Eddie F
Edward "Eddie F" Ferrell is an American producer, DJ, songwriter, executive and entrepreneur. He has produced, written, and collaborated with several notable and highly successful artists including 2Pac, Mary J Blige, Donell Jones, Erick Sermon, Taral Hicks, LA Reid, Miss Jones, Usher, GUY, LL Cool J, Angie Stone, Jay Z, & Al B Sure!
DJ Eddie F | |
|---|---|
 DJ Eddie F at an event in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Edward Ferrell |
| Born | March 25, 1968 Mount Vernon, New York, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop, R&B |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Uptown Records, LaFace Records, Motown Records, Untouchables Entertainment |
Credited with originating the first modern "production camp," his company featured multi-platinum production and writing architects, including Eddie F himself, Pete Rock, Dave Hall, Kenny Greene, Mary Brown, Kenny Smoove and Donell Jones, who produced, wrote, and/or remixed songs for recording artists such as TLC, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Jodeci, Destiny's Child, Jaheim, Heavy D, Luther Vandross, and Run DMC.
A pioneer in the sampling hip hop & r&b revolution, Eddie F and his Untouchables team are also credited with creating the first “featured artist remix” whereby a track was musically reworked and replaced by an entirely new track (remixed) and a “featured” rap artist that was not on the original song added a totally new rap and artist performance on the newly remixed track. The project that first originated this “featured rap remix“ concept was the 1990 remix of Johnny Gill’s “Rub U The Right Way” remix “featuring” CL Smooth
Early career
By the early 90s, Eddie had discovered and executive produced gold certified projects for rap duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth and R&B trio INTRO. During this year, Eddie also created the theme song music for the popular Fox television series In Living Color starring then up and coming comedians Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, The Wayans Brothers and "fly girl" Jennifer Lopez.
Eddie F’s early professional career began as co-founder and partner of the rap group Heavy D & the Boyz. He is also known for his various work and projects serving as the founder and owner of Untouchables Entertainment Group, Untouchables Records, numerous major label clients and their artists
The Mount Vernon, New York native made his initial entry into production in the late 80s as co-writer of the first two debut singles from the legendary Uptown Records, “Uptown Is Kicking It” and also on the gold certified Heavy D & the Boyz debut Living Large with "Mr Big Stuff". Eddie continued to show his production prowess on the Heavy D & The Boyz’ follow-up platinum releases, Big Tyme and Peaceful Journey, creating such classics as "Somebody For Me" and "You Ain’t Heard Nothin’ Yet", to name a few.
Dating back to the late 80s and 90s, he has been largely responsible and instrumental in partnering with, delivering, or developing much of the talent coming out of the Mt. Vernon, NY area such as Heavy D, Al B. Sure!, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Dave Hall, Kenny Smoove, and even Diddy who lived with Eddie in his home studio loft for a while during the early stages of his Uptown Records, A&R career.
In the late 80s, Eddie created Untouchables Entertainment in order to bolster the careers of promising young producers, writers and artists. One of his many skills is a dynamic knack for identifying, coaching, and launching talent as he has done time and time again.
Some of the notable musical talents he has developed and guided include Pete Rock (Public Enemy, RunDMC, House Of Pain), Kenny Greene (Mary J Blige, INTRO), Dave Hall (Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Brownstone), Mary Brown (Destiny’s Child, Wyclef Jean, Jaheim), Kenny Kornegay (Case, Changing Faces), Donell Jones (Usher, 702), Mario Winans, Chico DeBarge, The Tony Rich Project and several others - all under his Untouchables umbrella or as a senior A&R executive….
By the mid-90s, he had also added the title of Vice President of A&R for LaFace Records to his repertoire, reporting to co-owner and founder, LA Reid and was responsible for assisting Reid in managing its talent roster including Usher, OutKast, TLC, Goodie Mob, Organized Noize, and Toni Braxton. He would also serve as A&R for the Grammy winning album of The Tony Rich Project, Words.
During this year, Eddie simultaneously released Eddie F. and the Untouchables: Let's Get It On - album on Motown Records. Spotlighting the works of the Untouchables camp, the compilation featured the only known in-studio collaboration of two then up-and-coming hip-hop MC's at the time, 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., on the title track "Let's Get It On" - which also featured Heavy D and Grand Puba.
He later segued to Motown Records as the Executive Vice President of A&R - managing a superstar roster including Queen Latifah, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, The Temptations, and Boyz II Men, as well as newcomers 98 Degrees, 702, Taral Hicks, and his personal signing of Mario Winans. This was also around the time that he discovered a then unknown Chicago singer named Donell Jones.
Eddie quickly invested in Jones by making him a part of the Untouchables family. He then secured a distribution outlet for Jones and further developed his relationship with LA Reid and LaFace Records spawning the hit single "U Know What's Up" featuring Left Eye of TLC which was also produced by him.
Some of the notable albums and "Greatest Hits" projects he has served as A&R and/or Executive Producer 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, and RUN DMC - RUN DMC.
Current projects
As of recent, Gentle (JeJe) is the newest release from veteran producer, executive, and talent finder, Eddie F via his new showcasing platform - "Eddie F Presents". This new fire tune is an AfroBeat selection with the sexy melody and mood that fits right along with today's top AfroBeat artists...
The “Eddie F Presents” showcasing platform promises to continually deliver new quality music from legendary classic artists as well as fresh and new young emerging talent.
Collaborating with industry veteran Andrew "Sugar Dice" Ramdhanny, Eddie F is also excited to unveil the establishment of a new label, Afro America Unlimited. This venture is a testament to Eddie F and Sugar Dice's commitment to fostering innovation within the AfroBeat genre. With decades of combined experience, the duo aims to provide a platform for emerging talents while also contributing to the continued growth of the genre.
Inspired by a diverse range of artists such as Bruno Mars, Rick Ross, Mariah Carey, Cardi B, Lil Baby, Migos, Teddy Riley, Mary J Blige, Jodeci, Diddy, Doja Cat, Marley Marl, Drake, and the incomparable Jackson family, Eddie F’s musical taste embodies a fusion of influences, resulting in a unique and captivating sound that appeals to audiences worldwide.
As he continues to discover and develop new talent as a producer/executive and also dubbed as “Uptown Records only official DJ”, he still follows his original passion of spinning and DJing for private and corporate events, always enjoying the spread of positive, uplifting, musical energy along with delivering the ever continuing soundtrack of our lives…
See also
- Category:Albums produced by Eddie F