#11-08

[csacskamacskamocska]

Szóval az történt,

hogy éjjel csak kidolgozta az agyam magából, mert hajnalban ezzel a felismeréssel ébredtem, hogy dühös vagyok. Még a sírós álmommal kezdődött és drszöszi bekérdezésével. Mint amikor elkapod a fonál végét, lehetett felgöngyölíteni és hozta, hozta magával a sok szart amivel nem akartam szembe nézni és AMIT NEM AKAROK SOHA TÖBBET az életembe.

Van egy nehezen feloldható ellentmondás, hogy nem szeretnék gonosznak, cinikusnak, kritikusnak látszani mert számomra ezek ellenszenves tulajdonságok. És hisztérikusnak meg legfőképpen nem, mert az az anyám. És utálom a vitát, veszekedést, hangoskodást. Ezért sokkal, de sokkal elnézőbb és megértőbb és támogatóbb vagyok, mint amit az adott ember vagy helyzet megérdemel. Supportálod a fogyatékosokat, mondja erre a haverom. Hát, igen. Mert ki, ha én sem, a világra szóló szívemmel – mondta a pszichológus. Csakhogy ez egyetlen embernek okoz kényelmet: annak, aki kapja. Ő nem szembesül a rosszal, ő elégedett lesz magával, lesz testi-lelki kényelme, haladéka és menedéke. A fonal mentén szépen feljött az összes alkalom, amikor az érzéseimet elnyomtam magamban valami fontosabbnak vélt cél miatt. És arra jöttem rá, hogy ez baromság. Ki a faszomat érdekli, hogy a másik minek vagy milyennek lát? Miért kéne érdekeljen? Mit veszítek? Egy szívmelengető, megbízható, támogató, vidító és építő kapcsolatban alkalmazkodni a másikhoz, akinek mindezt köszönhetem, a teljesen normális és nagyon rendbenlevő. De az nem is okoz ilyesféle dühöket.

És akkor ott van az, hogy az ember belegubancolódik ebbe a fonalba, a megértés és elnézés és támogatás ragacsos madzagjaiba és csak vergődik. Vannak persze saját fogyatékosságaim, nyilván. Az egyik ezek közül, hogy annyira nem akarom megbántani a másik embert, hogy így már belecsúszok az őszintétlenségbe. És akkor ott van még az, hogy a véleményed a saját világod, kit érdekel, milyen alapon tolnád rá valaki másra?

Arra emlékszem, hogy a fiam gyerekkorában sokszor tombolt azon, hogy valami nem igazságos. Hogy ha mondtak egy szabályt, akkor azt tessék alkalmazni, kivétel nélkül. Az élet meg nem így működött és a fiam folyton bajba került, és végül lespiclizték a tanárok, meg mit rendőrködik, mondták. Ő pedig makacsul ragaszkodott hozzá és a tombolásig nem értette, hogy a szabály miért nem érvényes és mi alapján alkalmazzák. Én sem értettem őt, mert beleszoktam, hogy a szabályok rugalmasak, hogy anyám és a többi narcisztikus faszfej is kényére kedvére alakítgatja. Úgy gondoltam, hogy meg kell tanítanom a fiamnak, hogy rugalmasnak és elfogadónak kell lenni.

Pedig, oda kellett volna állnom a tanárnő elé, és azt mondani, érdeklődve: tényleg, a szabályok, a megállapodások, miért nem általános érvényűek? Miért az van lebaszva, aki betartja? Miért a többieknek van kényelmük? Miért a tanárnőnek van kényelme?

Dühöngeni kell és veszekedni akkor és ott, és hagyni, hogy a másik inkább elmenjen, ha nem akar szembesülni vagy nem tudja elviselni vagy nem tud megértő lenni, nem akar elgondolkodni vagy e miatt nem fog szeretni. Akkor így jártunk.

[point-of-break]

21.19

Visto che stasera non mi caga nessuno penso che a breve andrò a letto, sono decisamente stanco e il mio umore non può che peggiorare con il passare della sera

[blackkudos]

Minnie Riperton

Minnie Julia Riperton–Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979), known professionally as Minnie Riperton, was an American singer-songwriter best known for her songs during the mid–1970's, Most notably the 1975 R&B/Soul single "Lovin' You". Born in 1947, Riperton grew up in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. As a child, she studied music, drama, and dance at Chicago's Lincoln Center. In her teen years, she sang lead vocals for the Chicago-based girl group, The Gems. Her early affiliation with the legendary Chicago-based Chess Records afforded her the opportunity to sing backup for various established artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Ramsey Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, and Muddy Waters. While at Chess, Riperton also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971.

