Rell (singer) facts for kids

Gerrell Gaddis (born July 22, 1976), known as Rell, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. He is from Bowman, South Carolina. Rell was the first male R&B singer to join the famous Roc-A-Fella Records label in New York City. While there, he worked with big names like Kanye West and Jay-Z.

Life and Music Career

Rell grew up in Bowman, South Carolina. Before music, he even studied to become a doctor at South Carolina State University!

Joining Roc-A-Fella Records

Rell signed with Roc-A-Fella Records in 1997. He started working on his first album, which he first called Medicine. In 1998, Rell got a big chance. He appeared in Jay-Z's movie Streets Is Watching. He also sang the popular song "Love for Free" for the movie's soundtrack. This song was later planned for his first album.

Later in 1998, Rell changed his album's name to The Remedy. "Love for Free" was released again as the main song. In 1999, two more songs, "When Will U See" and "Darlin'", were released. However, The Remedy album was not released because these songs did not become big hits.

Singing for Other Artists

Even though his album was not released, Rell stayed with Roc-A-Fella Records. He became known for singing the catchy parts (called "hooks") for many Roc-A-Fella rappers. He sang on Jay-Z's "It's Obvious" and Freeway's "Victim of the Ghetto." He also appeared on "The Message" with Mary J. Blige for Dr. Dre's album 2001.

New Album Attempts

In 2001, Rell tried again to release The Remedy. A new main song, "If That's My Baby," came out. The album was set for release in September, then pushed to spring 2002. But again, the album was not released.

In 2004, Rell started working on another album called Long Time Coming. He released some songs from his earlier unreleased album on mixtapes. In 2005, he released "Real Love" as the main song for Long Time Coming. Around this time, Rell moved to a new record label, Dame Dash Music Group. The album was planned for May 2006. But because of problems and not enough promotion, this album was also not released. Rell then left the label.

Recent Projects

In 2007, Rell worked with Latin reggaeton artists Don Omar and Zion. Rell also wrote the title song for Usher's 2008 album Here I Stand. In 2008, Rell joined Right Arm Music Group, an independent record label.

In 2009, Rell teamed up with Tre Williams to form a group called The Revelations. They released their first album, The Bleeding Edge, on October 6, 2009. In 2011, Rell wrote "Love Contract" for Musiq Soulchild's album, MusiqInTheMagiq.

Music Releases

Albums

• The Remedy (2001) (Not officially released)
• Long Time Coming (2006) (Not officially released)

Singles

• 1997: "Ghetto Stash"
• 1998: "Love for Free" (featuring Jay-Z)
• 1999: "When Will You See" (featuring Amil)
• 2001: "If That's My Baby"
• 2001: "It's Obvious" (featuring Jay-Z)
• 2004: "No Better Love" (Remix)
• 2004: "Real Love" (featuring Kanye West & Consequence)
• 2008: "Swagga"

Guest Appearances

Rell has also sung on many songs by other artists. Here are some of them:

• 1999: "The Message" [Dr. Dre, Mary J Blige]
• 2000: "There's Nothin' Better" [Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel]
• 2000: "Darlin'" [DJ Clue]
• 2001: "Still Got Love for You" [Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z]
• 2002: "You Know What I Want" [Cam'ron]
• 2003: "Victim of the Ghetto" [Freeway]
• 2004: "No Better Love" [Young Gunz]
• 2005: "Change" [Beanie Sigel, Melissa Jay]
• 2007: "Calm My Nerves" [Don Omar]
• 2008: "That's What I'm Talking 'Bout" [Pete Rock]
• 2009: "Mysterious" [Kurious]
• 2010: "Men of Respect" [DJ Kay Slay, Jim Jones, Tony Yayo, Papoose]
• 2011: "Let Me Fly" [Jim Jones]
• 2014: "Blurred Pupil" [Illa Ghee]
• 2017: "Cold Summer" [DJ Kay Slay, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Kevin Gates]
• 2024: "MY BURNER" [Nell]

Movies

Rell has also appeared in a few movies:

• 1998: Streets Is Watching
• 2002: State Property
• 2003: Death of a Dynasty
• 2010: Code Blue