First studio album by Eddie "A.D.O.R." Castellanos, a rapper born in Washington Heights, Manhattan, raised in Mount Vernon, son of a professional musician. At school he meets those who will be known as Al B. Sure, Heavy D, Puff Daddy and Pete Rock. Passionate about hip-hop, he takes the moniker A.D.O.R. (an acronym that can take either the meaning of Another Dimension of Rhythm or A Declaration Of Revolution).
Working at Uptown Records, Sean Combs helps A.D.O.R. present his demo to record labels and Heavy D's DJ, Edward "DJ Eddie F" Ferrell, signs him to his label Untouchables Entertainment, securing him a management and production deal, becomes his manager and allows him to obtain a distribution deal with Atlantic Records (a subsidiary of the major Warner).
In 1992, A.D.O.R. released their first single, "Let It All Hang Out". The song surprisingly became a sensational mainstream hit (#10 on the Billboard charts) made by unknown and underground guys, praised both for the emcee's flow and especially for the production, one of the first jewels of Pete Rock, who soon became one of the best hip-hop producers that history can remember. The single should be followed by the album, which doesn't fall for any reason. Castellanos continues to make a name for himself on the streets and also appears on some television programs, gaining acclaim from the public also following his appearance on "In Living Color". In 1994, his second single, "One for the Trouble", produced by K-Def and Marley Marl, was released: the song became famous in the following years, first by Wildchild for the club banger "Renegade Master", then by Fatboy Slim in 1998 for another hit.
The rapper goes on tour with The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac as a support artist. Now his debut album is supposed to be released, everyone is waiting for that album, however, the album is not released anymore. Production problems arise and his management deals are dissolved, Atlantic shelves the album indefinitely and fires the rapper in 1995. What should be A.D.O.R.'s debut is somehow released for the German market only in 1994 in CD form. The situation is so complicated that the rapper's lawyer is among the first to get thanks in the liner notes.
Fifteen tracks, four skits, one remix. Diamond D is the busiest producer with four choices behind the keyboards, excluding skits and the remix means he is producing half a project. The other credited beatmakers are Willy Gunz, K-Def, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Pete Rock, Ward Corbett, Spunk Bigga, Ski and FM. Diamond D and K-Terrible are the only guests on the edition. The record is supported by a commendable production based on deep bass, jazz instrumentals and robust drums wrapped in pleasant breaks and raw samples, creating a solid boom bap soundscape on which A.D.O.R. delivers straight, sailing for the most part in boasting. The disk doesn't reinvent the genre but it's a solid hip hop album forgotten in the 1994 scene that welcomed one classic after another, coming out a couple of years late, when it would have been among the best of the season. 8/10.
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