On April 5, 1975, Riperton reached the apex of her career with her #1 single, "Lovin' You". The single was the last release from her 1974 gold album entitled Perfect Angel. In January 1976, Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a radical mastectomy. By the time of diagnosis, the cancer had metastasized and she was given about six months to live. Despite the grim prognosis, she continued recording and touring. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis, but did not disclose she was terminally ill. In 1977, she became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. In 1978, she received the American Cancer Society's Courage Award which was presented to her at the White House by President Jimmy Carter. She died at age 31 on July 12, 1979.

Early life

Riperton was born in Chicago, the daughter of Thelma Inez (Matthews) and Daniel Webster Riperton, a Pullman porter. The youngest of eight children in a musical family, she embraced the arts early. Although she began with ballet and modern dance, her parents recognized her vocal and musical abilities and encouraged her to pursue music and voice. At Chicago's Lincoln Center, she received operatic vocal training from Marion Jeffery. She practiced breathing and phrasing, with particular emphasis on diction. Jeffery also trained Riperton to use her full range. While studying under Jeffery, she sang operettas and show tunes, in preparation for a career in opera. Jeffery was so convinced of her pupil's abilities that she strongly pushed her to further study the classics at Chicago's Junior Lyric Opera. The young Riperton was, however, becoming very interested in soul, rhythm and blues, and rock. After graduating from Hyde Park High School (now Hyde Park Academy High School), she enrolled at Loop College and became a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She dropped out of college to pursue her music career.

Career

Early career

Riperton's first professional singing engagement was with The Gems, when she was 15. Raynard Miner, a blind pianist, heard her singing during her stint with Hyde Park's A Cappella Choir and became her musical patron. The Gems had relatively limited commercial success, but proved to be a good outlet for Riperton's talent. Eventually the group became a session group known as Studio Three and it was during this period that they provided the backing vocals on the classic 1965 Fontella Bass hit "Rescue Me". In 1964, The Gems released a local hit, I Can't Help Myself, and their last single, He Makes Me Feel So Good, was released in 1965. The Gems later released records under numerous names—most notably 1966's Baby I Want You by the Girls Three and 1967's My Baby's Real by the Starlets. The latter has achieved cult status with northern soul fans and remains a favorite. It was a Motown-style song reminiscent of Tammi Terrell. In 1968, Watered Down was released as a follow-up, under the name The Starlets. It was the last release of Riperton's former girl group. While a part of Studio Three, Riperton met her mentor, producer Billy Davis, who wrote her first local hit, "Lonely Girl", as well as "You Gave Me Soul". In honor of Davis, she used the pseudonym Andrea Davis for the release of those two singles. Some months after her Andrea Davis singles hit radio, Riperton joined Rotary Connection, a funky rock-soul group creation of Marshall Chess, the son of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. Rotary Connection consisted of Riperton, Chess, Judy Hauff, Sidney Barnes, and Charles Stepney. They released their debut in 1967 and, eventually, five more albums: 1968's Aladdin; the Christmas album Peace; Songs; and finally 1970's Dinner Music and Hey Love. In 1969 Riperton, along with Rotary Connection, played in the first Catholic Rock Mass at the Liturgical Conference National Convention, Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, WI, produced by James F. Colaianni.

Come to My Garden

Riperton's first solo album, Come to My Garden, produced, arranged, and orchestrated by Charles Stepney, was released in 1970 by GRT Records. She was presented as a solo artist by Ramsey Lewis on Saturday, December 26, 1970 at Chicago's famed London House. She performed several numbers from the album accompanied by Charles Stepney, the album's producer. Although commercially unsuccessful, Come to My Garden is now considered a masterpiece by music critics and many others in the music industry.

