} Eventually in 1993, Kool G rap parted ways with DJ Polo in pursuit of a solo career.

Solo career[link]

In 1995, G Rap started his solo career with the album 4,5,6, which featured production from Buckwild, and guest appearances from Nas, MF Grimm and B-1 – it has been his most commercially successful record, reaching No.24 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.^[27] This was followed by Roots of Evil in 1998.^[1] He was then meant to release his next album, The Giancana Story in 2000, on Rawkus Records, but due to several complications with the label, the album was pushed back several times, and eventually released in 2002. "My Life" the hit single from the album featuring Talk Box legend G-Wise reached No.5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts. In 2008 he released the EP Half a Klip on Chinga Chang Records, featuring production from, among others, DJ Premier and Marley Marl.^[28]

Criticisms of Kool G Rap's solo albums usually focus on the production not being up to the standard of the rapping.^[29][30]

While Kool G Rap has always been popular and well respected in Hip-Hop circles for his lyrical skills,^[11][15] he never crossed over and saw the same level of commercial success as rappers such as Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane, both also members of the Juice Crew.^[28][31] He is known for consistently making records which are hardcore, dark, intelligent, and underground.^{[6][11][12][26]}

Legacy[link]

Kool G Rap is regarded as a hugely influential golden age rapper.^[1] Music journalist Peter Shapiro suggests that he "created the blueprint for Nas, Biggie and everyone who followed in their path".^[32] Kool G is described by Kool Moe Dee as "the progenitor and prototype for Biggie, Jay-Z, Treach, Nore, Fat Joe, Big Pun, and about twenty-five more hard-core emcees",^[3] and Kool Moe Dee also claims Kool G Rap is "the most lyrical" out of all of the artists mentioned.^[33] MTV describes Kool G Rap as a "hip-hop godfather", adding that he paved the way for a lot of MCs who we would not have heard of otherwise.^[5] Rolling Stone says, "G Rap excelled at the street narrative, a style that would come to define later Queens MCs like Nas (who was hugely influenced by G Rap on his early records) and Mobb Deep".^[10]

Other artists who have named Kool G Rap as a major influence include Notorious B.I.G.,^[34] Eminem,^[17] Jay-Z,^[35] Tajai of Souls of Mischief,^[36] Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks,^[37] Steele of Smif-n-Wessun,^[38] Havoc of Mobb Deep,^[38] Rock of Heltah Skeltah,^[38] MC Serch,^[39] Termanology,^[40] Black Thought of The Roots,^[41] M.O.P.,^[42] R.A. The Rugged Man,^[43] Bun B of UGK,^[7] Rah Digga,^[8][44] RZA^[9] and Raekwon^[45] of Wu-Tang Clan, Lady Of Rage,^[46] Big Pun,^[2] O.C. of DITC,^[47] Memphis Bleek,^[48] Kurupt,^[49] Pharoahe Monch,^[50] and Twista,^[51][52] among others.

He is also often very highly rated in terms of his technical ability^{[5][6][7][8][9][26][33]} and is often ranked alongside other highly regarded golden age MCs, such as Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, and KRS-One.^[11][15] In Jay-Z's track 'Encore', Jay-Z raps, "hearing me rap is like hearing G Rap in his prime",^[28][53] comparing his skill level to that of Kool G Rap. Allmusic calls him "one of the greatest rappers ever", "a master", and "a legend".^[6][26] A number of rappers, such as Ice Cube, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, Lloyd Banks, and Nas have put him in their lists of favorite rappers.^[54] Kool Moe Dee ranked Kool G Rap at No.14 in his book There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs,^[33] and MTV gives him an 'Honorable Mention' in their Greatest MCs Of All Time list.^[5]

Rhyme technique[link]

Kool G Rap is known for using complex multisyllabic rhymes since his debut (in a similar way to other golden age MCs such as Big Daddy Kane and Rakim),^[15] and this remains a hallmark of his style, along with his rapid-fire delivery and "superhuman breath control".^[15] Although many of today's MCs use multisyllabic rhymes extensively (such as Eminem, Pharoahe Monch, Nas, Papoose, and many others), Kool G Rap is known for taking the technique to its limits and packing in as many multisyllabic rhymes as possible,^[55][56] sometimes all in the same rhyme scheme for a whole verse, such as on Sway & King Tech's 'The Anthem'.^[56]

He has also been cited as one of Hip-Hop's greatest storytellers, alongside Slick Rick and Notorious B.I.G.,^[24][57] with "laser-like visual descriptions",^[12] and "vivid narratives".^[15] Rolling Stone states that, "Live and Let Die continued G Rap's reign as rap music's premier yarn-spinner".^[10]

Kool G Rap provided the foreword for the 2009 book How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC,^[58][59] also providing insight into his rhyming technique.

