BET Mourns Death Of Andre Harrell As Production Of Network’s Uptown Records Mini Is Delayed By COVID-19

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Because the music world at the moment is reeling from the information of Andre Harrell’s death on the age of 59, his colleagues and pals are celebrating the profession of the Uptown Data founder. Harrell’s milestone profession and private story are also the topic of Uptown, a three-part unique scripted miniseries, which was greenlighted by BET Networks in early December 2019.

Harrell was govt producing the undertaking, which had been in pre-production when the coronavirus pandemic suspended all filming in Hollywood. The manufacturing held a sequence of open casting calls in December and January for performers to play 90s variations of Heavy D & The Boyz, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kim Porter and Aaron Corridor, amongst others.

No solid and manufacturing begin date have been set for the miniseries, which initially was speculated to premiere in 2020. Due to the uncertainty over when Hollywood manufacturing will be capable to safely resume, it's attainable that the premiere of Uptown is pushed to 2021.

Per BET’s official description, Uptown tells the great story of Andre Harrell’s iconic New York Metropolis file label, Uptown Data. Launched in 1986, following a three way partnership take care of MCA, Harrell’s Uptown Data performed an important function within the careers of among the most influential voices in hip hop, soul and R&B, together with Heavy D & The Boyz, Russell Simmons, Lyor Cohen, Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Father MC, Al B. Positive, Christopher Williams, Teddy Riley, Infamous B.I.G., Sean “Diddy” Combs, and plenty of extra. Every episode will take viewers from the label’s inception to present day, that includes the music and powerhouse hit-makers that helped mould what would come to be generally known as the Uptown ‘sound’ and outline a musical period that might impression generations to come back.

Writers Charles Murray, Carlito Rodriguez and Barry Michael Cooper penned the scripts. Jesse Collins govt produces through Jesse Collins Leisure alongside Harrell, who served as EP on New York Undercover.

“We're mourning the lack of a cultural icon, Andre Harrell, a chief architect of the fashionable hip-hop and R&B sound,” mentioned BET President Scott Mills. “Andre was tremendously enthusiastic about sharing the origin story of Uptown Data, and its pivotal function within the city music panorama. Together with his tragic passing, BET is dedicated to making sure that the Uptown restricted sequence occasion tells each the Uptown story and Andre’s story – that of the unbelievable music innovator, man and buddy to so many.”