Perfect Angel

 and "Lovin' You"

In 1973, a college intern for Epic Records found Riperton in semi-retirement. She had become a homemaker and a mother of two in Gainesville, Florida. After he heard a demo of the song "Seeing You This Way", the rep took the tape to Don Ellis, VP of A&R for Epic. Riperton signed with Epic Records, and the family moved to Los Angeles, California. The subsequent record, Perfect Angel, turned out to be one of Riperton's best-selling albums. Included were the rock-soul anthem "Reasons"; the second single, "Take a Little Trip" (written by Stevie Wonder, who also coproduced the album); and the third single, "Seeing You This Way". Sales of the album started out slow. Epic was ready to move on to the next record, but Rudolph convinced them to release another single. With the fourth single, "Lovin' You", the album caught on, and in April 1975, the song went to the top of the charts in the U.S. and 24 other countries. The song reached #2 in the UK, and number three on the U.S. R&B charts. It sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in April 1975. Perfect Angel went gold and Riperton was finally revered as the "lady with the high voice and flowers in her hair." The album also featured the song "Every Time He Comes Around", with Deniece Williams singing the background vocals. Riperton's daughter, Saturday Night Live actress Maya Rudolph, was a child when "Lovin' You" was recorded. According to the liner notes from Riperton's Petals compilation CD, the melody to "Lovin' You" was created as a distraction for Maya when she was a baby, so Riperton and Richard Rudolph could spend time together. Near the end of the unedited "Lovin' You", Riperton sings "Maya, Maya, Maya"; in concert, near her death, she changed this to "Maya, Maya, Ringo, Maya." Ringo was her nickname for her son, Marc.

Later career

After Perfect Angel, Riperton and Richard Rudolph started on Riperton's third album, Adventures in Paradise (1975). Joe Sample of The Crusaders cowrote the title song, "Adventures in Paradise", and Crusaders producer Stewart Levine co-produced the album. While shooting a promotional clip for the album, she was attacked by a lion, but was not seriously injured. During an appearance on The Sammy Davis, Jr. Show, she played the footage of the incident for Sammy and her fellow guests, including Richard Pryor. The album was a modest success. Despite the R&B hit "Inside My Love" (a #5 U.S. R&B hit, later covered by Trina Broussard, Chanté Moore, and Delilah (musician) ), the album did not match the success of Perfect Angel. Some radio stations refused to play "Inside My Love" due to the lyrics: "Will you come inside me?"

Her fourth album for Epic Records entitled Stay in Love featured another collaboration with Stevie Wonder in the funky disco tune "Stick Together". She also sang backup on Wonder's songs "Creepin'" from 1974's Fullfillingness' First Finale and "Ordinary Pain" from 1976's Songs in the Key of Life and was mentioned prominently in his song "Positivity" on A Time to Love. In 1977, Riperton lent her vocal abilities to a track named, "Yesterday and Karma", on Osamu Kitajima's album, "Osamu". In 1978, Riperton's attorney Mike Rosenfeld and her husband, Richard Rudolph, orchestrated a move to Capitol Records for Riperton and her CBS Records catalog. In April 1979, Riperton released her fifth and final album, Minnie. During the recording of the album, her cancer progressed to the point that she was in a great deal of pain. "Memory Lane" was a hit from the album. Riperton incorporated the sadness of the ending of a relationship while suddenly shifting to cries of "I don't want to go," "save me," "now I'm slippin' fast," "thought it was over; here I go again," and "travelin' down, faster than the speed of sound." It is thought that "Memory Lane" was her farewell to her family and to the world. Her last televised performance was on an episode of The Merv Griffin Show (aired July 6, 1979), during which she performed Memory Lane and Lover and Friend.

Personal life

Riperton was married to songwriter and music producer Richard Rudolph from August 1970 until her death in June 1979. Together, Riperton and Rudolph had two children; music engineer Marc Rudolph (b. 1968) and actress/comedian Maya Rudolph (b. 1972).

Illness and death

Riperton revealed on the The Tonight Show on August 24, 1976, that she had undergone a mastectomy due to breast cancer. At the time of her diagnosis, Riperton found out her cancer had already spread to the lymphatic system, and was given about six months to live. She continued touring in 1977 and 1978, and became the national spokeswoman for the American Cancer Society's 1978–79 campaign. Extreme lymphedema immobilized her right arm in early 1979. In her final singing appearances on television (most notably on the Mike Douglas Show), her right arm would remain in a fixed position during her performances. By mid-June, she was confined to bed. She entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on July 10. On Thursday, July 12 at 10 am, while lying in her husband's arms, Riperton died while listening to a recording Stevie Wonder had made for her. That Sunday, following a funeral service attended by more than five hundred mourners, Riperton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Her epitaph is the opening line of her most famous song: "Lovin' you is easy cause you're beautiful."

