RIP, AndreHarrell
Andre Harrell arrives at the premiere of 'The Defiant Ones' at Paramount Theatre on June 22, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.
Andre Harrell, music mogul and founder of influential R&B and hip-hop label Uptown Records, has died. Details of his death are not yet known, but Harrell's passing was firstBillboardThis morning, REVOLT ceo Roma Khana released a statement about Harrell, who served as the brand's vice-chairman:"We can confirm the passing of Andre Harrell. Everyone in the REVOLT family is devastated by the loss of our friend, mentor and Vice-Chairman.
Raised in the Bronx, New York, Harrell started a career in music as half of the early-'80s hip-hop duo Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . The pair had a handful of minor hits on"Genius Rap" in 1982 -- but Harrell soon found other career aspirations, particularly after meeting Def Jam records founder Russell Simmons.
Hired by Def Jam, Harrell quickly worked his way up to vice president and general manager of the label, but left shortly thereafter to start his own New York City-based label: Uptown Records. The label quickly rose to preeminence in late-'80s hip-hop and R&B with early hits from rap group Heavy D & The Boyz, R&B singer Al B. Sure! and New Jack Swing outfit Guy -- the latter of which helped bring eventual super-producer Teddy Riley to stardom.
But Harrell's greatest discovery at the label wasn't a recording artist -- at least not yet. Sean"Puff Daddy" Combs, later to be known as Diddy, started off at Uptown as an intern of Harrell's, and eventually worked there full-time as a talent director, where he helped develop '90s R&B megastars like Mary J. Blige and Jodeci, even producing the popular"Hip-Hop Remix" of the latter's 1992 hit"Come and Talk to Me.
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