A.D.O.R., born Eddie Castellanos Sr., is a U.S. hip hop artist whose work includes the
Pete Rock
Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongs ...
-produced hit "Let It All Hang Out" (
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, 1992), and "One for the Trouble" (Atlantic, 1994), produced by
Marley Marl
Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...
. The latter has been
sampled
Sample or samples may refer to:
Base meaning
* Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...
extensively in later songs, most famously
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...
's 1998 remix of "
Renegade Master
"Renegade Master" is a song by English DJ/producer Wildchild, released as a single in 1995. It reached No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart. The previous single, "Legends of the Dark Black Pt 2 (Renegade Master Mix)" is the same as "Renegade Master", ...
" by
Roger "Wildchild" McKenzie.
Biography
Early life and career
Castellanos was born in
Washington Heights, New York City. His father was a musician by profession, and as a child Castellanos attended his shows. At six years of age he moved with his family to
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...
, later to be known in hip hop circles as "money earnin' Mount Vernon" due to the preponderance of rap stars it produced. The future A.D.O.R. went to high school there, where he met
Sean Combs
Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
,
Heavy D
Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heav ...
, Al B. Sure, and
Pete Rock
Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongs ...
. Becoming interested in hip hop, he took the name A.D.O.R. (standing for both Another Dimension of Rhythm and A Declaration Of Revolution). Sean Combs, by this time working at
Uptown Records
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 ...
, began presenting A.D.O.R.'s demo tapes to record companies. Heavy D's DJ, DJ Eddie F, secured him a management and production deal. In 1992 he recorded his first record, the single "Let It All Hang Out", for
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
.
[
]
"Let It All Hang Out"
The musical backing for A.D.O.R.'s raps on "Let It All Hang Out" was by his old friend Pete Rock, by 1992 already an acclaimed producer, and now commonly cited as one of the hip hop genre's best. Stanton Swihart of allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
describes the track as an "infectious" outing that was an "instant classic" on release, driven by Rock's "irresistible horn loop" and the "tight flow" of A.D.O.R.'s rhymes. A hit in the summer of 1992, for Swihart its qualities have now proved timeless.[Stanton Swihart.]
A.D.O.R. Biography
, allmusic, undated.[Stanton Swihart.]
A.D.O.R.: Shock Therapy
, allmusic, undated. HipHopDX calls "Let It All Hang Out" "a certifiable Pete Rock classic", with "delicious horns" that no other producer could emulate.[J-22.]
A.D.O.R. - Classic Bangerz
, hiphopdx, January 19, 2004. Though most critical commentary focuses on the production, the rapper's contribution is roundly praised; Steve Juon of RapReviews notes in particular that the record established A.D.O.R.'s distinctive, high-pitched register.[Steve Juon.]
rapreviews, December 9, 2003.
"One for the Trouble" and ''The Concrete''
A.D.O.R. toured with major acts and made television appearances building on the buzz created by "Let It All Hang Out". In 1994 he followed up with a second single, "One for the Trouble", produced by K-Def and the legendary Queensbridge producer Marley Marl
Marlon Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects ...
. This record provided the "back once again with the ill behaviour" vocal snippet which dominates Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...
's 1998 hit remix of "Renegade Master" by Wildchild. "One for the Trouble" signaled that plans were underway for a debut album on Atlantic titled ''The Concrete''. Despite his successful run at the major label, A.D.O.R. was let go from his contract with Atlantic in 1995 without ''The Concrete'' being released, reportedly because of disputes over creative decisions, even though promotional items were released and the catalogue number 82443 was assigned to the release.[Gabrielle Schafer.]
Tru Reign Signs Deal With Sumthing Distribution
, ''Rolling Stone'', January 6, 2000.
Tru Reign: ''Shock Therapy''
A.D.O.R. formed his own record company in 1996: Tru Reign Records. For his fledgling label he immediately recorded and released as a single another Pete Rock track, "Enter the Center". It was a successful venture. Stanton reports that it sold "remarkably well" given its independent, small scale distribution, and received heavy radio play.[ He considers it the equal of its predecessor "Let It All Hang Out", but Juon goes further, offering that both Rock and Castellanos had improved their respective techniques in the six years between the two tracks. He draws attention to a new-found depth in the lyrical content of A.D.O.R.'s rap, putting this advancement down to maturity and experience in the later record.][ HipHopDX's reviewer found in "Enter the Center" "more of Pete Rock's understated brilliance".][ A.D.O.R.'s singles to date were collected on his debut album for Tru Reign, ''Shock Frequency'' (1998). Rock and Marley Marl were joined there by ]Diamond D
Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), better known by his stage name Diamond D, is an American hip hop MC and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, and one of the founding members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, abbreviated as D.I.T. ...
and Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publish ...
, making an impressive roster. "Shock to Bliss" and "Shock Frequency" were reminiscent of Rock's cuts, and almost as good, and Kent's contribution "From the Concrete" completed the album's highlights. The record as a whole betrayed its 1992 roots, though reviewers found this was not a bad thing, even if it did mean that it seemed to lack relevance or urgency in the musical climate of 1998.[
]
''Classic Bangerz'', ''The Signature of the Ill'', and beyond
In January 2000, Tru Reign secured a distribution deal with Nile Rodgers
Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...
' company Sumpthing Distribution. By this time, A.D.O.R.'s roster at Tru Reign also included artists K The Terrorbull, Nappy Redd & Filthy Rich, and Cristal Lane.[ A.D.O.R. released the album ''Animal 2000'' in this year. All was quiet until 2003, when he reemerged with the compilation ''Classic Bangers, Vol. 1'', and then an album of new music, ''Signature of the Ill'', in 2005. Both were received favorably by critics, yet the praise was again qualified as it had been with ''Shock Frequency'''s reception: the compilation of old material (which mined ''Shock Frequency'' heavily) ''and'' the collection of new music both seemed throwbacks to simpler times, with lyrics that concentrated on fun and a smooth flow rather than the trickery and internal or polysyllabic rhyme schemes of virtuoso rappers following in the wake of ]Biggie
Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...
or Pun
A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophonic ...
.[Dalia Cohen.]
A.D.O.R. : Signature of the Ill
, exclaim.ca, November 2005. A.D.O.R.'s ''Tru Jewelz and Videotape'' was released in 2008.
Discography
*'' The Concrete'' (Atlantic, 1994)
*''Shock Frequency'' (Tru Reign, 1998)
*''Animal 2000'' (Tru Reign, 2000)
*''Classic Bangerz, Vol. 1'' (Tru Reign, 2003)
*''Signature of the Ill'' (Tru Reign, 2005)
* ''Tru Jewelz and Videotape'' (Tru Reign, 2008)
References
{{Authority control
American male rappers
Living people
Atlantic Records artists
Rappers from Manhattan
Five percenters
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American male musicians