It was 1989. Hip-hop was in a weird, transitional puberty. On one side, you had the militant, world-shaking noise of Public Enemy. On the other, the gritty, street-corner chronicles of N.W.A. were just starting to dominate the conversation. Then came a big man with an impossibly smooth step and a voice that sounded like velvet over gravel. When Heavy D & The Boyz dropped Heavy D We Got Our Own Thing, the trajectory of commercial rap shifted. It wasn't just a song. Honestly, it was a permission slip for hip-hop to be happy, stylish, and incredibly catchy without losing its soul.
You’ve probably heard the beat. That New Jack Swing bounce. It’s infectious.
The track served as the lead single for the album Big Tyme. At the time, Dwight Arrington Myers—known to the world as Heavy D—was already a respected figure, but this specific record catapulted him into a different stratosphere. He wasn't trying to be the toughest guy in the room. He was the "Overweight Lover," a persona that managed to be aspirational and relatable all at once.
The DNA of the Sound
Teddy Riley. If you want to know why this era sounded the way it did, you start and end with Teddy Riley. He produced Heavy D We Got Our Own Thing, and his fingerprints are all over the syncopated rhythms and those sharp, metallic snare hits.
It’s a masterclass in sampling. The song famously loops "Got to Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn, but it doesn't just sit on the sample. It weaponizes it. By layering that disco-era energy under Heavy’s rhythmic delivery, the production team bridged the gap between the generation that grew up on Soul Train and the kids who were glued to Yo! MTV Raps.
People often forget how technical Heavy D actually was as an emcee. Because he was charming and did those choreographed dances with The Boyz (G-Wiz and "Trouble" T. Roy), critics sometimes overlooked his flow. Listen to the verses again. His breath control was insane. He navigated those fast-paced New Jack Swing beats with a precision that most rappers today would struggle to mimic. He was agile. Not just physically, which was impressive enough given his size, but linguistically.
Why the "Overweight Lover" Tag Mattered
In a genre often obsessed with a very specific type of hyper-masculinity, Heavy D was a breath of fresh air. He made it cool to be big. He wore those vibrant, oversized suits with more confidence than the skinniest models on the runway.
"We Got Our Own Thing" was a manifesto of self-confidence. The lyrics weren't about tearing others down; they were about carving out a unique space. This wasn't about fitting into the box the industry had built for "urban" artists. It was about defining the box.
The Cultural Impact of the Video
Music videos in 1989 were everything. If you weren't on MTV or Video Music Box, you basically didn't exist. The video for Heavy D We Got Our Own Thing is a time capsule of Black excellence and late-80s fashion.
Think about the colors. The neon. The high-top fades.
It showcased a community vibe. Heavy D wasn't a solo act in the traditional sense; the "Boyz" were integral. The choreography was tight, influenced heavily by the late Trouble T. Roy, whose tragic death shortly after would later inspire Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s legendary "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)." But in this moment, in this video, it was pure, unadulterated joy.
It’s hard to overstate how much this influenced the next decade. Without Heavy D, do we get the "Shiny Suit" era of Bad Boy Records? Maybe, but it would have looked a lot different. Sean "Puffy" Combs actually got his start as an intern and later an executive at Uptown Records, the label Heavy D helped build. Puff saw firsthand how Heavy blended street credibility with massive pop appeal.
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Heavy D was the blueprint.
The Lyrics: More Than Just a Party Anthem
While the hook is what sticks in your brain, the verses of Heavy D We Got Our Own Thing touch on a theme that remains relevant: authenticity.
"I'm the Heavy D type, the one you like..."
He was selling himself, sure, but he was also preaching a message of independence. The "own thing" wasn't just a dance or a style of music; it was a mindset. He was telling his audience that they didn't need to mimic the status quo to be successful.
It’s a message that resonated deeply within the Black community. At a time when the "Crossover" was the ultimate goal for many artists—often at the expense of their roots—Heavy D proved you could reach the Top 40 while staying firmly planted in the culture. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and made a significant dent in the Billboard Hot 100.
The Uptown Records Connection
You can't talk about this track without mentioning Andre Harrell and Uptown Records. Harrell’s vision was "Lifestyle Marketing." He wanted the music to reflect how people lived, dressed, and socialized in places like Harlem and Mount Vernon.
Heavy D We Got Our Own Thing was the sonic embodiment of that vision. It was "Ghetto Fabulous" before the term became a cliché. It was sophisticated. It was aspirational. It was the sound of a Friday night when you’ve just gotten paid and you’re feeling yourself.
Common Misconceptions About the Track
A lot of people think Heavy D was just a "pop rapper." That’s a mistake.
If you look at his peers, the people he was trading bars with, they all respected him. Biggie Smalls famously name-checked him in "Juicy" ("Uptown, Harlem, USA"). Heavy wasn't a pop act forced into hip-hop; he was a hip-hop act that was so good, the pop world had no choice but to listen.
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Another misconception is that the song is purely about dancing. While the rhythm is undeniable, the subtext is about the evolution of the genre. Hip-hop was moving out of the parks and into the arenas. Heavy D was one of the few who knew how to fill that space without losing the intimacy of the art form.
Technical Brilliance: The Mix and Master
If you listen to the song on a high-end system today, it still holds up. That’s rare for late-80s digital recordings. The low end is thick but punchy. The vocals sit perfectly in the "pocket."
Teddy Riley’s use of the Korg M1 and the Akai MPC60 gave the track a texture that was futuristic at the time. It wasn't just a loop; it was a layered composition. The way the backing vocals (which featured a young Al B. Sure! and others) harmonized with Heavy’s lead gave it a lushness that was more common in R&B than rap. This "New Jack Swing" fusion changed the radio landscape forever. It paved the way for artists like Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, and eventually the entire 90s R&B-rap hybrid movement.
Why We Still Listen
Why does a song from 1989 still get played at weddings, barbecues, and old-school sets?
Nostalgia is a factor, obviously. But it’s more than that. Heavy D We Got Our Own Thing possesses an inherent optimism. In a world that often feels heavy—no pun intended—the song offers a three-minute escape.
It reminds us of a time when hip-hop felt like it was expanding in every direction at once. It wasn't just one thing. It could be political, it could be hard, and it could be a whole lot of fun.
Heavy D passed away in 2011, but his influence is baked into the foundation of modern music. Every time you see a rapper bridge the gap between the charts and the streets, or a "big man" in the industry carrying himself with style and grace, you’re seeing the legacy of Dwight Myers.
Actionable Ways to Appreciate the Legacy
If you want to truly understand the impact of this era, don't just stop at the single.
- Listen to the full Big Tyme album. It's a cohesive journey through the Uptown sound.
- Watch the "Self Destruction" video. Heavy D’s verse in this Stop the Violence Movement classic shows his lyrical weight alongside legends like KRS-One and MC Lyte.
- Study Teddy Riley’s production catalog. Compare the work he did on this track to his work with Michael Jackson on Dangerous. You'll see the evolution of the "Own Thing" sound.
- Explore the Mount Vernon connection. Heavy D, Pete Rock, and Al B. Sure! all came from this small New York suburb. Understanding that local scene helps explain the polished-yet-soulful vibe they shared.
The song wasn't just a hit. It was a declaration of independence for a generation that was ready to define itself on its own terms. Heavy D told us he had his own thing, and in doing so, he gave us all a little bit more room to find ours.