Rell (singer) facts for kids

Gerrell Gaddis (born July 22, 1976), known by his stage name Rell, is an American singer and songwriter from Bowman, South Carolina. He is known for his smooth voice in the R&B and soul genres. Rell was the first male R&B singer to sign with the famous New York record label Roc-A-Fella Records. There, he worked with huge stars like Kanye West and Jay-Z.

Rell's Musical Journey

Rell grew up in the town of Bowman, South Carolina. Before his music career took off, he was a pre-med student at South Carolina State University.

Starting with Roc-A-Fella Records

In 1997, Rell's life changed when he signed a contract with Roc-A-Fella Records. He started working on his first album, which he planned to call Medicine.

Rell first became known to a wider audience in 1998. He appeared in the movie Streets Is Watching, which was created by Jay-Z. Rell also had a popular song called "Love for Free" on the movie's soundtrack.

Later in 1998, Rell changed his album's name to The Remedy. He released "Love for Free" as the main single to get people excited. In 1999, he released two more songs, "When Will U See" and "Darlin'", to build more interest. However, the songs didn't become big hits, so the record label decided not to release the album.

Even though his album was on hold, Rell stayed with Roc-A-Fella. He became the go-to singer for the catchy chorus parts, or "hooks," on songs for many other artists at the label. He was featured on the song "The Message" with Mary J. Blige from Dr. Dre's famous album 2001.

Trying Again

In 2001, Rell and Jay-Z decided to try releasing his album again. He recorded a new main single called "If That's My Baby". The album was planned for a September release. After another single, "It's Obvious," came out, the album was moved to spring 2002. Unfortunately, the reworked version of The Remedy was also cancelled and not released.

In 2004, Rell started a new album project called Long Time Coming. To promote it, he released some of his older songs from The Remedy on mixtapes. In 2005, he released a new single called "Real Love". But during this time, Rell was moved to a different record label, the Dame Dash Music Group. His album was scheduled for May 2006, but it was cancelled again. After this, Rell left the label.

Writing for Stars and New Projects

Rell continued to work in the music industry as a talented songwriter. In 2008, he wrote the title song for Usher's album Here I Stand.

In 2009, Rell joined with singer Tre Williams to form a group called The Revelations. They released their first album, The Bleeding Edge, that same year.

In 2011, Rell wrote the song "Love Contract" for Musiq Soulchild's album, MusiqInTheMagiq.

Discography

Even though Rell's solo albums were not officially released, he has a long list of songs and collaborations.

Albums

• The Remedy (2001) (Unreleased)
• Long Time Coming (2006) (Unreleased)

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: "Real Love" (featuring Kanye West & Consequence)
• 2008: "Swagga"

Featured On Songs

Rell has been a guest singer on many songs for other artists. Here are a few of them:

• 1999: "The Message" (with Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige)
• 2000: "There's Nothin' Better" (with Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel)
• 2002: "Don't Realize" (with Freeway and Beanie Sigel)
• 2003: "Victim of the Ghetto" (with Freeway)
• 2004: "No Better Love" (with Young Gunz)
• 2007: "Calm My Nerves" (with Don Omar)
• 2017: "Cold Summer" (with DJ Kay Slay, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kevin Gates)

Filmography

Rell has also appeared in a few films.

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