in living color

BeatSession 11|15|11 (Heavy D Tribute)

The Original Sample:

Today (feat. the California Dreamers) by Tom Scott

First press play. In 1992, Pete Rock and CL Smooth sampled Tom Scott’s cover of “Today” by Jefferson Airplane on their hip hop classic, They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.), a tribute to their close friend Troy Dixon (aka Trouble T Roy of Heavy D and the Boyz). Although it did not initially get commercial success when it was released, it is considered by many to be one of the greatest hip hop songs ever made.

Pete Rock said he was in tears when making the T.R.O.Y. beat. And twenty years later, we’re once again reminiscing over somebody close to Pete Rock: his older cousin, Dwight Arrington Myers. We know him as Heavy D, leader of Heavy D and the Boyz. This sample seems appropriate as our way to pay tribute to the hip hop legend. Heavy D and the Boyz went on to release six albums from 1987-1994 all of which had commercial success. The group gained even more fame through various music projects (e.g. In Living Color theme song, feature on Michael Jackson’s “Jam” and Janet Jackson’s “Alright”). Heavy D added three more solo albums to his discography, but in between those solo-releases, he managed to find time to pursue acting by performing off-Broadway and was featured on various television shows.

In the Mid-90s, Heavy D became the first rapper to run a major record label as president of Uptown Records and later became Sr. VP of Universal Music. He is also credited with furthering Mary J. Blige’s career and giving an internship to a young Sean Combs.

Heavy D’s passing at just 44 yrs old is a surprise to most. In a phone interview with Paul Rosenburg, Pete Rock says he just saw him two weeks ago. And we all just saw his live performance on the 2011 BET Awards Show less than a month ago. It was his first performance in 15 years, but you couldn’t tell:

RIP Heavy D. Here’s to a peaceful journey.

Quick Updates/Links:
► MIND FUZZ ORCHESTRA – New Beat/Album by RobotOxford (formerly known as Freshvilla/TekTheIntern)
► 9th Wonder Picked the Sample, Who Flipped It Best? – Vote for RobotOxford’s beat submission called “Heat”

peace, @illa0804/@generationill

Featured Beats and Producers:

HeavyHearts (tribute) by Dr. No (Richmond, VA)

OWL JOINT (THE HEAVY EDITION) by Mr. Klimatic (Toledo, OH)

Heav in Heaven by Hi-Rock (Toronto, Canada)

Tribute (In Memory of The Legendary Heavy D) by Mr. Kwazi (Ontario, Canada)

Everybody, Shake yo Body by Chrizo (Las Piñas, Philippines)

Signals by Gee (Toronto, Canada)

Sacred Cow by Blackph03nix (London, England)

Curious Interlude (hidden track: All of my Dreams Come True) by Sideways (Portland, OR)

State of Remembrance by NeV (Augusta, GA)

Heavy D Tribute by O.N.E. (Gainesville, FL)

When My Dreams Come True (feat. Zig Zag and Young Manik) by DJ Magic Of Beast Coast (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

I Hip Hop (For Heavy D) by RobotOxford (Orlando, FL)

Head Bobs by SPNZ (Makati City, Philippines)

Another Song Which Uses This Sample

They Reminisce Over You by Pete Rock & C. L. Smooth