Hip-Hop and R&B Were Once Disparate. Andre Harrell Changed That.
The industry icon, dead at 59, ushered in a new sound by bridging two musical worlds.
“I allowed whatever celebrity occurred in my career to happen through the artists,” the late music executive Andre Harrell told Vibe magazine in 1995. As he transitioned from his own Uptown Records to head Berry Gordy’s legendary Motown, Harrell reflected on his work with no shortage of confidence: “I was so consistent with the kinds of artists who were on my label, after a while, it was, like, Who’s behind all this?” he continued. “I was behind it.”
The industry icon, who at the age of 59, ushered in a new generation of black sound by bridging the once-disparate worlds of R&B and hip-hop. Before he
