Heather Hunter
Encyclopedia
Heather Keisha Hunter (nicknamed Double H) is a former pornographic actress
, who is now a rap
artist, painter, and author.
-themed films. In her hometown she was a mainstay on the Robin Byrd
Show and was a frequent performer.
For a period of time, during her Los Angeles years, Hunter was a dancer on the TV show Soul Train
.
She got her start while dancing at the Latin Quarter
in New York City
, where she met adult film actress Hyapatia Lee
, who suggested she perform in movies. Her first video, Heather Hunter On Fire, came out in 1988. She did a few low-budget movies for New York-based Vidway before moving to Los Angeles
and eventually becoming the first African-American woman to be a Vivid Entertainment
contract girl. She has 69 videos and 1 directorial effort to her credit on the Internet Adult Film Database
; her final adult video appears to be Honeywood, released in 1999. Old scenes with Hunter continue to be released in numerous compilations.
Hunter was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame
in 2003. The same year she starred in her own animated cartoon series, Bulletproof Diva, in which she saves the world from the inhabitants of Hell.
In 2004 she and Ginger Lynn
appeared in non-sex roles in Hustler's Can You Be A Pornstar?
doing House music. She released a song titled "I Want It All Night Long." Hunter later worked for Tommy Boy Records
without much progress, as the company did not know whether to market her as an R&B or pop
singer.
Hunter released an 18-track rap music
album on July 12, 2005 titled Double H: The Unexpected. She released the music through Blo Records label, owned by her long-time manager, Dave Copeland. Hunter is the company's CEO. In creating the album, she worked with well-known music producers DJ Premier
and Scott Storch
. Guests on her album include Akinyele, Madison Taylor
, plus Chalu and Erin Yes. Hunter's old adult movie friend Janet Jacme
appears on the interlude of "My Toolbox." "So Serious" was the only single released from the album. The single and her album's title refers to Hunter's desire to be taken seriously as a hip hop musician. Hunter said in a VIBE
interview :
From 1998-2000, Hunter hosted The Peep Show on pay-per-view
TV. The program was originally hosted by rapper Luther Campbell
as Luke's Peep Show. It was a raunchy interview show that aired uncensored music videos. On a 1998 episode, she met rapper Akinyele, who encouraged her to pursue a music career after hearing a sample of her raps. He later appeared with Mr. Cee on Double H: The Unexpected.
Hunter has recorded with Esham
(All Night Everyday off his album Tongues. Song also features Kool Keith
), Kool Keith
(I Wanna Play off his album Spankmaster
), N.O.R.E.
(Big D off his album God's Favorite
. Also features Akinyele & Khia
), Bubba Sparxxx
(Would You Like, which was cut from his album Deliverance
, Above The Law
("Freak In Me" and "Playas, Gangstas And Ballers" off their album Sex, Money, & Music).
in New York City. For a short time during her teenage years, she was involved in illegal graffiti art as Ms. 45, but quit after being cited by the police. She enrolled in a special workshop under the direction and inspiration of renowned street artist, Keith Haring
.
In June 2006, Hunter opened her own art gallery, Artcore-NYC, in the DUMBO
section of Brooklyn
, New York. She debuted her "Hunter Collection" paintings as the gallery's first exhibition. The gallery was located at 111 Front Street, and there is an ongoing search for a new location.
She wrote a novel, Insatiable: The Rise of a Porn Star by Hunter and Michelle Valentine
which was published on July 24, 2007, by St. Martin's Press
. It purports to tell the story of Simone Young, a young woman with a career and background similar to Hunter's. In an interview, Hunter implied that her story would be fictionalized to protect the privacy of others. A plagiarism suit was filed against Hunter by Dianne Miller; Miller claimed she gave a manuscript to Hunter back in 2005 and Hunter used a number of passages verbatim from Miller's manuscript for her own novel. In November 2008, a judge dismissed most of the claims against Hunter.
Pornographic actor
A pornographic actor/actress or a porn star is a person who appears in pornographic film. Most actors appear nude in films...
, who is now a rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
artist, painter, and author.
