JumpinJack AJ

Heavy D said to have seen doctor about cough days before death November 9, 2011 | 7:07 am 24 18 Rapper Heavy D had seen a doctor in the days before his death on Tuesday, and police said there was no evidence of foul play. A source told The Times that Heavy D had gone to a physician for a cough that may have been pneumonia. Beverly Hills police said in a statement that "there are no obvious signs of foul play, and at this time his death is believed to be medically related." Heavy D was stricken returning to his Beverly Hills condominium after a shopping trip and died a short time later at a hospital, authorities said. Heavy D experienced breathing problems at his condo complex on Maple Drive and then collapsed. PHOTOS: Heavy D | 1967-2011 "Upon arrival, officers discovered a male, 44 years old, conscious, communicative, but having difficulty breathing," the Beverly Hills Police Department said in a statement. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, had no further details about his health. RELATED: PHOTOS: Notable Music Deaths of 2011 Rapper Heavy D dead after collapsing in Beverly Hills Heavy D may have died from pneumonia complications -- Andrew Blankstein

Heavy D, As Remembered by Questlove by questlove on November 9, 2011 6 Comments “wait….you “produce produce??”- me “yes negro! im tryna get to yall level man!” -Heavy D “oh…..whew” -me So im at my first Grammys. Radio City Music hall, feb 98. my label president Jay Boberg gave me his tickets so i can bask in the Grammy glory of one of the first non-Roots albums i helped produce that one big that night: Baduizm. it was a surreal night: my tix were prime seats smack dab in the middle of royalty. Aretha Franklin just did a LAST MINUTE (!!!!)` fill in of “Ava Maria” for an ailing Luciano Pavarotti. this crazy “SOY BOMB” incident just went down with Bob Dylan, and of course Erykah shoutin me out for her winning album of the year (“we did it, Ahmir!”) it was my first real “event.” i spent the entire past 5 years literally on the road, from 3 to a room, to fighting for pillows and blankets, to piss-fumed tour buses from the 80s, to empty houses, to “will it ever get better for us?” suddenly the stars aligning and now i get to hobknob with the gods i’ve worshipped for years. my suit was tight (as in i was clean) my date was right & it was gonna be a beautiful night. this marks the night i met most of my hip-hop peers which was a great thing (Salt and Spinderella kept telling me how funny they thought this was…) and a not so great thing (Big’s manager Mark Pitts musta missed the memo the night this went down, for he was instantly on the horn like “yeah that Roots n***a here right now, what’s up? you coming down to handle this?” over the same video) —read that link thoroughly cause imma refer to this towards the end. of course i never stay where im not wanted and in light of both Pac and Big catching bad ones in the past year and a half i was not about to be a statistic cause someone missed their humor pills the morning they saw a humorous video not even personally aimed at them. i debated on running to the bathroom at that very moment or waiting to get back to my hotel room while off the radar of any type of surprise attack. but this couldn’t wait. told her “3 mins”. seems like a flash but damn if that wasn’t long enough for her to be laughing like “damn the wolves are out tonight, 5 dudes just tried to gimme their business cards the instant you left.” we went through em amazed at how fast people operate when backs are turned. the most elaborate of the business cards read Dwight “Heavy D” Myers. i was like (playfully) “damn, even Hev tryna cock block” he was nowhere in sight, but then again i really wasn’t tryna look all that hard neither. about 2 years later, things done changed. after four attempts the Roots finally got their foothold inside the industry door. we formed a clique with like minded individuals and all made music together and suddenly our music and style didn’t seem like such a confusing hard sell as it was before. we now gained new fans in the established world because of our work with Erykah and D’Angelo and Jill Scott and Mos Def and Common and the like. the strangest night of all occurred right before a 1am second show at LA’s house of blues. fall of 2000. my manager told me that superproducer/songwriter Babyface wanted a meeting with me. “Wow” i thought. “dude OWNED the charts in the 90s and just *poofed* disappeared.” the hell he wants with me? im the cat you call when you wanna make an art record or if you need some cred with critics. im not a hitmaker. i build albums. which is pretty much why all the artists i work with are new unheard of artists. not the established class. man i couldn’t take the pressure knowing i was the one responsible for blah blah blah’s string of hits coming to an end. “so what type of meeting?” i was explained that he is working on his comeback album (its been about 6 years) and he wants a new sound and is a fan of my work. something aint right here. Babyface? me?! hmmm. all night on stage the thought was racking my brain. this guy had the ability to pull number one hits from tree bark why me?!?! round 90 mins later we’re offstage and as i walk towards my backstage dressing room i see like 3 big burly bodyguard lookin dudes. dressed in all black with sunglasses. ok.. like the kind of big dudes hollywood screenwriters cast as the bad guys on those Showtime/HBO series. they tell me they’re taking me to see “Face at the studio”. still tryna process that thought i was like expecting to see some Burt Bacharach looking manager with this bifocals dangling off his nose (well, based on Face’s pop output of the past few i thought his staff would reflect his music) as we walk to this large towncar someone hands me the phone. “its Hev” Hev? “hello?