Backspin: Heavy D & The Boyz — Nuttin’ But Love (1994)
The Overweight Lover hosted hip-hop’s first grown folks party. (85.5/100)
The concept of “adult contemporary” gets a bad rap among music fans. Perhaps the well has been poisoned by the saccharine trifles pumped into the waiting room at your dentist’s office.
In its purest form adult contemporary is an organic and vital element of the popular music ecosystem. It’s an avenue for mature artists, comfortable in their skin, to share their lived experiences and pass down hard earned wisdom using their finely honed musical chops. Steely Dan is adult contemporary. So is Sade.
In 1994, Heavy D joined them with a smooth grooving set of grown man rap celebrating life, love, and ultimately growth.
“Friends & Respect” establishes the milieu as a parade of Hip-Hop luminaries pay heartfelt homage to Heavy D’s artistry and character over a soulful instrumental. The 5 minute runtime feels leisurely rather than plodding, conveying that even in one of hip-hop’s most aggressive moments, there would be no blustering histrionics here. We’re simply hanging with the coolest brother on block.
With a simple “let’s go,” Spike Lee kicks off the airily soulful “Sex Wit You.” The Pete Rock produced track has more than enough boogie…