Film and television
Heather Hunter entered the adult film business in 1988 and her career peaked in the mid-'90s. She became known for her interracial- and lesbianLesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
-themed films. In her hometown she was a mainstay on the Robin Byrd
Robin Byrd
Robin Byrd is an American former porn actress and the host of The Robin Byrd Show, which has appeared on Leased access cable television in New York City for close to thirty years.-Background:...
Show and was a frequent performer.
For a period of time, during her Los Angeles years, Hunter was a dancer on the TV show Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
.
She got her start while dancing at the Latin Quarter
Latin Quarter (nightclub)
Latin Quarter is a nightclub in New York City.The Club which originally opened in 1942 featured big name acts. In recent years it has been a focus of hip hop, reggaeton, and salsa music....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where she met adult film actress Hyapatia Lee
Hyapatia Lee
Hyapatia Lee of Cherokee and Irish descent, is a former American exotic dancer and pornographic actress...
, who suggested she perform in movies. Her first video, Heather Hunter On Fire, came out in 1988. She did a few low-budget movies for New York-based Vidway before moving to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and eventually becoming the first African-American woman to be a Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an adult video producer, featuring a catalog of VHS and DVD titles and internet content. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry....
contract girl. She has 69 videos and 1 directorial effort to her credit on the Internet Adult Film Database
Internet Adult Film Database
The Internet Adult Film Database is an online database of information pertaining to the American adult industry, covering actors, actresses, directors and movies. It is similar to the Internet Movie Database, in that it is open to the public and is searchable. Films produced by non-American porn...
; her final adult video appears to be Honeywood, released in 1999. Old scenes with Hunter continue to be released in numerous compilations.
Hunter was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame
AVN Hall of Fame
This is a list of members of the AVN Hall of Fame. The AVN Hall of Fame honors the legends of the adult entertainment industry.- AVN Hall of Fame members :[Top]| style="vertical-align:top; width:15px;"|...
in 2003. The same year she starred in her own animated cartoon series, Bulletproof Diva, in which she saves the world from the inhabitants of Hell.
In 2004 she and Ginger Lynn
Ginger Lynn
Ginger Lynn is an American pornographic actress, prominent in 1980s videos. She also had occasional roles in low-budget B-movies. AVN has ranked her at #7 in a list of the 50 greatest porn stars of all time...
appeared in non-sex roles in Hustler's Can You Be A Pornstar?
Music career
Heather Hunter has been involved with music professionally since 1993, when she was under contract with Island RecordsIsland Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
doing House music. She released a song titled "I Want It All Night Long." Hunter later worked for Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Records
Tommy Boy Entertainment is an independent record label started in 1981 by Tom Silverman.-History:...
without much progress, as the company did not know whether to market her as an R&B or pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer.
Hunter released an 18-track rap music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
album on July 12, 2005 titled Double H: The Unexpected. She released the music through Blo Records label, owned by her long-time manager, Dave Copeland. Hunter is the company's CEO. In creating the album, she worked with well-known music producers DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...
and Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
. Guests on her album include Akinyele, Madison Taylor
Madison Taylor
Madison Taylor may refer to:*Madison Taylor , British singer and model, see Star for a Night and United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004*The Cardcaptors name for the Cardcaptor Sakura character Tomoyo Daidouji-See also:...
, plus Chalu and Erin Yes. Hunter's old adult movie friend Janet Jacme
Janet Jacme
Janet Jacme is an African American porn star.She entered the adult industry in the early 1990s and has since performed in over 200 movies. In 2006 she became the third black female to be inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame, after Jeannie Pepper and Jacme's best friend Heather Hunter.She owns the...
appears on the interlude of "My Toolbox." "So Serious" was the only single released from the album. The single and her album's title refers to Hunter's desire to be taken seriously as a hip hop musician. Hunter said in a VIBE
VIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
interview :
From 1998-2000, Hunter hosted The Peep Show on pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
TV. The program was originally hosted by rapper Luther Campbell
Luther Campbell
Luther R. Campbell , also known as Luke Skyywalker, Uncle Luke or Luke, is a record label owner, rap performer , and actor...
as Luke's Peep Show. It was a raunchy interview show that aired uncensored music videos. On a 1998 episode, she met rapper Akinyele, who encouraged her to pursue a music career after hearing a sample of her raps. He later appeared with Mr. Cee on Double H: The Unexpected.
