Andre Harrell, the rapper turned music, film and television executive passed away on Friday, May 8. He was 59. Producer and DJ D-Nice announced Harrell’s passing during a Club Quarantine spin session on Instagram Live Friday night – which was later confirmed by several sources. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Harrell founded Uptown Records, discovered Sean “Diddy” Combs and defined music for the hip-hop generation. The Harlem native’s introduction to the industry as part of the hip hop duo Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde. For the four decades that followed Harrell forever shifted the atmosphere of urban entertainment.
He forged a relationship with Def Jam founder Russell Simmons in the early 1980s. Within two years he rose through the ranks from entry level employee to Vice President and general manager. By the late 1980s Harrell had his own label, Uptown Records.
Future mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs started his career as an intern for Uptown Records – the label that gave R&B Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Heavy D and more.
It was Harrell’s empire that allowed Blige to rule as The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. By the early 1990s, his Uptown brand had expanded to film and television. By producing the Kevin Hooks film “Strictly Business,” he made a movie star of a relatively unknown beauty named Halle Berry. He gave Fox, a young network that used urban audiences to establish itself, the hit drama “New York Undercover.”
With his influence and gift for recognizing talent has an imprint throughout the global empire that hip-hop became – including in St. Louis. Bestselling author Lyah Beth LeFlore was responsible for highlighting the musical talent of future icons that played the show’s fictional club Natalie’s, including Blige, Aaliyah, D’Angelo and Erykah Badu.
In his tribute, Academy Award winning filmmaker and East St. Louis native Reginald Hudlin revealed that Harrell gave him his first break.
“Andre gave me my first video gig, which was basically my first professional job,” Hudlin said in a touching Facebook post.
Hudlin directed* “Mr. Big Stuff” for Heavy D and The Boyz.
“He introduced me to hip-hop royalty,” Hudlin said. “And there is no one who could say that many smart things in such an entertaining way. Just his class/cultural analysis of the different cliques of black America was PhD level genius.”
Harrell was to the hip-hop element of Generation X what Berry Gordy was to the Baby Boomers.
In 1995, Harrell tied his legacy to Gordy’s when he became president of Motown.
Harrell’s professional relationship with Comb’s came full circle when he was named Vice Chairman of Revolt, Combs’ multi-platform music network.
In 2014 he played a critical role in the launch of the Revolt Music Conference in Miami that featured some of the biggest names in music – including his former boss Russell Simmons and fellow mogul L.A. Reid.
“Andre was lovely,” Hudlin said. He loved black people, he loved music, he loved art, and lived life to the fullest. Insane that we lost him.”
Harrell is survived by his son Gianni Credle-Harrell.
