Rapper Dice DaVinci Speaks on Auditioning to Portray LL COOL J in BET Series

Houston rapper and creative entrepreneur Dice DaVinci reflects on the opportunity to audition for BET’s highly anticipated Uptown miniseries before the death of music executive Andre Harrell.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought much of the entertainment industry to a standstill, rapper Dice DaVinci found himself pursuing an opportunity connected to some of the most influential names in hip-hop history.

DaVinci recently spoke about auditioning to portray a young LL COOL J in Uptown, BET’s planned three-part scripted miniseries chronicling the rise and cultural impact of Andre Harrell’s legendary Uptown Records.

The audition took place during the project’s early casting period and prior to Harrell’s death in May 2020. For DaVinci, the experience represented more than the possibility of appearing in a television production. It offered him the chance to step into the story of an artist whose music, confidence and transition into film and television helped expand the possibilities available to hip-hop performers.

Preparing to embody the 1990s version of LL COOL J required DaVinci to consider more than physical appearance. The assignment called for an understanding of LL’s commanding presence, Queens attitude, performance energy and ability to balance toughness, charisma and mainstream appeal.

DaVinci describes the experience as an important moment in his development as both an entertainer and creative professional. Auditioning for a production connected to Andre Harrell and LL Cool J placed him close to a story about the architects who transformed hip-hop and R&B into a dominant cultural force.

"the opportunity to audition for Andre Harrell and BET was exciting in itself, but Rest In Peace to Andre Harrell most importantly" said DaVinci.

BET officially announced Uptown in 2019 as a three-part television event exploring Harrell’s creation of Uptown Records and the label’s role in shaping the careers of Mary J. Blige, Heavy D & The Boyz, Jodeci, Al B. Sure!, Christopher Williams, Father MC and several other influential performers and executives.

The production’s casting calls sought entertainers who could believably portray the 1990s versions of LL COOL J, Mary J. Blige, Heavy D, Jodeci and other major figures associated with the Uptown and Def Jam era. Applicants were expected to possess a combination of acting, singing, rapping and dancing abilities.

The series was originally expected to premiere in 2020. However, production was heavily delayed when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down television and film projects across the country. The uncertainty surrounding the production became even more significant following Harrell’s death in May 2020.

Although BET indicated at the time that the project would continue, Uptown never reached its announced premiere, and no officially released episodes have aired. The unfinished production has since become part of a complicated chapter in Harrell’s legacy—an ambitious effort intended to dramatize the label, artists and executives who changed the sound and image of Black music.

For DaVinci, the audition remains meaningful regardless of the series’ fate. It placed him in consideration to portray LL COOL J during a defining period in the rapper’s career and allowed him to participate, even briefly, in a production shaped by Andre Harrell’s final creative vision.

The experience also carries additional significance because of DaVinci’s later professional relationship with hip-hop legend Eric B., one half of Eric B. & Rakim. DaVinci signed a record deal with Eric B. in 2020, further connecting his career to the generation of artists who helped establish New York hip-hop as a worldwide movement.

That connection makes DaVinci’s audition feel like more than an isolated acting opportunity. His attempt to portray LL COOL J, followed by his record deal with Eric B., reflects a career repeatedly intersecting with the artists and executives responsible for building hip-hop’s first major institutions.

As DaVinci continues developing music, documentaries and other visual projects, the Uptown audition remains a reminder of how close he came to helping tell one of the culture’s most important stories—and of the responsibility that comes with representing hip-hop history on screen.