Sad to report that Jamaican-born and New York-raised Heavy D, Dwignt Errington Meyers, died yesterday in Los Angeles at the age of 44.

In 1991, Now That We Found Love by Heavy D and the Boyz killed on the dance floors of what was left of Manhattan’s club scene. I remember spinning the Teddy Riley produced dance mix of NTWFL in a nightspot I managed on Lower Broadway, where I also served as house deejay, and Heavy D’s take on the Ojays via Third World could elevate the crowd to higher dimensions.

Heavy D brought a smooth groove, melody and good vibe to rap, expanding its popularity and accessibility without diluting its urban energy and street smart style. By dropping some sexual healing into the mix and a whole lot of r&b, Heavy D provided the connective tissue between the old school soul of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, New Jack Swing, House and dancehall reggae. Walls were tumbling down and the various strains of contemporary black music were converging while parochial attitudes about what is hip were dissolving in the heat of the beat.

This was just one of Heavy D’s hits, but it was the one that brings back some immediate memories for me and the video looks like it was shot in my old Soho neighborhood.