Posthumous releases

After Riperton died, several artists contributed vocals to tracks she had recorded before her death, to help compile Richard Rudolph's final tribute to his wife, Love Lives Forever. Included, among others, were Peabo Bryson, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. Riperton's last single, "Give Me Time", was released in 1980. Richard Rudolph wrote the song, "Now That I Have You" for her, but she never got the chance to record it; he gave the song to Teena Marie, who recorded it (and co-produced it with Rudolph) on Marie's second LP, Lady T. Finally, in 1981, Capitol Records released The Best of Minnie Riperton, a greatest hits collection. The "new" song on the album was a remake of Joni Mitchell's "A Woman of Heart and Mind", which was a holdover from the Minnie sessions. Also included were an alternate mix of "Memory Lane"; live versions of "Can You Feel What I'm Saying", "Lover And Friend", and "Young, Willing and Able"; and two "Moments with Minnie". It also included the hits "Perfect Angel", "Lovin' You", "Inside My Love", "Adventures In Paradise", and two tracks from Love Lives Forever: the singles "Here We Go" and "You Take My Breath Away". During the 1990s, Riperton's music was sampled by many rap and hip-hop artists, including Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, Blumentopf, and Tragedy Khadafi.

Vocal ability

Riperton had a coloratura soprano vocal range. Aside from her various hits, she is perhaps best remembered today for her ability to sing in the whistle register, in which she had rare facility. Riperton's vocal range spanned five octaves. Riperton's rare ability to enunciate in the high registers set her apart from most other whistle-register singers. This feature is most notably heard in the song "Here We Go", where she sings "here we go" in the whistle register. Whistle-register enunciation can also be heard in songs such as "Inside My Love", "Adventures in Paradise", "Expecting", "Only When I'm Dreaming", and also in "Teach Me How to Fly" and "Like a Rolling Stone" with the Rotary Connection. Riperton was also noted for her ability to sound almost mechanical or instrumental in the whistle register. In "You Take My Breath Away", she sang a portamento ending two octaves above the staff. She has also been credited for her ability to sustain notes in the sixth and seventh octave for long periods of time, as in "Reasons", "Could It Be I'm in Love", "Adventures in Paradise", and "Inside My Love", and also "Love Me Now" with the Rotary Connection. Having an innate ability to imitate many instruments helped lead to Riperton's discovery while she was a secretary at Chess Records. In her recordings, Riperton's highest recorded note reached in the whistle register was F7 on the third scale of "You Take My Breath Away". Riperton reached this extremely high note before on an early recording of "Teach Me How to Fly" and "Could It Be I'm in Love". Also in a live performance of the song "Ruby Tuesday" from Rotary Connection, she sang an F#7. In the song "Loving You" she sings a walkdown on the A Major scale from F#6 to A5. She is known as the Queen of the Whistle Register, The Nightingale, and a Songbird. In a 1998 interview for Vibe magazine, Mariah Carey cited Riperton as an influence on her.

Documentary and tributes

Singer Stevie Wonder payed tribute to Riperton during an episode of Soul Train which aired shortly after her death in September 1979. On June 7, 2009, TV One (US TV network's) Unsung series premièred a one-hour documentary on Riperton's career and life. It included interviews with her husband Richard, son Marc, daughter Maya, sister Sandra Riperton, and many others who worked with her. Kate Bush named Riperton in the lyric of "Blow Away (For Bill)", a track on her 1980 album Never for Ever.

Discography

Studio albumsCompilation albumsSingles

Awards and nominations

American Music Awards: Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist (Nominated) 1975

American Music Awards: Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist (Nominated) 1976

Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Nominated) 1980 for "Back Down Memory Lane"

Grammy: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (Nominated) 1981 for "Here We Go"

Tours

George & Minnie Live! (1976–77)

Riperton joined with established jazz guitarist George Benson, to kick-off a co-headlining North American concert tour. The tour ran from 1976 through the fall of 1977.

Set list

Notes

On select dates during the tour, Riperton's performance of her hit song "Lovin' You", included a reprise version which featured George Benson.

Riperton performed "Can You Feel What I'm Saying?" only at select dates during the tour.

Wikipedia

[gahrrison-blog]

Estoy Azulado.

