A lot of people remain stagnant in life. They don't know when to change things up or call it quits. It's like they've never heard of quitting while you're ahead. It's probably the biggest sin committed in hip-hop, the world even. The few smart ones that do get it though become super successful (think Madonna's constant reinventions). Everyone's favourite overweight lover Heavy D (though he isn't so heavy anymore) understands that strategy and released a reggae album, Vibes, last year that garnered a Grammy nomination. The Jamaican emcee (born Dwight Errington Myers) is so excited about his career change that he cleared out some time in his schedule to talk about leaving rap behind.

SO YOU'RE FROM JAMAICA BUT WHY RELEASE A REGGAE ALBUM?
Heavy D: I was always involved with reggae whether it was my music... or if I was doing records for Super Cat or Buju or Coco T... I would always keep one foot in, one foot out because they're so similar... the culture, the significance of what it means within the culture. It was just a matter of me being able to have the freedom and not be bound to a major label where they would expect one thing and it's not really what I wanted to do. Now I have my own thing so I was finally able to have the freedom and the creative impulse just hit me and I just ran with it.

WERE YOU AFRAID?
Heavy D: If you start thinking about it that way then of course you'll be absolutely afraid. But what I believe in is quality first. I believe you got to give people more credit than that. Like they expect one thing, but if you give them something quality they'll embrace it... I had to be honest with myself. My passion for being a rapper wasn't there anymore. I could make an album of course. I could make 10 albums, but how good would it be? And how satisfied would you be as a consumer or listener or as a fan? And I thought it would be disrespectful to the culture and to the fan base to just make a sub-par album just because I'm supposed to... I had to realize myself that I'm not going to do my best work by making a hip-hop album. It's over for me. I did the best I could do. I got a great career, great records.

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PASSION?
Heavy D: As you get older, things change. I think I've told all the stories I could tell in that format. That's not to say that I won't get on a record here or there or even make a record, but I can't give you a full quality album, which is what I strive to do.

IT JUST SEEMS RAPPERS HAVE A LONGER SHELF LIFE NOW.
Heavy D: I don't know if they do. I think... our generation was the first generation to make [hip-hop] really popular. The generation before us was Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five who never really had the opportunity to take advantage of the MTVs and all of that stuff. Everything was just timing 'cause you ask anybody from our generation we did it 'cause we loved it. L.L. didn't know he'd be this big. I certainly didn't think I'd be this big.

YOU SOUND LIKE YOU WANT TO SWITCH DIRECTIONS. WHY NOT BE LIKE WILL SMITH AND L.L. COOL J AND ACT?
Heavy D: With me I like to do things methodically and I wanted to learn the craft properly so I would lean more towards doing plays and waiting for the opportunities to work with the proper directors, the proper actors, surrounding myself with people who I can learn from 'cause if you're the smartest person in the room you're probably in the wrong room. I really believe that because that means you've done all that you can there and that means that's exactly where you'll stay... But now, it's funny 'cause Brett Ratner is producing my first movie that I'mma star in and it's a script that I wrote with my partner... Avery Williams... But it was because I had to create a vehicle for myself. And Brett is a huge director in Hollywood who also directed my "Nothin' But Love" video... We've always been friends and when I had this material I brought it to him and I was gonna do it. So your instincts are right on.
 
A LOT OF OLD HIP-HOP GROUPS ARE REUNITING. WILL WE HEAR FROM HEAVY D AND THE BOYZ?
Heavy D: With us, we're all in touch with each other but everybody's doing different things. There is no group. Eddie F. is doing his own thing on the records side. G Whiz is a full-time dad and has his own life. The only person still in the entertainment business on that level from the group is myself.

HIP-HOP HAS ROOTS IN REGGAE. DO YOU THINK IT'LL RETURN TO THOSE ROOTS?
Heavy D: I don't know if it is. I think it's constantly evolving. It's just a matter of trying to recognize and trying to remember where it comes from. But it's not supposed to go backwards. It's supposed to go forwards. It's supposed to go to Jamaica... to Italy to Cuba to where ever... Real culture is supposed to affect the world.

Words By: Carol Santos