Hunter has recorded with Esham
Esham
Rashaam Attica Smith, better known by his stage name Esham , is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan known for his hallucinogenic style of hip hop which he refers to as "acid rap", which fuses rock-based beats and lyrics involving subjects such as death, drug use, evil, paranoia and...
(All Night Everyday off his album Tongues. Song also features Kool Keith
Kool Keith
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York. A founding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is the self-proclaimed inventor of...
), Kool Keith
Kool Keith
Keith Matthew Thornton, better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York. A founding member of Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. Kool Keith is the self-proclaimed inventor of...
(I Wanna Play off his album Spankmaster
Spankmaster
'Spankmaster is the sixth album by Kool Keith. It was released on June 5, 2001 on Esham's Gothom Records. The album was mildly successful making it to #48 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, #11 on the Independent Albums and #16 on the Top Heatseekers charts in the U.S.-Track listing:#"Concert Intro"-...
), N.O.R.E.
N.O.R.E.
Victor Santiago, Jr., best known by his stage name N.O.R.E. or Noreaga , is an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
(Big D off his album God's Favorite
God's Favorite
God's Favorite is a play by Neil Simon, loosely based on the Biblical Book of Job. It was produced on Broadway by Emanuel Azenberg in 1974....
. Also features Akinyele & Khia
Khia
Khia Shamone Chambers , better known just as Khia, is an American rapper, songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early life:Khia was born on November 8, 1977 in Philadelphia and was raised in its Germantown neighborhood, and she moved to Tampa, Florida when she was 11. Khia attended Dowdell...
), Bubba Sparxxx
Bubba Sparxxx
Warren Anderson Mathis , known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American Southern rapper. His biggest hit is "Ms. New Booty" featuring The Ying Yang Twins which peaked at #7 in the United States...
(Would You Like, which was cut from his album Deliverance
Deliverance (Bubba Sparxxx album)
Sample credits*"Intro" contains elements of "I Feel Free" by Cream.*"Jimmy Mathis" contains a sample of "Stone Fox Chase" by Area Code 615.*"Comin' Round" contains a vocal interpolation of "To See You 'Coming Round The Bend" by Yonder Mountain String Band....
, Above The Law
Above the Law
Above the Law may refer to:*legibus solutus, doctrine of Roman Law*Above the Law , a law blog*Righting Wrongs, a 1986 Hong Kong film titled "Above the Law" for international release...
("Freak In Me" and "Playas, Gangstas And Ballers" off their album Sex, Money, & Music).
Painting and writing
Hunter has had an interest in art since she was a child, when she began painting portraits of family members. She furthered this love by majoring in design and illustration at High School of Fashion IndustriesHigh School of Fashion Industries
High School of Fashion Industries is a secondary school located in Manhattan, New York City, New York. HSFI serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the New York City Department of Education...
in New York City. For a short time during her teenage years, she was involved in illegal graffiti art as Ms. 45, but quit after being cited by the police. She enrolled in a special workshop under the direction and inspiration of renowned street artist, Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
.
In June 2006, Hunter opened her own art gallery, Artcore-NYC, in the DUMBO
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York. She debuted her "Hunter Collection" paintings as the gallery's first exhibition. The gallery was located at 111 Front Street, and there is an ongoing search for a new location.
She wrote a novel, Insatiable: The Rise of a Porn Star by Hunter and Michelle Valentine
Michelle Valentine
Michelle Valentine is an American writer and author. Valentine has authored three books, including co-authoring a fictional autobiography about Heather Hunter....
which was published on July 24, 2007, by St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
. It purports to tell the story of Simone Young, a young woman with a career and background similar to Hunter's. In an interview, Hunter implied that her story would be fictionalized to protect the privacy of others. A plagiarism suit was filed against Hunter by Dianne Miller; Miller claimed she gave a manuscript to Hunter back in 2005 and Hunter used a number of passages verbatim from Miller's manuscript for her own novel. In November 2008, a judge dismissed most of the claims against Hunter.
Interviews
- Heather Hunter: Not What You'd Expect, MVRemix, June 2005
- Double H-Heather Hunter Interview, Tha Biz, June 2005
- Heather Hunter: Life After Porn Stardom, Black Voices, July 2007
- Inside Out With Heather Hunter, Urban Reviews, August 2007