……Hev? (who the hell is Hev?) sup?………oh……ok……sure…..” someone named “Hev” said they at the studio right now and although face can’t make it, he wants me to hear some of the potential tracks. so my mind is racing: Hev? like Hev D? hell he doing on the phone as a proxy for Babyface?…why am i squeezed in the middle of this town car with clearly a collective 1000 lbs? (even the driver was burly. only other cat i know who rolls with a staff that can double as mutant giant navy seals is Em) so suddenly im like…..wait….heavy d? the Grammys 96!, maybe he was rolling with Mark Pitts!! (we turn into a back alley. real seedy like) i mean…unless its some other Heavy i don’t know about (these electronic gates open……crrrrrreeeeeeeeaaaaaakkk real real slow) oh god….something aint right. (we then enter a basement garage) —i swear i heard the second part of Derek & the Dominoes “Layla” playing in the atmosphere. “follow us” its dark. greek columns is what i can make out as the 4 of us march in a desolate building in the middle of nowhere. i really truly thought this was a wrap. Puffy is finally gonna strike his overdue 4 year snowball in the freezer revenge on me in la. gassing me up, making me think the most successful songwriter/producer franchise in the past decade wants my no track record having arse as a producer? damn how could i be so gullible. now the soundtrack to Psycho is playing. we walk up the last of the stairs and make a sharp left into a room when suddenly….. “man, im stuck on these snare patches, i been stuck for like 2 hours tryna chop it right……whussup man! such a fan of yours man i was so nervous to meet you. Hev” its hard to describe, but if you can imagine the exasperated “you are my density” look George McFly had on his face in Back to the Future. that just about sums it up. i KNOW inside Hev was like “i know this cat is trippin on somethin” but the 4 sec sigh of relief on my face man. i didn’t know if i was about to cry or piss on myself. i had no clue Hev was a producer producer. at least the kind of producer that the man who won Producer Of The Year 3 years in a row would wanna work with. and what’s up with getting the Suge triplets to pick me up in that tiny ass town car? and what the hell am i doing producing Babyface?!?! kinda funny that once Face was conferenced on speakerphone i got my answer all at once: he apologized for not being there but he had a business meeting in new york the next day and he had to prepare for it. he explained was a big fan of the sound we gave Baduizm. the same album that edged him out for album of the year that night in radio city music hall. He met Heavy that same night (“….hey Face, did Heavy give you the elaborate 3d businesscard too?”—–”hahahahahahah how’d you’d know about that 3d card? NOONE had cards like that back in 97…” long story Hev. long story) i guess you can say that Hev was the first adult contemporary rapper. which if you are a music snob you could almost write off with a scoff. but Hev always seemed to have a foot in the future quiet as it was kept, which was really admirable to me that a person “from the establishment” could sift out real talent: it was Hev that included pre new jack godstatus Teddy Riley on his debut record. it was Hev that put his influential cousin Pete Rock on his first major hip hop production. it was Hev that gave bug-a-boo intern turned forbes mainstay Sean “Puffy” Combs his very first real job at Uptown records. it was Hev that first utilized the (now commonplace but then? a production quagmire) time compression production method for samples playing in the same bpms but using different keys (see “Love Sexy” on Blue Funk, historical hip hop 1st in production). not to mention using his influence to give an unsigned Notorious BIG his debut on the same album. although i didn’t get a chance to contribute to Face2Face i did cement a great camaraderie with Mr. Myers. he taught me the value of maximizing your brand and leaving no stone unturned. he first put the idea in my head that older people haven’t given up on hip hop, but perhaps hip hop gave up on the older demographic (explaining to me why he was always perceived as “your aunt’s favorite rapper”) he always sought to balance out his career: make sure that he gave a good look to the younger audience, and a good look to the audience that was closer to his age with his forays into doing cameo spots on hit singles, theme songs for shows, and acting. i last saw Hev as he did a cameo with The Roots in chicago and we went through a history of his hits. he was kinda nervous backstage and said he hasn’t done this in almost 8 years. i was about to ask him should we just stick to 1 or 2 joints instead of the 5 we planned on unleashing….cut to him leaping & jumping like it was 91 all over again. backstage i was like “what happened to all that nervous talk?!” he was like “man yall had me inspired! i was ready to do an entire album up there with yall, told you! i aint playin! im tryna get on yall level!” thank you Hev. you were there all along.

