Eddie F facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
DJ Eddie F
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Ferrell in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Ferrell |
| Born | March 25, 1968 Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
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Edward 'Eddie F' Ferrell is a talented American record producer, DJ, songwriter, and music executive. He has helped many famous artists create their music. Eddie F also held important roles at big music companies like LaFace Records, Motown, and Def Jam Recordings.
He started his own music company called Untouchables Entertainment Group. Through this company, he found and signed amazing artists. These include R&B singer Donell Jones, and hip-hop groups like I.N.T.R.O. and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth.
Eddie F has produced songs for many well-known artists. Some of these include Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, and Angie Stone. He was also the main producer for Donell Jones' first four albums. He helped create Donell Jones' hit song "U Know What's Up" in 1999. This song was very popular, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also hit number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Eddie F is known for being a key figure in music sampling. This is when parts of old songs are used to create new ones. He is also credited with creating the first "Featured artist remix." This is a new version of a song with a different beat and a new rap verse from another artist. The first time this happened was with Johnny Gill's "Rub U The Right Way" remix in 1990, which featured C.L. Smooth. Eddie F also helped his friend Al B. Sure! get a record deal. He played Al B. Sure!'s music for music executive Andre Harrell, which led to Al B. Sure! signing with Uptown and Warner Bros. Records.
Contents
Eddie F's Amazing Career
Early Days and Heavy D & The Boyz
Eddie F started his music journey in Mount Vernon, New York. He began producing music for the very first songs released by Uptown Records. These songs were "Uptown Is Kicking It" and "Mr Big Stuff." "Mr Big Stuff" was part of the successful debut album Living Large (1987) by Heavy D & the Boyz. This album sold a lot of copies and became "gold-certified."
Eddie F became well-known as a co-founder and member of the hip-hop group Heavy D & The Boyz. He worked alongside his business partner Heavy D. Eddie F was also the group's main producer and DJ. The group released seven very popular albums.
Besides his work with Heavy D & The Boyz, Eddie F also helped develop many other talented artists from the Mount Vernon area. These artists include Al B. Sure!, Dave "Jam" Hall, and Kenny Smoove. He even helped Sean "Diddy" Combs early in his career. Diddy lived with Eddie F for a while when he was an intern at Uptown Records. In the late 1980s, Eddie F also started his own record company, Untouchables Entertainment.
Discovering New Talent and TV Music
In the early 1990s, Eddie F discovered the rap duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth and the R&B group Intro. In 1990, he created the theme song for the TV show In Living Color. This show featured famous comedians like Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, Marlon Wayans, and Jennifer Lopez.
By the mid-1990s, Eddie F became the Vice President of A&R at LaFace Records. A&R stands for "Artists and Repertoire." It means he helped find new artists and guide their music careers. He worked closely with the company's co-owner, L.A. Reid. Eddie F helped manage many big artists at LaFace, including Usher, OutKast, TLC, and Toni Braxton. He also worked on the Grammy Award-winning album Words (1996) by The Tony Rich Project.
Working at Motown and More Hits
In 1994, Eddie F released an album called Eddie F. and the Untouchables: Let's Get It On through Motown Records. This album showed off the artists from his Untouchables group. It featured a special song called "Let's Get It On" that brought together two rising hip-hop stars, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G.. The song also included Heavy D and Grand Puba.
While at Motown, Eddie F was the Executive Vice President of A&R. He managed a roster of superstar artists like Queen Latifah, Diana Ross, The Temptations, and Boyz II Men. He also helped new artists like 98 Degrees, 702, and Taral Hicks. He personally signed Mario Winans to the label. During this time, he also discovered a talented singer from Chicago named Donell Jones.
Eddie F quickly saw Donell Jones' potential. He helped Donell Jones get a distribution deal for his music. He also continued to work with LA Reid and LaFace Records. This led to the hit song "U Know What's Up" featuring Left Eye from TLC, which Eddie F also produced.
Eddie F has been an A&R executive or executive producer for many important albums. These include:
- Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca and the Soul Brother
- INTRO - Intro
- Donell Jones - Where I Wanna Be & Story of My Heart
- The Tony Rich Project - Words
- Stevie Wonder - Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection
- RUN DMC - Run-D.M.C.
See also
- Category:Albums produced by Eddie F
