Fans of 80s and 90s hip hop were shocked today to hear that rapper Heavy D passed away of unknown causes. Known throughout his career as a “positive” rapper, Heav was one of few such rappers to earn and maintain respect amongst more “hard-core” emcees because of his cool street wise, yet intelligent demeanor.

Heavy D was also known for his dance skills, which defied most people’s thoughts about how big boys could get down and incorporated live dance in his stage shows with his group Heavy D & the Boyz.

A dancer in the group who is also deceased, Trouble T Roy, was the inspiration for the Pete Rock and CL Smooth Song, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y)” after his untimely demise from falling off a stage.

Heavy D, born Dwight Arrington Myers was also known for incorporating a ragga chanting style into his raps, which was a reflection of his Jamaican background. Later in his career he had several acting stints including roles in Tower Heist and The Cider House Rules.

He was also loved by many, many fans (including me!) for his music and will be missed by them all. Heavy Mentalist salutes Heavy D, and would like to extend condolences to his family, friends and all who loved him.

Below are some of my favorite Heavy D songs. As I look back over these old videos…wow, I realize that Heavy’s passing is not only sad because he is gone, but also because what he represented in his time is slowly fading away. What a sad day for everyone who remembers this era in hip hop! RIP Heavy D!

Overweight Lover’s in the House

Nuttin’ But Love (this video features RHOA’s Cynthia and some other famous models)

You Can’t See What I Can See (Live on In Living Colour)

The In Living Color Theme

Dem No Worry We (with Super Cat)

Tableturns Roc Raida Watch

Grandmaster Roc Raida was a member of legendary deejay supergroup the X-Men aka The X-Ecutioners. The Hip Hop world was shocked when he died in 2009 from cardiac arrest in the aftermath of a mixed martial arts accident.

This watch retails for $90 with all proceeds from sales of this watch going to Roc Raida’s widow and three children. The watch can be purchased by emailing Flud Watches at rocraida@fludwatches.com.

Rhymesayers crew heavy Eyedea, aka Mike Larson, was found dead early Sunday. He was 28. A lot of people might remember Eyedea’s early years as an underground battle emcee who took out several foes in battles like 2000′s “Blaze Battle” where he squared off with emcees until the last round…I can’t remember exactly right now but I watched that battle and I believe he won but in a somewhat controversial decision because of his race and unorthodox style.

Eyedea was also known as part of the group Eyedea & Abilities…I don’t think Abilities has released a statement yet.

His mother just announced the news via the Mike Larson (Eyedea) Memorial Facebook page last night around 7 pm.

Brooklyn Vegan has a great tribute up for Larson, with some links to songs and videos for those not familiar with his work. RIP Eyedea. You will be missed!

One of my favorite Minott tunes is a lesser known song called “Hard Time Pressure”.

RIP Sugar Minott!

Reed Hall portrayed “Rose” on the show that was a beloved part of many 80s babies’ evening TV viewing schedule, along with shows like “The Cosby Show”, “What’s Happening” and “A Different World”.

When these shows came on, you couldn’t unglue my bee-hind from my babysitter’s plastic couch covers until they were all over, and if memory serves me correctly they all seemed to come on in one big block of time.

Alaina Reed Hall also played Gordon’s younger sister “Olivia” on Sesame Street. She was 63.

According to Alaina Reed Hall’s Wikipedia page, she died on my birthday, but I think many media outlets may have just received the press release about her death yesterday, which may be why the news is just being reported.

I just love Best Week Ever’s tribute to this under appreciated actress: “5 Things That Made Alaina Reed Hall Awesome“.

Breast cancer also recently took the life of comedian Charlie Murphy’s wife, Tisha Murphy.

News of Reed Hall’s death may have also been overshadowed by the death of Brittany Murphy.

I think one of Brittany Murphy’s best roles was in 8 Mile. Or at least that’s the role that stands out to me. She was also the voice of “Luanne” on King of the Hill.

As happens when young people die unexpectedly, people in the media and around the world wonder why.

