By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Last November, Heavy D shocked the world when he died. The previous month, the legendary rapper made a strong comeback when he performed at the 2011 BET Hip Hop Awards. During the mid-to-late 1980s into the early 1990s, Heavy D was one of the biggest rap stars. Heavy D made being overweight stylish, as he had popular rap songs and was an excellent dancer.
Unlike the rappers of the late 1990s and 2000s, Heavy D never went on to become a supermogul, but he was wise with his money and helped open doors. Heavy D helped Diddy get his start, working as the liasion between a young Combs and Andre Harrell. Through this, Diddy earned an internship at Uptown Records, later a VP role, and then Bad Boy Records.
In his later years, Heavy D went on to become a staple in the film industry. Heavy D had a starring role on the short-lived NBC sitcom, “The Tracy Morgan Show,” and had starred in several films. At the time, Heavy D had returned to the background and was preparing a comeback. Instead, the rapper died in Los Angeles, leaving a hole in the hip hop world.
A documentary celebrating his life called, “Be Inspired: The Life of Heavy D” will air on Centric on February 26. The documentary will broadcast at 11:00 pm, Eastern time. Lasting an hour, the documentary will feature interviews from Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah, Will Smith, Brett Ratner, MC Lyte, Kurtis Blow, Doug E. Fresh, and Big Daddy Kane. Footage from Heavy D’s final performance, which was on sister network, BET’s annual hip hop awards show, will also be included in the documentary.
