![]() Back then, you would read the address on the record, so we went down to the label to meet Russell Simmons. LL Cool J, Whodini, Run-DMC, Kurtis Blow, Beastie Boys, Slick Rick, and some more artists that I can’t remember off the top of my head were all there. Sure! - who, at that time, was a rapper - and Nevelle Hodge, at one of our gatherings in my mom’s basement that we should go check out Rush Management because all the artists were there except for The Fat Boys. I recognized that most of these artists were coming from one company, which was Rush Management. Take me through the process of forming the group and signing your record deal with Andre Harrell at Uptown Records.Īs I said before, I was DJing, and I knew of the labels releasing hip hop records. I remember watching your group’s Unsung episode where Andre stated that he was planning to leave Rush Communications in 1986 to form his own label. I don’t want people thinking that I’m a real bully.” It really took a toll on him. He used to tell me, “Stop telling people that stuff, man. We would have our own jokes about meeting in school, and how he used to be a bully. What made you want to work with Heavy D after you first met him at the roller rink? We wanted to figure out how to make a record. He was a very cool guy, great energy, great family, and really friendly. Everyone who knew Heav knew his personality. I used to drive my mom’s car, and Heavy used to drive his mom’s car and we would go out and socialize. He knows everybody.” I met with them later on that day, and Heav and I just clicked. He’s trying to make a record, and he wants you to DJ for him.” I replied, “Yeah. ![]() Troy came through the side door and said, “Hey, man. I remember I was there by myself, and it was early in the day because the reception was going to be later. It’s funny because Denzel Washington is from Mount Vernon, and he always talks about this Boys & Girls Club there. I was doing a wedding reception at the Boys & Girls Club in Mount Vernon. I was spreading out into Westchester County, too. I was DJing all the high school parties, important house parties, weddings, and everything pretty much in Mount Vernon. At the time, I was becoming a really popular DJ around my senior year in high school and into my freshman year of college. I really didn’t know Glen or Heavy D in the beginning. Mount Vernon, New York is a small town, so everybody knows everybody. From all the aspects of making the album, I was always around to work on whatever they wanted me to do. and the rest of the guys all agreed that I should be a part of the record - they had a bunch of records from producers like the great Marley Marl and Pete Rock. I want him working on the whole album.” Eddie F. The first thing was they tried me on a couple of records, and they told me my job was over. We one studio, and we ended up at Chung King to finish up the record. Andre said, “Well, let me set you guys up with some studio time down at Chung King.” By the way, a lot of the credits on the Living Large album I’m not credited for because they were stolen by my manager at the time, but everybody knew I was a big part of it because of my relationship with Heavy. The moment we met, we knew we wanted to work with each other. Andre Harrell brought him up to the studio that I had up there. We actually met at the Rooftop rollerskating rink in Harlem in 1986. For the album’s 25th anniversary, we spoke with Riley and Ferrell about crafting this classic album. Heavy became the lovable big guy and audiences gravitated to him en masse. Their style was infectious - featuring Heavy D’s incandescent, tongue-tied lyricism and the group’s polished dance moves. Through groundbreaking production techniques, they were able to recapture the essence of their debut. The album would spawn three singles: the number-one hit “Somebody for Me,” “We Got Our Own Thang,” and “Gyrlz, They Love Me.”īehind the boards was a quartet of legendary producers: Edward “Teddy” Riley, Edward “Eddie F.” Ferrell, Marlon “Marley Marl” Williams, and a young Peter “Pete Rock” Phillips. On June 12, 1989, Big Tyme was released by Uptown Records, and it became their second consecutive smash. As New Jack Swing began to dominate the mainstream, their follow-up album allowed them to take their careers to another level. After the release of Living Large in 1987, the group shattered any preconceived notions of hip hop success, standing out from their contemporaries in musical approach and aesthetics. & The Boyz - had established themselves as a commercially viable act within hip hop culture. By the end of the 1980s, Dwight “Heavy D.” Myers, Edward “DJ Eddie F” Ferrell, Glen “G-Whiz” Parrish, and Troy “Trouble T-Roy” Dixon - collectively known as Heavy D.
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