Brittany Murphy died from a heart attack and rumors have already started about, as Cinematical put it, “anorexia and drug addiction, diabetes and thyroid problems…”

The thyroid bit is especially frightening to me and hits very close to home. In January of 2009, I dipped a pinky toe into death’s waters when I almost died of a heart attack from my thyroid issues.

In other December death news, Oral Roberts also passed away recently.

Wow. Is it me or do people seem to be leaving this planet (plane) left and right? Or are we just more aware of these deaths because of the nature of the media?

Wow I just head the news. Well I heard about Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry being in a car accident yesterday but at the time his death was still a rumor that has now been confirmed.

Chris Henry reportedly fell out of a truck during a domestic dispute with his girlfriend yesterday in Charlotte, NC. RIP Chris Henry.

UDATE 1:34 PM | Chris Henry’s girlfriend has been identified as Loleini Tonga. The Huffington Post released her photo and information about her Mypspace profile today.

Tisha Murphy succumbed to breast cancer this week, leaving husband Charlie Murphy a single father of their three children.

Charlie Murphy, the older brother of Eddie Murphy is best known for his role recurring role on the Chappelle Show, though he’s also had parts in several movies mostly written and marketed for an African-American audience.

Although he’s lesser known than his little brother, Charlie Murphy is hella funny and is currently carrying the stand up comic mantle while his brother focuses on film projects like Norbit.

Breast cancer continues to be the most diagnosed cancer for women nationwide, and is especially dangerous for African-American women. According to Netwellness.org:

African American women are more likely than white women to be diagnosed at later stages of the disease and are more likely to die from it.

Cancer has touched my family, with one of my aunts having had a breast removed due to breast cancer, and another aunt dying from cervical cancer.

Cancer continues to leave few families unscathed with an average of 1 in 3 people developing some type of cancer at some point in their lives.

RIP Tisha Murphy.

So why don’t I feel excited? I’ve heard the single “This is It” from the album, but with little promotion or knowledge of what else is on the album…I dunno…maybe I’m just used to albums being pushed by super press machines. Maybe it’s a good album. I should give it a chance. I’m confused as to whether it is the actual soundtrack to the movie though. Glenn Gamboa confusingly but eloquently illustrates that its basically like a greatest hits piece, but he calls it the soundtrack in the title of the post. And it’s being called the soundtrack on the official MJ website.

But…like when was the last time Mike put out a great album? He basically built a career off of childhood fame, spectacular dancing skills and two and a half, maybe three great albums and some smash singles like the We Are the World thing. I  should buy it just because I was a huge Michael Jackson fan. And still am. Even though I can’t help but wonder how many of these albums I’m gonna be seeing in the dollar bin in the upcoming months. Lol. Dollar bins. I’t’s funny when you see your own band’s product in there like a couple of my friends have. I laugh my ass off about it when that happens.

Michael Jackson: “This is It”

I’m looking forward to seeing the movie.

Back in Jamaica, the artist behind that album, a boy not yet 21, sits in a car on the streets of Kingston. A figure approaches him from behind, raises a gun and fires; the boy is shot in the neck. Accounts as to the motive vary; some say that the victim had entered the neighborhood seeking revenge for an earlier burglary; there are those who claim that the boy had sold his assailant a faulty refrigerator and was shot in retaliation for the scam; some argue that it was a dispute over a woman. Whatever the cause, Hugh Mundell, a prodigy who had at the age of twenty created five albums and three children, lay dead.

If you ever come up on a Hugh Mundell record in decent shape, buy it. You won’t regret it.

Hugh Mundell – Arise and Shine

This final shot of DJ AM is sobering. This photo brings to mind for me the fact that this will be our state one day, and the importance of doing everything you can to be successful everyday but to appreciate life too.
Being creative and the act of creating is often a solitary activity, and that mental cubicle can get very lonely.

Today when I go for a walk with my children, I’m purposely going to try to be more…present. Even in my down time I tend to think about projects I want to work on, article ideas, etc.

This photo also makes me think about the fact that, while DJ AM was famous, millions of non-famous people experience death every day whose lives were just as important.