“…and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace… and SOUL!”

Heavy D and the Boyz - Living Large (album cover)

It was all a dream
I used to read Word Up magazine
Salt ‘n’ Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine
Hangin pictures on my wall
Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl

-Notorious BIG, Juicy

Dwight Myers aka Heavy D died of pneumonia related complications on Tuesday in his home. A damn shame. Heavy D was universally respected and he was last of the “regular life” rappers. They didn’t have to be the hardest, the illest, the richest or the most gangsta. I could play most of his music in front of my parents without getting my tape collection broken (Mom did stomp out my whole tape drawer after my little bro had found my DJ Quik tape…for millennials: tape drawer smashed = someone deleting mp3 library by smashing the computer it’s on..pre-cloud. nevermind). Miss this hip-hop, but it’s been A&R’ed out of existence (yes consolidation of radio stations kills music’s breadth and rap’s diversity because gangsta is the biggest bang for the buck). My all time favorite Heavy D video…Nuttin But Love:

As a 16 year old. The women in this video. Damn. Chris Tucker calling out the Noxema girl FTW.
Final Interview with Tim Westwood:

Gaye and Terrell also sang the duo’s songs “Your Precious Love,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Diana Ross sang their “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand,” and when she rerecorded “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough“ in 1970, it became the former Supreme’s first No. 1 hit as a solo artist.

“They had magic, and that’s what creates those wonderful hits, that magic,” Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire told The Associated Press after learning of his friend’s death. “Without those songs, those artists wouldn’t have been able to go to the next level.”

Nickolas Ashford was born in Fairfield, S.C., and raised in Willow Run, Mich., where his father, Calvin, was a construction worker. He got his musical start at Willow Run Baptist Church, singing and writing songs for the gospel choir. He briefly attended Eastern Michigan University, in Ypsilanti, before heading to New York, where he tried but failed to find success as a dancer.

In 1964, while homeless, Mr. Ashford went to White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, where he met Ms. Simpson, a 17-year-old recent high school graduate who was studying music. They began writing songs together, selling the first bunch for $64. In 1966, after Ray Charles sang “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” a song Ashford & Simpson wrote with Joey Armstead, the duo signed on with Motown as staff writers and producers.

They wrote for virtually every major act on the label, including Gladys Knight and the Pips (“Didn’t You Know You’d Have to Cry Sometime”) and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (“Who’s Gonna Take the Blame”).

via Nick Ashford, of Motown Writing Duo, Dies at 70 – NYTimes.com.

I guess the coolest thing about Ashford and Simpson was that they were two folks in love writing and singing love songs. Looking at these old album covers brings back memories of my parents LPs.

And as a bonus, LL Cool J, Loungin (who do ya luv) ft Total:

Anyway, here is a rare (I triple dog dare someone to say they have this footage too), raw, and early look at the founding members of Wu-Tang, who were on Rhythm & Soulpromoting GZA’s Words from the Genius album.

via EgoTrip by way of 2dopeboyz.

 

And of course, the Wu as the world now knows them:

Hopefully if I’m ever old, and still have family and friends that’ll have me at a BBQ, and it’s spring or summer Holiday I plan to be a foolish old dude, turning up some G-Funk track with Nate Dogg and telling some young person who doesn’t care that they just can’t understand it like I do. Hope I’m wrong.

Nathaniel “Nate Dogg” Hale died of complications from two strokes and is survived by his children.

All I know is “The Vapors” is still on of my favorite songs of all time. The message is still applicable today. I straight fell out when Mo’Nique started talking about Biz killing her in the studio when they were recording “Snaps”. And yes, Biz Markie is a damn good party DJ.

“Ni&&a, please! you work for UPS!” Oh man, still kills me every time.

Kanye West – Street Lights (HD) (720p) (Final Version) from YeezyDude on Vimeo.

c/o YeezyDude via Nah Right

Guru’s strong suit to hear him tell it, it is his voice, but he is also an artist whose raps were purposeful monologues.

I listened to brand new hip-hop classics by Gang Starr from elementary school until after college. Every album they dropped had hip-hop classics on it. Their albums are classics. Daily Operation is my favorite, with Step In The Arena and Moment of Truth tied for a close second.

Not to mention the Jazzmatazz series Guru released with the help of collaborators from the genres of Jazz, Hip-hop and R&B. Although the 1st in the Jazzmatazz series was the best, they all had some gems. I still bump “No Time to Play Featuring DC Lee and Ronny Jordan” every summer. It’s definitely barbecue approved (family friendly, but not corny, upbeat..you know).

I think the thing I appreciate the most about Gang Starr’s music is Guru’s damn near conversational delivery and DJ Premier’s ability to create beats that allows an MC rap to their strengths.

They “broke up” or stopped making music around 2004 or 2005. Here’s to a full recovery.