News about Andre Harrell

Pam Lewis-Rudden (right), who worked for Diddy (left) as his assistant at Uptown Records in the early 1990s, said no one was safe from his infamous outbursts and their regularity. He butted heads with just about everyone, including Uptown's chief executive Andre Harrell (inset with Diddy), who famously fired Diddy in 1993.

Thousands of people around the world have used hip-hop as a creative outlet and in some cases a new lease on life, whether as a rapper, songwriter, singer, musician, or a devout listener. On Friday, August 11, the musical genre and culture that originated in the Bronx, New York City, celebrated its 50th anniversary. According to Icon Collective and other publications and sources, DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican immigrant, was widely regarded as the founding father of hip-hop.

Mary J. Blige received the Billboard Music Awards for the 10th time this year, making her the 10th artist to be recognized. She follows in the footsteps of Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, Cher, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks, and last year's award recipient, Pink. "Mary J. Blige represents truth," Janet Jackson, who presented the award, said. "My career has always offered us security because it represents me and it represents you."