[csacskamacskamocska]

Megint álmodtam

Ez az álom kergébb volt és sokkal felkavaróbb. Többnyire mezitláb rohangáltam a Nyugatiban meg két társaság között, az egyik az enyém volt a másik egy laza ismeretség pár utcával feljebb, macskaköves emelkedőn meg kis girbegurba vaskorlátos lépcsőn kellett felmenni, amilyenek itt a budai oldalon vannak a dimbdombos részeken. Kis családias volt az a társaság gyerekekkel meg jóindulatú felnőttekkel, de nem maradtam ott se, mindenhol a cipőmet kerestem, hogy hol hagytam el. Mentünk a társaságommal az ebédlőbe, ami a pályaudvaron volt, oda voltunk befizetve vagy mi a szösz, és éreztem, hogy Logan szorosan mellettem jön és nem értettem, hogy mit akar, hiszen nincs, eltűnt, én már tudom, hogy ő nincs és sosem volt, és lassítottunk, elmentek mellettünk a többiek, meglepődtem amikor magához ölelt és csak szorított magához, aztán megcsókolt. Abban a pillanatban amikor vissza akartam csókolni, már eltűnt belőle minden szenvedély, minden gyengédség. Még öleltem, de nem értettem semmit, hogy akkor minek csinálta. Valamit mondott, hogy majd találkozunk vagy keresni fog, és elment. Álmomban is arra gondoltam, hogy nem és nem, ne hagyd magad belesodródni a képzelgésbe, semmi sem volt valóság sohasem, csak szépítő hazugság, hogy elviselhető legyen az élet és ideje kijózanodni, semmi sincs ami rólam szólt volna. Abba kell hagyni az alkudozást. Próbáltam elképzelni magam más férfiakkal, ahogy kedvesek meg gyengédek, cserélgettem a képzeletemben a férfiakat, kicsit ismerősöket és teljesen kitaláltakat, és én is kedves voltam és odaadó, de közben éreztem, hogy nem fogom sokáig bírni az odaadóságot, mert nem vagyok a helyemen. A cipőm sem lett meg. Reggel meg fájt a csuklóm nagyon és rossz volt arra gondolni, hogy ma szekrényeket fogok szerelni a fájós csuklómmal, és azon dühöngtem, hogy más nőknek nem kell ennyi férfias dolgot csinálni, és úgy könnyű nőiesnek maradni (igen, szoktam ilyesféle faszságokat is gondolni) aztán eszembe jutott egy férfi, aki áll a tűzhelynél, főz és nem gondolja azt, hogy mi a faszért kell neki főzni, hanem élvezi és nem gondolja, hogy ettől nehezebb férfinak maradnia. Ez lehűtötte a dühömet. Valójában az álmom miatt voltam dühös. Most meg csak szomorú vagyok.

[csacskamacskamocska]

Azon sírtam el magam tegnap,

hogy nehogy már Logan legyen az utolsó szerelmem. Ez annyira, de annyira aljas húzás lenne az élettől. :( Persze, lehet még akár 30-40 vagy 50 évem is és abba hány meglepetés fér még! Ezzel vígasztalom magam. Nézek egy tüneményes sorozatot, Halottnak a csók a címe. Imádom az ilyet. Adatokat narrál, mint Vonnegut, közben abszurd minden részében, és az 50-es évek amerikájának képi világa mindezek mellé. Csodás! A fiúnak különleges képessége van, hogy egy érintéssel fel tudja éleszteni a halottakat. De mégegy érintéstől örökre halottak lesznek. És feléleszti a lányt, akibe gyerekkorában szerelmes volt. De nem érhetnek egymáshoz, mert akkor a lány meghalna újra. Romantikus, vicces, cuki az egész! Volt egy konfliktus a fiú és a lány közötté. A fiú kijelentette, hogy nem csinálnak kicsi pitéket, amit a lány szeretett volna, ő nagy pitéket csinál és kész (ő eredetileg pitekészítő. Majd megjelent 3 nap múlva az új étlappal, és rajta a kicsi piték. És eszembe jutott, hogy Logan pont így szokta. Iszonyatosan harcol valami ellen. Aztán valahogy, ki tudja miért enged és elfogadja. De nem szeretésből, soha nem szeretésből. hanem mert kiderül, hogy mások szerint sem hülyeség amit mondok. Azért. És soha nem tudna úgy feloldódni a szeretésben ahogy az a srác a filmben. Hogy azért vette bele a pitét az étlapba, hogy a lány boldog legyen. Mert az fontosabb a hülye egojánál. Persze, tudom, hogy nem filmben élünk. Tiszta gyerekes dolog amit szeretnék, ez a bazi nagy bizalom meg a kapcsolatért élés. De ha én tudok ilyet érezni, akkor kell hogy mások is tudjanak ilyet. Mondjuk egy pasi. Ja, hát Logan Ilonát szereti ilyen mélységes elfogadással meg odaadással. Eh, nem is tudom minek foglalkozom vele, hogy kit szeret. Lehet, hogy csak őszi depresszióm van. :(

[blackkudos]

Heavy D

Dwight Errington Myers (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), better known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, singer, actor, and the former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included dancers/background vocalists 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, DJ Premier, his cousin Pete Rock, and Eddie F.