Musicians Take To Twitter To Pay Tribute To Heavy D By Jonah Bayer • 4 hours ago Breaking News . Yesterday we lost a true rap icon when Heavy D passed away at the age of 44 and predictably after the news broke online many musicians took to Twitter to express their feelings about the heavyweight hero. . Usher wrote, “This is too heavy, I can’t believe it. HEAVY D was just here. Truly gone too soon. My heart and support goes out to his family. R.I.P HEAVY” while Missy Elliott wrote, “U will be missed Heavy D so many laughs we’ve shared but your Music is Timeless and will Always be Around 4ever Love u Heav…” . Additionally Nicki Minaj wrote, “We’ll never forget you babe! #hiphopelite #RIPHeavyD” and Sean Kingston confessed, “R.I.P Heavy D U Taught Me ALot About The Industry That Night At Record Plant Studios.. Which was only 3months ago SMH you Was A Great Guy.” . Furthermore the rappers peers like LL Cool J wrote, “R.I.P. HEAVY D I WILL DEFINITELY MISS YOU!!! (YOU LEFT THE WORLD TO SOON)” and Boyz II Men confessed “UGH…heavy d..always cool as hell with us..just a sick feeling….praying for his little daughter and family.” . Below is our own tribute to Heavy D: The video for his hit single “Now That We Found Love.”

Reminisce on the classic album Nuttin' But Love...

In my eyes, this is Hip-Hop greatest loss yet. No disrespect to any other emcees, DJ's, dancers, producers, artists, etc.

I read this news recently. My heart sunk. Heavy D is one of the best to ever do it. He is one of the most versatile emcees Hip-Hop has ever seen yet he's never compromised the man he is. Heavy D always came with quality, whether it was tried and true Hip-Hop, dancehall, or experimental. He's one of the most loved men in Hip-Hop and entertainment in general. Hev's lyrics were always real and relevant. I'm in shock now. This man helped mold me as the man I am today. It's artists like JJ+FP, Heavy D, LL Cool J, Ahmad, MC Lyte, etc, they kept me on the road that kept me from being a foul mouth, selfish, ignorant fool who had more than dozens of times to be that way and get into some gritty stuff in life. I just made a new Hev-D mix CD for the car 2 weeks ago. Rest in peace. Got get his album that just dropped over a month ago... http://www.amazon.com/Love-Opus/dp/B005O2F31K/ref=sr_shvl_album_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1320800584&sr=301-2

BOYZ II MEN - Can't Let Her Go Evolution (1997/1998) Always one of my favs...

