Uptown Records is an American record label, based in New York City, founded in 1986 by onetime rapper Andre Harrell. From the late 1980s into the early 1990s, it was a leader in R&B and hip hop. During the 1990s, aided by its A&R worker Sean Combs, it led the fusion of these two genres. Its artists included Al B. Sure!, Christopher Williams, Guy, Heavy D & The Boyz, Father MC, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Notorious B.I.G., and Soul for Real. Growth In 1986, Andre Harrell, half of rap duo Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, founded Uptown Records. Its compilation album Uptown Is Kickin' It, including artists Heavy D & The Boyz as well as Marley Marl, was distributed by MCA Records. The acts who recorded on that album were collectively known as The Uptown Crew. The Heavy D & The Boyz album Living Large, certified Gold, followed in 1987. The Al B. Sure! album In Effect Mode, released in 1988, distributed by Warner Bros under Warner Music, place seven songs on the R&B chart. Also of 1988 were the Gyrlz album Love Me or Leave Me, distributed by Capitol, and the eponymous album of Guy, a group whose Teddy Riley, a record producer, would lead the sound "new jack swing". The Guy album reached No. 1 on the R&B chart. Guy's second album, The Future, arrived in 1990. Heavy D & The Boyz' second album, 1989's Big Tyme, preceded his album Peaceful Journey, honoring Boyz member Trouble T Roy, killed by accidental fall on tour. By 1990, 20-year-old Sean "Puffy" Combs began an internship at Uptown. Combs worked with newly signed acts Jodeci, Father MC, and Mary J. Blige, who altogether placed a number of singles on the R&B chart. Marking a fusion of hip hop and R&B was Mary J. Blige's debut album What's the 411?, released in July 1992, whereby she was dubbed the Queen of Hip Hop Soul. Led by her single "You Remind Me", it was certified three times platinum, honoring three million copies sold. In 1991, Harrell was executive producer of the comedy film Strictly Business, starring Tommy Davidson and Halle Berry, as well as its soundtrack. The following year, Harrell and MCA reached a multimedia deal that eventuated in development of FOX's hit television series New York Undercover—a police drama originally named Uptown Undercover—which aired from 1994 to 1998. The record label itself