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 Ferrell, also known as DJ Eddie F, is an American music expert. He works as a record producer (someone who helps artists make songs), a DJ (who plays music), a songwriter (who writes songs), and a record executive (who helps run music companies).
In 1985, he teamed up with his friend Heavy D to create the hip hop group Heavy D and the Boyz. Eddie F was the main producer and DJ for the group. They signed with Uptown Records and released seven successful albums. Eddie F also held important jobs at big music companies. He was a Vice President at LaFace Records from 1993 to 1995 and an Executive Vice President at Motown from 1995 to 1997. Later, he was a special advisor at Def Jam Recordings. He also started his own music company called Untouchables Entertainment Group, where he discovered and signed the R&B singer Donell Jones.
In his own career, Eddie F has produced songs for many famous artists. These include Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, and Angie Stone. He was the main producer for Donell Jones' first four albums, and for his hit song "U Know What's Up" in 1999. This song became very popular, reaching the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Eddie F is also known for using "samples" in music, which means taking parts of old songs and using them in new ones. He is even credited with creating the first "Featured artist remix." This is when a song is changed with a new beat and a new rapper or singer is added. He did this with Johnny Gill's song "Rub U The Right Way" in 1990, adding C.L. Smooth. Eddie F also helped his high school friend, Al B. Sure!, get a record deal by playing his music for the head of Uptown Records.
Making Music and More
Edward Ferrell grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He first became known as a co-founder and member of the hip hop group Heavy D & the Boyz in the late 1980s. When the group signed with Uptown Records, Eddie F started producing music. He helped create the first two songs released by the label, "Uptown Is Kicking It" and "Mr Big Stuff." The song "Mr Big Stuff" was part of Heavy D & the Boyz's first album, Living Large (1987), which sold so well it became "gold-certified" (meaning it sold over 500,000 copies). Eddie F was the DJ and producer for all of the group's albums. He also had connections with many talented people from his hometown, like Al B. Sure! and Sean "Diddy" Combs, who even lived in Eddie F's home studio for a while when he was starting out at Uptown Records. Eddie F also started his record label, Untouchables Entertainment, in the late 1980s.
In the early 1990s, Eddie F discovered the rap duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth and the R&B group Intro. In 1990, he even wrote the theme song for the TV show In Living Color, which starred famous comedians like Jamie Foxx and Jim Carrey. By the mid-1990s, he became the Vice President of A&R at LaFace Records. A&R stands for "Artists and Repertoire," and it means he helped find new artists and guide their music careers. He worked with big names like Usher, OutKast, TLC, and Toni Braxton. He also helped with the Grammy Award-winning album Words by The Tony Rich Project in 1996.
In 1994, Eddie F released an album called Eddie F. and the Untouchables: Let's Get It On through Motown Records. This album featured songs by his Untouchables group. It also included a rare collaboration between two rising hip-hop artists at the time, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G., on the song "Let's Get It On." While at Motown, Eddie F was an Executive Vice President of A&R. He helped manage a roster of superstar artists like Queen Latifah, Diana Ross, and Boyz II Men, as well as new artists like 98 Degrees and 702. During this time, he discovered a talented singer from Chicago named Donell Jones.
Eddie F quickly saw Donell Jones' potential and helped him get started. He arranged for Jones' music to be distributed and worked with LA Reid at 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 or executive producer for many important albums. These include Pete Rock & CL Smooth's Mecca and the Soul Brother, INTRO's Intro, Donell Jones' Where I Wanna Be and Story of My Heart, and The Tony Rich Project's Words. He also worked on Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection by Stevie Wonder and Run-D.M.C. by RUN DMC.
See also
- Category:Albums produced by Eddie F