Biography

Myers was born in Mandeville, Middlesex, Jamaica, the son of nurse Eulahlee Lee and machine technician Clifford Vincent Myers. In the early 1970s, his family moved to Mount Vernon, New York, where he was raised. In an interview, his mother stated that he spent most of his childhood hanging out with his brother Floyd and his childhood friend Mo.

Heavy D & the Boyz were the first group signed to Uptown Records, with Heavy D as the frontman and only rapper. Eddie F was his business partner in the group, DJ, and one of the 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. "Trouble T. Roy" 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.

In 1989 Heavy D performed a guest rap on Janet Jackson's hit single "Alright". It and Blondie's "Rapture", recorded in 1980, were notably the first pop singles to feature a rapper, setting the trend for future hip-hop and pop collaborations. It was also the highest peaking song which he had performed on in the Billboard Hot 100. In 1992 he appeared on Michael Jackson's single "Jam". He gained even more fame by singing the theme song for the television program In Living Color and also MADtv. Heavy D then began focusing on his acting, appearing in various television shows before returning to 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. 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".

While still an artist at Uptown Records, Myers was instrumental in convincing Andre Harrell to originally hire Sean “Diddy” Combs for his first music business gig as an intern. In the early 90s, he is also credited for convincing Andre Harell to sign Jodeci. Then, also to his credit, in the mid-1990s, Myers became the first rapper to head a major music label when he became the president of Uptown Records. During this time, Myers also developed the boy band Soul for Real, and was the executive producer and principal writer of several songs on the group's breakout album, Candy Rain. He later became senior vice president at Universal Music.

He fathered a daughter in 2000 during a relationship with chef Antonia Lofaso, a contestant on the fourth season of Top Chef.

Death

Heavy D and Eddie F performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards on October 11, 2011. It was their first televised live performance in 15 years and would be his final live performance. Myers died on November 8, 2011, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 44. He collapsed outside his home in Beverly Hills, California, and was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. His death was initially thought to be connected to pneumonia.

An autopsy report, released on December 27, 2011, stated that the cause of death was a pulmonary embolism (PE). The coroner's office found that Myers died of a PE that had broken off from a deep vein thrombosis in the leg. He also suffered from heart disease. Craig Harvey, chief of the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner, said that the blood clot that resulted in the PE was "most likely formed during an extended airplane ride". Heavy D had recently returned from a trip to Cardiff, Wales, where he performed at a tribute to Michael Jackson.

Shortly after his death, MC Hammer and others led tributes for Heavy D on Twitter. Hammer tweeted, "We had a lot of great times touring together. He had a heart of gold. He was a part of what's good about the world."

His funeral was held in his hometown of Mount Vernon, NY at Grace Baptist Church. He was then laid to rest in Hartsdale, NY.

Discography

Heavy D & The Boyz Albums

Living Large (1987)

Big Tyme (1989)

Peaceful Journey (1991)

Blue Funk (1993)

Nuttin' But Love (1994)

Solo Albums

Waterbed Hev (1997)

Heavy (1999)

Vibes (2008)

Love Opus (2011)

Filmography

Who's the Man? (1993)

New Jersey Drive (1995)

B*A*P*S (1997)

The Deli (1997)

The Cider House Rules (1999)

Life (1999)

Big Trouble (2002)

Larceny (2004)

Step Up (2006)

Tower Heist (2011)

Television appearances

A Different World episode "Delusions of Daddyhood"

Roc (recurring)

Tales from the Crypt episode "On a Deadman's Chest"

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. (Will and his Grandma also went to a Heavy D concert in the eighteenth episode of the first season, "The Young and the Restless".)

The Earth Day Special

The Tracy Morgan Show

"Bones (TV series) Bones" episode "The Man on Death Row"

Bones episode "The Man in the Fallout Shelter"

Tyler Perry's House of Payne episode "Dream Girls"

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Personal Fouls"

Yes, Dear

Are We There Yet? Season 2 Episode 25, 2011

In Living Color Season 2 Episode 20

Booker episode "Mobile Home" (1990)

B*A*P*S* (1997)

Wikipedia