Andre O’Neal Harrell (September 26, 1960 – May 7, 2020) was an American music executive and multimedia
producer. In 1986, recently a rapper, he formed
Uptown Records
Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by onetime rapper Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip hop. During the 1990s, aided by its A&R worker Sean ...
, soon a leader in R&B, rap, and their fusion, "
hip hop soul
Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which ha ...
" and "
new jack swing."
[Kiki Mason]
"Pop goes the ghetto"
'' New York'', 1995 Oct 23;28(42):37–43, whereb
p 38
offers a Harrell portrait prioritizing the recent
p 40
covers Harrell's early life and segues into his start in the music business
p 41
includes his own successes in it
p 42
introduces Sean "Puffy" Combs, an
p 43
returns to Harrell in the present, 1995, including recent multimedia ventures. He gave
Sean "Diddy" Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
his 1990 start in the industry, and later was
Motown Records' CEO.
Early life
Harrell was born in New York City borough the
Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
on September 26, 1960.
His father, Bernie, worked at a
produce market in the Bronx's
Hunts Point section; his mother, Hattie, was a nurse's aide.
While a teenager, Harrell formed with Alonzo Brown, a friend from high school, a rap duo,
Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde—Harrell as Jeckyll, Brown as Hyde
—and reportedly achieved minor hit songs, "Genius Rap" in 1981 and "AM/PM" in 1984.
Harrell graduated from
Charles Evans Hughes High School
The Bayard Rustin Educational Complex – also known as the Humanities Educational Complex – at West 18th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, is a "vertical campus" of the ...
in 1978.
He attended
Baruch College
Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the college operates unde ...
, transferred to
Lehman College, and, aiming to be a newscaster, majored in communications and business management.
Third-year, he withdrew and took work at a local radio station.
Career
In 1983, Harrell met
Russell Simmons, a co-founder of
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The l ...
. He went to work for Def Jam and within two years became vice-president and general manager. After a few years working at Def Jam, Harrell left and founded his own label called
Uptown Records
Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by onetime rapper Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip hop. During the 1990s, aided by its A&R worker Sean ...
.
[
Harrell is credited with having discovered and signed ]Sean "Puffy" Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent direct ...
. In 1988, Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker
Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. She is one of the most popular singers of soulful ballads, especially renowned for her work during the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career ...
's "Caught Up in the Rapture
"Caught Up in the Rapture" is a 1986 ballad song by American R&B/soul singer Anita Baker. It was released as the follow-up single after " Sweet Love" from her album ''Rapture''.
Chart performance
"Caught Up in the Rapture" was Baker's third top ...
" at a recording booth in a local mall. Her mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for Jeff Redd
Jeff Redd is an American singer who performed new jack swing-style R&B music in the late 1980s - Early 1990s
Career
A New York native, Redd began singing with the short-lived group, The Sophisticated Gents, at the age of 17 in the mid-1980s. Re ...
, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd sent it to Harrell, who met with Blige. In 1989, she was signed to the label and became the company's youngest and first female solo artist.
In 1988, Harrell was offered a label deal MCA Music Entertainment Group. After he had multiple successful releases, in 1992, MCA offered Harrell a multimedia
Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradition ...
deal, which involved film and television productions. They developed the feature film '' Strictly Business'' and FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
's hit police drama series, ''New York Undercover
''New York Undercover'' is an American Police procedural, police drama that aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and ...
,'' which aired from 1994 until 1998.[
Harrell renamed Uptown Records as Uptown Enterprises, and its records were featured in productions for ]Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
and Universal Television
Universal Television LLC (abbreviated as UTV) is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of Universal Studio Group, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal. It serves as the network television production arm of NBC; a predeces ...
. In 1994, Harrell had a son with Wendy Credle, a music attorney. They named him Gianni Credle-Harrell.
In 1995, Harrell was appointed CEO of Motown Records and remained there until 1997.[ He also hosted ''Champagne & Bubbles'' on Sunday nights from 6 to 9pm on Emmis Urban AC WRKS ( 98.7 Kiss FM)/New York. Harrell was the CEO of Harrell Records, which is distributed through ]Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
. He partnered with budding Atlanta-based production company L7 Entertainment for the release of their new artists Hamilton Park and Netta Brielle.
Harrell was the Vice Chairman of Revolt, Diddy's multi-platform music network. On October 17, 2014, he was instrumental in launching the Revolt Music Conference in Miami, Florida
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, at the Fountainbleau Hotel. The event was attended by such entertainment figures as Guy Oseary
Guy Harley Oseary ( he, גיא עוזרי; born October 3, 1972) is an Israeli-American talent manager and writer. His clients include Madonna, U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Biography
Guy Oseary was born on October 3, 1972, in Jerusale ...
, Russell Simmons, and L.A. Reid
Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...
.
Death
Harrell died on May 7, 2020, at his home in West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
.[ He was 59, and news of his death was first announced on ]Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
by D-Nice.[ According to Wendy Credle, Harrell's ex-wife, he had been suffering from ]heart problems
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...
in the time leading up to his death.[ At his funeral, held on May 23, among notable attendees were singers ]Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...
and record producer L.A. Reid
Antonio Marquis "L.A." Reid (born June 7, 1956) is an American record executive, A&R representative, and record producer. He is the founder and served as co-chairman of Hitco Entertainment. He also previously served as the chairman and CEO of Ep ...
.
References
Biography of Andre Harrell Computer Tutorials Live
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrell, Andre
1960 births
2020 deaths
American music industry executives
People from Harlem
Rappers from the Bronx
Record producers from New York (state)
African-American male rappers
East Coast hip hop musicians
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
20th-century African-American people