Mafioso/Street content[link]

Kool G Rap is often credited as the first rapper to infuse his lyrics with mafioso and hardcore street content.^{[5][10][11][12][13][14][15]} This can be seen as early as 1989 in the song "Road to the Riches" where he makes a reference to Al Pacino (who plays mobster Tony Montana in the 1983 crime drama movie Scarface)^[60] – this was long before albums such as Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), and Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (1996) made such references popular.^[14]

Since his debut, he has used various references to mob movies in his lyrics, album covers, and titles.^[1] For example, the first line of 'Bad to the Bone' from Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) is, I'm bad to the bone / with a style like Al Capone,^[61] the album Live and Let Die (1992) uses samples from the film The Untouchables,^[62] the album cover of Roots of Evil (1998) uses elements from The Godfather and Scarface theatrical posters,^[29] and The Giancana Story (2002) album title references Mafia boss Sam Giancana.^[1]

Rolling Stone says, "before Kool G Rap, New York didn't really have the street rap that could hold its own against what artists such as L.A.'s Ice-T and N.W.A were churning out"^[10] and that "G Rap excelled at the street narrative".^[10]

His take on crime, violence, and the mafioso lifestyle ranges from remorse and contemplation (e.g. 'Streets of New York',^[63] described by Rolling Stone as "a vivid look inside the misery of the hood"^[10]), to glorification (e.g. 'Fast Life' featuring Nas^[64]).

Personal life[link]

Wilson dated Karrine Steffans. They have one son. Kool G Rap also has children with other women.^[65]

Discography[link]

Featured appearances[link]

• 1988: "The Symphony" (on the Marley Marl album In Control Volume 1)
• 1991: "Don't Curse" (from the Heavy D album Peaceful Journey")
• 1991: "The Symphony Vol. II" (on the Marley Marl album In Control Volume 2: For Your Steering Pleasure)
• 1992: "Death Threat" (from the Brand New Heavies album Heavy Rhyme Experience Vol. 1)
• 1993: "You Must Be Out of Your Fuckin' Mind" (from the Fat Joe album Represent)
• 1993: "Pee-Nile Reunion" (from the MC Shan Don't Call It Comeback 12")
• 1993: "This Is How We..." (from the Pudgee Tha Phat Bastard album Give Em The Finger)
• 1996: "Representin'" (Ruffa featuring Kool G Rap)
• 1996: "Stick To Ya Gunz" (from the M.O.P. album Firing Squad)
• 1996: "Know Da Game" (from the Frankie Cutlass album Politics And Bullshit)
• 1998: "Truly Yours 98" (from the Pete Rock album Soul Survivor)
• 1998: "Guns Blazing (Drums of Death, Pt. 1)" (from the UNKLE album Psyence Fiction)
• 1998: "40 Island" (from the N.O.R.E. album N.O.R.E.)
• 1999: "Friend of Ours" (from the E-Moneybags album In E-Moneybags We Trust)
• 1999: "The Anthem" Also feat. RZA, Tech N9ne, Eminem, Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Jayo Felony, Chino XL & KRS-One and "3 to the Dome" also feat. Big Daddy Kane & Chino XL (from the Sway & King Tech album This or That)
• 1999: "The Realest" (from the Mobb Deep album Murda Muzik)
• 2000: "Fall Back" (from the Big L album The Big Picture)
• 2000: "Ghetto afterlife" (from the Reflection Eternal album Train of thought)
• 2000: "Legendary Street Team" (from Lyricist Lounge 2)
• 2001: "Let 'Em Live" (from the Chino XL album I Told You So)
• 2001: "I Am" (from the G. Dep album Child of the Ghetto)
• 2001: "Gorillas" (from the Screwball album Loyalty)
• 2001: "No Surrender" (Shabaam Sahdeeq featuring Kool G Rap)
• 2002: "Allied Meta-Forces" (from the Canibus album Mic Club: The Curriculum)
• 2002: "Nuthin Has Changed" (from King Tee album The Kingdom Come)
• 2003: "Animal Rap" (from the Jedi Mind Tricks album Visions of Gandhi)
• 2005: "AIDS" (from the MF Grimm album Scars and Memories)
• 2005: "Ghost & Giancana" (from the Ghostface Killah album Put It on the Line)
• 2006: "We Gone Go Hard" (from the Ras Kass album Revenge of the Spit)
• 2006: "Reckless Eye-Ballin" (from the VERBAL THREAT album The Golden Era)
• 2006: "Full Metal Jacket" (from the Molemen album Killing Fields)
• 2007: "Hood Tales" (from the Marco Polo album Port Authority)
• 2007: "100 Roundz" (from the Domingo album The Most Underrated)
• 2007: "Come one, come all" (from the Styles P album The Ghost Sessions)
• 2007: "Next Up" (from the UGK album Underground Kingz)
• 2007: "6 in the Morning" (from the Statik Selektah album Spell My Name Right: The Album)
• 2007: "Buck Buck" (on the Red Cafe and DJ Envy album The Co-Op)
• 2007: "And Wot (Remix)" (Album "Unified: He Whanau Kotahi Tatou" featuring Sweet Tooth & Carbon Kid)
• 2007: "Terrorise the City(on the Klashnekoff album Lionheart: Tussle with the Beast featuring Kyza)
• 2008: "Queens" (from the LL Cool J Exit 13 Promo EP)
• 2008: "One Shot" (album Hood 2 Hood: The Blockumentary Soundtrack, Pt. 1)
• 2008: "The Next Step" (from the Big John album The Next Step featuring R.A The Rugged Man)
• 2008: "Same Old Hood" (Saul Abraham featuring Kool G Rap & St Laz)
• 2009: "Das Leid / The Light" Azad featuring Kool G Rap (from Brisk Fingaz album Einzelkämpfer)
• 2009: "Gunz From Italy" (from the Club Dogo album Dogocrazia)
• 2009: "Ill Figures" (from the Wu-Tang Clan compilation album Wu-Tang Chamber Music)
• 2009: "Legendary" (from the 67 Mob album Raising The Bar)
• 2009: "ALC Theme" (from The Alchemist album Chemical Warfare)
• 2009: "KGR & Honda" (from the DJ Honda album IV)
• 2010: "Cursed" (from the Diabolic debut album "Liar & A Thief")
• 2010: "Boot Rap" featuring Canibus (from the Mark Deez album "Bootstrap Theory")
• 2010: "White Sand Part 2" Rick Ross Ft. Triple C's from The Albert Anastasia EP
• 2010: "Knife Fight" Rick Ross Ft. Kool G Rap from The Albert Anastasia EP
• 2010: "Ready For War" CHI-ILL Ft. Kool G Rap from The Last Chance Lounge EP.
• 2010: "Controlling Tha Game" Tyger Vinum FT. Kool G. Rap from "Grindin Muzik" album
• 2010: "Frozen" (From The Left album "Gas Mask")
• 2010: "3 Extremes" (from Dusty Philharmonics album "The Audiotopsy", Unexpected Records)
• 2011: "Kies in tha game" (from Duo Kie album "De Cerebri Mortis")
• 2012: "Summertime" (from Adil Omar album The Mushroom Cloud Effect)
• 2012: "Keep it Live" (from NNFoF album No Name Full of Fame)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Paul Edwards, foreword by Kool G Rap, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC. Chicago Review Press.
• Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press.
• Brian Coleman, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard, Random House.
• Peter Shapiro, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin.
• William Jelani Cobb, 2007, To The Break Of Dawn: A Freestyle On The Hip Hop Aesthetic, NYU Press.
• Mickey Hess, 2007, Icons Of Hip Hop, Greenwood Publishing Group.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kool G Rap

