Legendary Heavy D To Be Honored With Sculpture in His Hometown I Da Joint Promotions Blog

The late rapper Heavy D is being honored with a sculpture in his hometown of Mount Vernon, New York. Born Dwight Errington Myers, Heavy D grew up in Mount Vernon and passed away too soon, at the age of 44 in 2011.

The Sculpture is being called ‘Peaceful Journey’ which was the title of the 1991 Heavy D & The Boyz album that featured the hit ‘Now That We Found Love.’ New York artist Eto Otitigbe is creating the sculpture and will showcase it in the Fleetwood Section of the city. “The sounds coming out of Mount Vernon with Heavy D, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth were really unique,” Otitigbe told USA Today. Eto grew up in Albany, New York, listening to hip-hop. “I wanted to pay homage to the Mount Vernon community that had such an important place in hip-hop with this work of art” he said. A song out right now called ‘Old Thing Back’ by John O. pays homage to Heavy D and other pioneers of Hip Hop & R&B. Heavy D was truly legendary and left his mark on the industry.

“It was for any kind of public artwork and I chose to reference Heavy D’s music. It was through his music that I personally had a connection to Mount Vernon,” he said. “This sculpture offers me a chance to pay tribute to his music and hip-hop culture, all of which had an immense influence on me as I navigated my youth.”
Eto Otitigbe/USA Today

Once Complete, the sculpture will be located at Fleetwood Ave and Broad St in Mount Vernon, NY. “Heavy D was an integral part of making Mount Vernon the Jewel of Westchester; his influence in the creation of this sculpture makes it more meaningful” said Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard.

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