Heavy D Returns With A New Sound

When was the last time you've heard AAAAAANYTHING from rapper Heavy D? Hmmmm? Geesh, I can't think back that far. Anyways, he's coming back too. Boy I tell you... these old rappers just can't let it go. They're like boxers who've reached their prime and still try to come back for one more title bout to fight the young kid on the block and ends up gettin TKO'd!

Although the Diddly-iddly-iddly-iddly D has been gone from the game a minute, he's still finding a way to stay relevant. This time forging ahead with his own label Stride Entertainment and a brand new reggae album titled Vibes. The project, which was recently released digitally on iTunes, debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard reggae chart and No. 2 on iTunes’ reggae chart. The release may surprise fans, who know the rapper for such classic records as “Mr. Big Stuff,” “We Got Our Own Thang," "Now That We Found Love" and “Black Coffee.”

“I set Stride Entertainment up for this release and to be able to have the freedom to create,” Heavy said in an interview. “I didn’t really have the opportunity to do full-on albums back then because I was under contract with a label who paid you money to do a certain thing.”

Heavy D maintains the new project is a natural extension of infusing reggae into his music over the years. He admitted to putting the same effort into Vibes as he has done with his rap albums, but admitted that as CEO of his own label, his creative freedom is boundless. “They record labels didn’t regard reggae at the time as something that was viable for the company or something that they felt would sell a whole lot or records,” Heavy D. continued. “I also felt like I wanted to do it on my terms. I wanted to be able to express myself in a way where I didn’t have anybody being concerned about whether or not they'd be reimbursed.”

Among the guests found on Vibes are reggae stars Barrington Levy and Sizzla. The first single from the project is the project is the steady-tempo, horn-heavy “Long Distance Girlfriend.” While Vibes could have been released at the height of his rap career, Heavy D sums up the motivation to pursue his latest endeavor with one word.