• Kool G Rap on Myspace
• Kool G Rap interview March 5, 2008 – Kool G Rap interview with HipHopDX
• Kool G Rap interview 2003 – Kool G Rap interview with MVRemix
• Conspiracy Worldwide Radio September 2010 Uncensored Interview
• Kool G Rap interview with Platform8470 2011-09-19

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2011)

Maxwell Dixon (born March 4, 1966^[1]) is an emcee best known as a member of the group Brand Nubian.^[2]

Biography[link]

He made his debut with the group Masters of Ceremony. Its album Dynamite (1988) was hailed by critics, but probably due to lack of sales, the group soon disbanded, and Puba emerged as the lead emcee of Brand Nubian. After their innovative and versatile debut album One for All (1990)—covering areas from reggae-influenced hip hop music to new jack swing—Puba left the group after disputes with its other members and embarked on a solo career. He became a member of the group again around 1997, recording a few tracks for various soundtracks leading up to the full-length album Foundation in '98. In 1999, Puba and group mate Sadat X performed on the track "Once Again" on Handsome Boy Modeling School's concept album So... How's Your Girl? Following the group's 2004 effort Fire in the Hole, a rejuvenated Puba appeared on tracks with Beanie Sigel ("Bread and Butter," also featuring groupmate Sadat X), Missy Elliott ("My Struggles," featuring his onetime collaborator Mary J. Blige), and Ugly Duckling ("Something's Going Down Tonight").

In 2009, Grand Puba released his fourth solo album, Retroactive, featuring production from hip-hop veterans like Q-Tip, Large Professor, Kid Capri as well as his fellow Brand Nubian's. Puba also appeared on the heavy posse-cut "Fresh" together with Cormega, KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, DJ Red Alert and Parrish Smith of EPMD.

On the song "Old School" by Tupac Shakur Grand Puba was sampled and used in the hook. The sample originates from Grand Puba's verse on the song "Dedication" by Brand Nubian.

Discography[link]

• 1992: Reel to Reel
• 1995: 2000
• 2001: Understand This
• 2009: Retroactive (Babygrande Records)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Grand Puba on Myspace
• Information about Grand Puba

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

CL Smooth (born Corey Brent Penn, Sr., October 8, 1968, New Rochelle, New York) is an American rapper, poet, and is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth.^[1]