Maestro Harrell facts for kids

Maestro Harrell (born July 29, 1991), who also goes by the name M A E S T R O, is an American actor, DJ, singer, and music producer. You might know him from his role as Randy Wagstaff in the popular HBO TV series The Wire. He also played the character Malik on the ABC comedy show Suburgatory.

A Talented Start

Maestro Harrell was born in Chicago, Illinois. He showed his talent at a very young age. He won the "Most Talented Child Under Twelve" award at the Chicago Music Awards for three years in a row (1999, 2000, and 2001).

When he was only seven, he started appearing on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He also traveled across the United States as a spokesperson for a reading program. He gave speeches to encourage other students to read.

In 2005, Harrell performed at the grand opening of Disneyland in Hong Kong. He also signed a record deal with producer Jermaine Dupri at So So Def/Island Def Jam.

Acting Career

Harrell has had a successful career in both movies and television. He has shown his acting skills in a variety of roles, from comedies to dramas.

Movies

Harrell's first movie was Ali in 2001, a film about the famous boxer Muhammad Ali. Harrell played the boxer as a young boy, Cassius Clay. He acted alongside famous stars like Will Smith and Jamie Foxx.

He also appeared in the comedy movie Barbershop (2002). Some of his other movies include Dark Summer (2014) and Bone Tomahawk (2015).

Television

Harrell's first main role on TV was in the comedy series Guys Like Us. One of his most famous roles was Randy Wagstaff in the drama series The Wire, from 2006 to 2008.

From 2011 to 2014, he had a recurring role as Malik LeFrique in the ABC sitcom Suburgatory. In 2015, he played Matt in the show Fear the Walking Dead. He has also made guest appearances in many other shows, including ER, Cold Case, and CSI: NY.

In 2003, he played the part of Young Simba in the Chicago stage production of Disney's The Lion King.

Music Career

Around 2011, Harrell began producing music. He started gaining attention as a DJ and producer in 2014.

Becoming a DJ

His first solo single, "Drop It," was a collaboration with another actor-turned-musician, Antoine Becks. The track was a style of electronic dance music called "big-room," which was very popular at the time.

His big break in the electronic dance music (EDM) scene came in 2015. He worked with Dzeko & Torres on the song "For You." This track was a style called progressive-house. After this success, he signed with W&W's music label, Mainstage Music. He released popular tracks like "Olympus" and "Poseidon."

Producing His Own Music

In 2018, Harrell, using the name M A E S T R O, released his first self-produced EP, WAV GOD. An EP is like a short album with just a few songs. One of the songs, "Which One Which," was featured in the movie The First Purge.

His song "Crystals" was also used in the animated movie Teen Titans Go! To the Movies in 2018. The next year, he released a follow-up EP called WAV GOD 2.

Selected Works

Here are some of Maestro Harrell's most well-known projects in film, TV, and music.

Notable Film & TV Roles

• Ali (2001) as Young Cassius Clay
• Barbershop (2002) as Tillman
• The Wire (2006–08) as Randy Wagstaff
• Suburgatory (2011–14) as Malik LeFrique
• Fear the Walking Dead (2015) as Matt
• Unsolved (2018) as Lil' Cease

Music Albums

• WAV GOD - EP (2018)
• WAV GOD VOL. 2 - EP (2019)

Popular Singles

• "For You" (2015)
• "Olympus" (2015)
• "Poseidon" (2016)
• "Which One Which" (2018)
• "Crystals" (2018)