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NEW YORK: Throughout the history of hip-hop, a name keeps on popping up: Andre Harrell.
To work alongside Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons to found his own label, Uptown Records, Bronx. Harrell seems to be everywhere at once and at 57, does not slow down.
His current projects include the Revolt cable channel and music conference, the reality show "The Four" and the Global Spin Awards for rap artists and DJs
For the latest edition of the Life Series series of Reuters, Harrell talks about a wave of pop culture that has invaded the world.
Q: Growing up in the Bronx parents teach you money and work?
A: Do something that makes you happy, so it's not like you're working. My dad was working hard on the product market in the Bronx's Hunts Point section, but he did not like that, he was unhappy. This experience made me move towards something that I really wanted to do, otherwise I would feel stuck like him. Sometimes negative experiences can lead you in a positive direction
Q: Even when I was a kid, did you have the entrepreneurial spirit?
A: I remember that I wanted to take a girl out of school, so I needed to make some money. I went to school in West Village Manhattan, and every day after taking the subway I was going through a courier service that needed help. So at 15, I became a messenger, just to be able to pay for an appointment.
I also had the habit of selling candy for small high schools, and once I sold so much candy that I won a bike. I sold about US $ 500 in 1972, so in today's dollars, about US $ 3,000. That's when I knew I had the gift of gab
Q: When did you meet Russell Simmons?
A: I worked daytime as a radio reporter, and at night as a rapper in a band called Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. At that time, I met Russell and I became Vice President of Rush Management.
I was earning only $ 200 a week and when I hired Lyor Cohen (now world music leader of YouTube), I decided to share my salary. We used to share an office, and I could see his potential: he was talking all day hip-hop with his Israeli accent. I thought, "This guy is going to be fat, because he's so in love with that stuff."
Q: How did you manage the financial success that finally took place?
A: As a young black man in downtown Au, the only other person of color I knew to make money was Russell. All the lawyers and everyone were white. In the business, they often go to the credit of young artists, so they go out and buy whatever they want. But that does not help you understand the money the right way. You have to go through this early period, and move on to the next level, which is when you can seriously take into account the construction of wealth.
Q: You are famous for discovering Sean Combs. What did you see in him?
A: He was my intern, and I was introduced by Heavy D. For two years, he went to Howard University and then commuted to work with us. Everyone has different things that make them a star, and with Puff, it is that he had a great leadership and style. When he entered the studio and started working with excellent producers, he got to know all the different aspects of the music industry and understood the enormous power of the culture.
Q: You are now vice president of the Revolt R: It's very exciting, because it's like the last page of black culture in the mainstream. With music videos, you have four minutes to tell a story, but with a cable channel, you can have documentaries of an hour or two. This year we went to 100% hip-hop and R & B programming, so it's like the highlight of my work.
Q: What life lessons do you give to your own son?
A: Gianni now is my project # 1. I try to tell her that youth is doing it, and do it now. So, determine what you like, then get to work. Then, when you have my age, you can sit down and call the shots.
(Edited by Beth Pinsker and Richard Chang)
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