Conrad Murray Guilty: Jurors Find Doctor Responsible For Michael Jackson's Death First Posted: 11/7/11 02:35 PM ET Updated: 11/7/11 06:02 PM ET LOS ANGELES -- UPDATE: 4:18 p.m. -- Dr. Conrad Murray, the former personal physician of Michael Jackson, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the King of Pop's 2009 death. California jurors delivered their verdict to a stone-faced Murray on Monday after deliberating for ten hours. The jury of seven men and five women concluded that the evidence was sufficient beyond any reasonable doubt that Murray caused the sleep-deprived singer's death. On the ground, John Smith, 60, followed the trial for 33 days outside. "I never thought he would go on to be this huge," he said. "Mike was loved for his human rights, charity and music. Conrad Murray is going to be found guilty." Kimberly Binion stood outside the courthouse holding a photo of herself and Michael Jackson from when they were both teens. She has been following the trial since it began and this is her first day outside to hear the verdict. "I think that Conrad Murray should get second-degree murder. Manslaughter is not enough," she told HuffPost. The judge has ordered jurors' personal information sealed. Before the verdict was read, crowds outside the courthouse were chanting "Guilty, guilty, guilty" and "This is it, this is it" -- not only signaling the resolution of a lengthy investigation, but recalling the name of the tour Jackson was working on at the time of his death. Murray has been remanded without bail, and scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 29. After the verdict was read, Julia Thomas, 39, burst into tears outside. She has been coming to courthouse for two years and has held protests outside Murray’s apartment. "I'm just overwhelmed. He was a great soul and a great humanitarian. Now there is justice for his children, family and for him," she said of Jackson. Jamie Khawaja, also standing outside the courtyard, told HuffPost of feeling "an overwhelming feeling of jubilation and excitement. Conrad Murray has set an example for other doctors who are treating celebrities. He did not get away with it and now nobody else will either." Murray faces a sentence ranging from probation to four years in prison, according to the Associated Press. * * * * * Previously: The jury deliberating the fate of the former personal physician of Michael Jackson has reached a verdict in the case, as California jurors buzzed three times from the deliberation room Monday morning. The jury of seven men and five women is expected to reveal at 4 p.m. Eastern Time whether Dr. Conrad Murray is guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the King of Pop's 2009 death. Final Prosecution Witness Says Self-Dosage 'Extremely Unlikely'Michael Jackson Was 'Addicted To Pain Killer' Before He Died Murray Police Interview So Graphic, Jackson Sister Leaves Courtroom Twitter Reactions To The Verdict Remembering Michael Jackson More Michael Jackson Coverage Jackson died at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 25, 2009. Jackson was preparing for a series of 50 shows in London for his career comeback tour entitled "This Is It" when he suffered cardiac arrest. According to the Los Angeles County coroner, Jackson's death was caused by "acute propofol intoxication" in combination with two anti-anxiety benzodiazepines: lorazepam and midazolam. The prosecution insisted that Murray, Jackson’s $150,000-a-month private doctor, was reckless for using a surgical anesthetic to treat Jackson's insomnia and was therefore criminally negligent. Murray acknowledged giving the 50-year-old singer propofol as a sleep aid but denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. During opening statements, Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told jurors that the pop star "literally put his life in the hands of Dr. Conrad Murray." Walgren added, "That misplaced trust in the hands of Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life." Murray's defense counsel contended Jackson was so desperate for sleep that he administered the fatal doses of propofol and sedatives to himself when Murray was not watching. "When Dr. Murray left the room, Michael Jackson self-administered a dose of propofol that, with the lorazepam, created a perfect storm in his body that killed him instantly. The whole thing is tragic, but the evidence is not that Dr. Murray did it," Murray's attorney, Edward Chernoff, said during the trial. Prosecutors said it made no difference who administered the drugs since it was Murray who brought them into the bedroom and left Jackson alone with them. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Murray declined to take the stand in his own defense. "My decision is that I will not testify in this matter," Murray told presiding Judge Michael E. Pastor. The jury's verdict followed 22 days of testimony from Jackson's employees, paramedics, doctors, investigators, medical experts and a number of Murray's girlfriends and patients. Murray faces up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/07/conrad-murray-guilty-verdict_n_1074088.html Justice is served!

Yeah, I just keep going back to this album. It's R-N-B music done right. Their first three albums (especially Cooleyhighharmony and II) were staple albums for my as well. I was recently listening to them after being away from them for awhile and it's amazing how I know pretty much all of the words still. I would love to see this album blow up crazy and change R-N-B for the better.

R. KELLY w/ CAM'RON, N.O.R.E., VEGAS BOYZ, + JAY-Z - We Ride R. (1998) Needed some classic late 90's in my life 2day. :)

I liked that article enough that I gotta post it here! DMX Explains Mopping Up At Waffle House by Slava Kuperstein posted November 03, 2011 at 12:48AM EDT | 49 comments Dark Man X gives a humbling explanation for volunteering for clean-up. DMX recently participated in clean-up duty at a Waffle House restaurant. But this time, it wasn't a creative punishment concocted by longtime X antagonizer Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Rather, the Yonkers emcee performed the act as a kindness. TMZ reports that a worker, who was mopping at the time, told DMX that he was a big fan of the rapper. "I was in a good mood and felt that I would do that for him since it was 4am and [the employee] had been working all night." The rapper adds, "The minute you get too big to mop a floor or wipe a counter, that’s the exact minute you have life f**ked up." "I was in a good mood and felt that I would do that for him since it was 4am and [the employee] had been working all night," explained X. "The minute you get too big to mop a floor or wipe a counter, that’s the exact minute you have life ****ed up."

I love Us3! BOYZ II MEN - Can't Be Liked Cooleyhighharmony - Expanded Edition (1991/2009)

I agree on pretty much all those artists you listed. There were 2 or 3 weaker songs on Johnny Gill's album but it's overall a great album. I was disappointed in Kelly Rowland's album tho.' I just don't like the direction she's going. Her sound isn't as solid and her style isn't as classy. She was releasing the best music out of DC but this album was a step backwards.

