Harold O'Neal

Harold O'Neal
O'Neal in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Harold Mujahid O'Neal
Born	(1981-03-27) March 27, 1981 Arusha, Tanzania
Origin	Kansas City, Missouri
Genres	Classical Jazz Hip Hop R&B Pop
Occupation(s)	Composer Producer Dancer Actor Public Speaker
Instruments	Piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	BluRoc Roc-A-Fella Universal Music Group PME Smalls Records
Associated acts	Jerry Duplessis, Lil' Ronnie, Damon Dash, Ski Beatz, Bobby Watson, Greg Osby, Andrew Hill, Ahmad Alaadeen

Harold Mujahid O'Neal (born March 27, 1981) is a Tanzanian - American pianist, composer, record producer, actor, and dancer. He has worked with Bono, Aloe Blacc, Jerry Wonda, Busta Rhymes, Bob Geldof, Lil' Ronnie, Ne-Yo, Damon Dash, Ski Beatz, Damien Rice, Lupe Fiasco, and many of the industry's finest artists.

Career

The last protégé of Andrew Hill, O'Neal began working with musical luminaries from a young age — touring the world with Bobby Watson when he was 19 after studying composition at the Berklee College Of Music and leaving the Manhattan School of Music to replace pianist Jason Moran in the influential band, The Greg Osby 4, recording for Blue Note Records.

As a composer, Harold is known for blending the genres of 20th-century impressionist music with modern music. His solo album, "Marvelous Fantasy", is influenced by the works of Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. His work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, and PRI.

Production

In addition to composing, O'Neal is equally active as a producer in the worlds of Pop, Hip-Hop, and R&B. In 2010, Harold began working with hip hop legend Damon Dash. This led to a long term collaboration with the iconic hip hop producer Ski Beatz, touring extensively with hip-hop artists, and producing tracks for Mac Miller, Cam'Ron, Murs, and Sir Michael Rocks. In 2012, Harold began a collaboration with super-producers Lil' Ronnie (R. Kelly, Britney Spears, T-Pain) and Jerry Duplessis, a.k.a. Jerry Wonda (The Fugees, Wyclef Jean, Shakira, Justin Bieber, Madonna, Whitney Houston).

Notable Performances

Electric Burma

On June 18th, 2012, Harold performed with U2, Lupe Fiasco, Bob Geldof, Damien Rice, Angelique Kidjo and many other major artists for the presentation of Amnesty International's prestigious 'Ambassador of Conscience' Award to Aung San Suu Kyi. The award was originally announced from the stage when U2 played Croke Park in July 2009 - while the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize recipient was still under house arrest in Burma.

Global Citizen: World On Stage

On September 22nd, 2016, Harold performed with Aloe Blacc and Maya Jupiter for The Global Citizen Festival's The World On Stage, a night curated by Tom Morello and Jon Batiste. The evening was dedicated to several prominent speakers who addressed various causes -- such as education, the refugee crisis, gender equality, poverty, hunger, and much more -- and the presentation of the inaugural George Harrison Global Citizen award, presented by Paul Simon to Olivia and Dhani Harrison (George's widow and son).

Filmography

Discography

Songs

Albums

References

• NPR's All Things Considered Interview
• PRI's Studio 360: Profile
• WNYC Soundcheck: Interview
• NPR's Fresh Air: Interview
• The New York Times - Marvelous Fantasy
• The New York Times - Whirling Mantis
• The 92Y's 7 Days Of Genius

External links

• Official Site
• Harold O'Neal Facebook fan page