Only a few rappers can enjoy similar universal acclaim of Biggie Smalls, who remains the absolute pinnacle of hip hop. However, for Eminem, a lesser-known artist impacted him in a similarly monumental way that Biggie touched countless hearts.
Shady made the admission during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe when he dug into his record collection. The Kiwi host tried to press him on his top five, but Marshall Mathers said that it’s an impossible question because of all the contrasting era’s and sub-genres which sit in the extensive realm of hip-hop.
Intriguingly, Eminem instead talked about some figures who don’t get the widespread love he thinks they deserve. “When they ask me who my top favourite rappers are, I don’t even know how answer that because there’s so many rappers that have been so great and still are great,” he explained.
The New York rapper Heavy D was a titan of the golden era and sadly prematurely passed away in 2011. He’s somebody who inexplicably rarely gets a mention on this kind of list, but one of Shady’s ultimate heroes.
Eminem then passionately detailed the reasoning behind his decision and said, “The reason I picked Heavy D too and couple of these songs is because sometimes I’ve gotta go back and remember how great some rappers were.
“Heavy D. RIP to Heavy D. I have nothing but the utmost respect for that dude, and he was one of the most underrated rappers to me because he was like a chameleon. He could get on a song with Treach and keep up. He had commercial hits, and then he could go.”
Throughout the ’90s, D maintained success and then started working behind the curtain. He was instrumental in Diddy getting his first internship at Uptown Records and also later became the senior vice president at Universal Music.
After taking an almost decade out, Heavy D returned in 2008 with his solo album, Vibes that preceded his final album, Love Opus, which arrived just weeks before he passed away.
Shady continued, “Heavy D was like Biggie to me. He had the kind of commercial hits that no matter how much you heard them, you never really got tired of them.”
Perhaps it’s the many years which Heavy D had out of the game, which is why he’s one of hip-hop’s forgotten souls and someone who is vastly underappreciated when we automatically consider the greats. In remembrance of him, turn the volume up sky high for ‘Big Daddy’.
