 acting as an incubator for the careers of Sean Puffy Combs and Teddy Riley. Uptown Records was founded in 1986 by artist and former Def Jam executive Andre Harrell. Considered one of the chief architects of New Jack Swing, Harrell would leverage the success of Uptown Records into a movie deal and a television series, an MTV unplugged album and home video. Transcending its status as a label,