This still angers me. Of all of the high profile Hip-Hop murders, THIS one should be solved. I remember when I've done research, it always pointed to Randy Allen, not just that documentary. Reading this is strange because he doesn't really support Randy or throw him under the bus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Fh4LT-Ofw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HFwlA-oQDI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fIkx07eXvo&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQKsYBIhjcU&feature=related

I think most R-N-B fans recognize BIIM as one of the best to ever do it. They are the reason R-N-B was so big in the 90's and even today. After a decade of cover albums and unknown import original albums, they are FINALLY BACK. I've been listening to the album EVERY DAY since it dropped last week. To sum things up, its classic R-N-B with a timeless sound. There's not stupid guest rappers or radio-influenced tracks. Most of the production is handled by Babyface, Jimmy Jam + Terry Lewis, Teddy Riley, and Tim + Bob. The bonus disc is interesting, It features re-recorded hits from their time on Motown. It's kinda weird because they aren't remixed (other than maybe Motownphilly). They are either re-produced and sound nearly exactly the same or, like On Bended Knee, it might be the actual original instrumental (which is weird without Mike spoken part). I feel that if they were going to re-record some of their classics, they should have remixed them, flipped them, sped them up, or slowed them down. Overall, the harmonies are rich and the melodies are sweet. Most of the album is about love but there's definitely variety on it. To me knowledge, the only place you can get the physical CD is at Wal-Mart. I know there are a lot of BIIM fans on this board and I encourage you all to pick up this album. I think its important that this album do well so we get more albums of original material from them and so that the industry knows we don't just want to hear watered down dance/pop R-N-B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kReseaNaF8I

DMX has definitely created a long list of mistakes. As a fan, its been embarrassing at times. He gives reason to believe this is just him saying he's cleaned his act up without coming through but I'm gonna believe the best in him and see what happens. A proper, grown-up DMX album is what I need right now. It would be great to see real street Hip-Hop get some shine again.

I love Esperanza Spalding! BOYZ II MEN - Not Like You Twenty (2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCLBTB4DFEk

I'll try to give it a listen today. Here's an article that was on AOL News today... Fat Joe Calls Food His Crack, Says No Scale Could Weigh Him Posted Nov 2nd 2011 4:30PM Getty Images Fat Joe, who recently dropped over 100 pounds from his frame, thus becoming Not-So-Fat-Joe, has revealed that he actually never knew how much he weighed at his heaviest, as no scale he stepped on could compute his weight. Joe publicly debuted his shrinking figure in his aptly-titled 'Drop a Body' music video back in June. Since then, the rapper has shed an additional 25 pounds and has opened up about how he reached his breaking point in his lifelong struggle with his weight. Joe told WENN, "The scale wasn't big enough. I would say [i was] 400 pounds. If not 400, close to 400." The 41-year-old star, who previously admitted he was scared into a drastic lifestyle overhaul after seven of his friends suffered fatal heart attacks in their 30s, now weighs in at 260 pounds. Joe went on to compare his addiction to food to a drug addiction. "I don't find it hard [to diet]. I'm addicted to food and I love to eat, but I don't find it hard at all ... It's like a crackhead," he claimed. he continued, "A crackhead just hits rock bottom and they realize they don't wanna smoke crack no more, you know what I'm saying? So I just said to myself, 'I don't wanna be overweight no more, I don't wanna be outta shape, I don't wanna be at risk of passing away and stuff like that so I gotta do the right thing.'" So how can the average ... Joe ... shed the pounds too? "Be more active. I would say just walk," the rapper advised. "If you're a heavyset person, you're not gonna be able to jump or run around or do crazy stuff, so just walk ... for 20 minutes, 30 minutes with your headphones on, get your little walk on, walk with your friends and that's it. 30 minutes. Try your best to stay away from the rice, the bread, the pasta, because that's not our friend." "I'm Fat Joe, you can't tell me that it's too hard. Can't nobody tell me it's too hard. I'm Fat Joe, the king of food. The self-proclaimed king! If I can do it, anybody can do it," Joe added.

I think there are times when both of them are at the same level as the other guys and times when the put together and okay song. I don't think Kanye's done anything good since 2008. His album with Jay-Z is his first step back in the right direction. Beyond my on disinterest in his last album, I can hardly see it considering as a classic. To be honest, I never saw a music video air, heard a song on the radio, or hear ANYONE talk about since 2 weeks after it dropped. When my local Borders closed and CD's were 70% off, they STILL had copies of it. 50 Cent interested me back in 1998. I previewed his albums and I usually think he has 2-5 good songs on each of them. When you don't respect the man behind the music, its hard to respect the music. I don't think it's okay to be good just because you are being compared to some of the worst music ever made.

BOYZ II MEN - So Amazing Twenty (2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HFwlA-oQDI&feature=related I am LOVING the new album!!

It's pretty depressing that Justin and Jimmy rap better than most rappers on the radio these days.

I love them both...I haven't listened to either in awhile. I think it's time to revisit them.

Thanx for posting these...they're so fun...lol