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This 25 year old was jogging on a local street &Georgia. attempted to jog pass a red truck. As the father of a retired police officer sitting in the back of the truck was loading his shot gun . His son jump out of the truck & point blank with a double barrel shot gun Shot & killed the jogger . A driver caught the whole thing on video . An unarmed 25 year old black man shot killed and broad day light for no apparent reason . And no one has been arrested or charged .#justiceforahmaud

A post shared by @ andreharrell on May 6, 2020 at 9:02am PDT

Born in the New York and raised in the Bronx, Harrell's music career started in the early 1980s as one half of the hip hop group Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As Dr. Jekyll, Harrell and Alonzo Brown who was Mr. Hyde, were signed to Profile Records where they released one album \"The Champagne of Rap\" in 1985.

Harrell moved on from being in front of the microphone and into the background when he was hired by Russell Simmons at Def Jam Records. While there, Harrell worked his way up to vice president and general manager of the label, but left in 1986 to start his own label -- Uptown Records.

\"PHOTO:
Jemal Countess/Getty Images
PHOTO: Russell Simmons and Andre Harrell attend Heidi Klum's 12th annual Halloween party at Dream Downtown, on Oct. 31, 2011 ,in New York City.
>

Uptown Records signed classic R&B and hip-hop artists like Al B. Sure, the group Guy which included producer Teddy Riley and the late Heavy D & The Boyz.

As the leader of the label, Harrell hired Sean Combs, who is currently known as \"Diddy,\" as an intern. Combs moved up to become a talent manager for the label who developed the careers of Mary J. Blige and Jodeci until he was fired by Harrell in 1993, according to Billboard. Combs went on to found Bad Boy Records.

\"PHOTO:Andre
Larry Busacca/Getty Images
PHOTO:Andre Harrell speaks at the Hope Help & Relief Haiti "A Night Of Humanity" event at Urban Zen, on Fe. 8, 2010, in New York City.
>

Twenty years later, Harrell and Combs teamed up to start REVOLT television, a multi-platform brand that hosts music conferences.

In December, Black Entertainment Television announced it was working with Harrell to bring the Uptown Records story to life as a 2020 three-night scripted miniseries, according to Billboard.

Sympathy and condolences posts have poured in on social media from celebrities like Simmons.

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Heartbreaking - No words, my best friend 💔 always compassionate, good-hearted, full of love and.. what a beautiful legacy he leaves in this world... All the inspiration, direction and support he gave to so many... So many can say they are successful because Andre Harrell gave them their start. He was so beloved because he made his living uplifting others... We celebrate him in his passing because we were so blessed for his presence... He gave everything he had. God makes the best plans R.I.P @andreharrell

A post shared by Russell Simmons (@unclerush) on May 8, 2020 at 11:00pm PDT

\"PHOTO:
Rich Polk/Getty Images for Netflix
PHOTO: Left to right, Andre Harrell, Mary J. Blige, and Sean 'Diddy' Combs at the Mary J. Blige star ceremony for the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on Jan. 11, 2018, in Hollywood.
>
\"PHOTO:
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for NARAS
PHOTO: Andre Harrell attends the Pre-GRAMMY Gala and GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Clarence Avant, on Feb. 9, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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