I've just heard that ADOR has a new album coming out in '08 called Reign of the Machine (as well as a greatest hits album called Tru-Jewelz that promises to have some unreleased cuts on it as well)... so I figured it's the perfect time for another Necro'd thread. This is an interview I did with ADOR (plus K. Terrorbull) in '98. ADOR was a cool, nice guy who's kept putting out under-appreciated record after under-appreciated record.
Alright, let's start at the beginning. Why don't you tell us about how you signed up to Atlantic and all that?
ADOR: Oh, you wanna take it back there? I'm from Mount Vernon - I'm actually from Manhattan, but then I moved out to mount Vernon when I was real young - and I was always making music. My father was a musician, so I was always makin' music. And, to make a long story short, it just came to be that... I was making some nice tracks, some nice demos, and stuff like that... and Puffy was the first person to really hear it. This is when Puffy was on Uptown. Now Puffy went and started shopping my music, like to Tommy Boy and stuff like that, like the demos that I had made. Then Eddie F came into it, and then he had Untouchables Music, which is just a production company that he had with Pete Rock and CL Smooth. That's where Pete Rock and CL Smooth were coming from. So, he knew who we were, we all knew each other from Mount Vernon, and they liked what I was doin'. So, basically, Eddie offered me a nice deal. Puffy kinda got a little mad at me, 'cause I went and did a thing with Eddie. And that was it. I was with Untouchables and me and Pete started makin' records. You know, we made the record "Let it All Hang Out." That's my classic, the hip-hop classic joint. Lettin' you know, that's there, but there's a lot more to ADOR than "Let It All Hang Out." That's the most important thing. But, ever since then, I've just been rollin'. I've been transmittin' frequencies and tryin' to make good records.
So what happened to your album The Concrete? I know you came out with that second single...
ADOR: That album got lost. Man, I don't think we have enough time... That's a book. That's a Let It All Hang Out book we gotta get into that, to see something like that. But, just to make a long story short, everything got... You know, it was a great album, I loved makin' it. Two years, it took, about a year and a half, to make it, 'cause of all the politics and controversies of dealing with Eddie F. and the Untouchables and stuff. And we made it, and it got burned in a fire of, like, WEA. 'Cause Sylvia Long fired everybody from WEA. My A&R got fired. And I was just like, "I gotta get outta here. This is not where I wanna be." I'll tell you what, though. If everything didn't happen the way it happened, I wouldn't be where I'm at today, exactly where I'm at today, and where I'm at today I love. That's right.
Do you think it's helped you, having all these years, before having your first full-length album out?
ADOR: Yeah. I think, because I love where I'm sittin' now. I'm sittin' here, with you. I've been all over the world. My music is doin' well; it's out there. I have total control over the album. I have a good distribution deal. I have Tru Reign Records, which is my biggest dream, to have a record label. A strong record company. And I think Tru Reign is gonna be like the next Nervous Records when they first put out Black Moon, or like the next LOUD and Jive when they were first beginning. You know, we have the machine behind us to do it. We're gonna come with quality music. keep the illmatic frequencies for the heads.
Do you own Tru Reign? Is it your label?
ADOR: Yeah, I own most of it.
And we got K. Terrorbull here.
ADOR: Yeah, word up.
So, what's up with you? What've you got coming out? We know you did some stuff with Diamond D and all...
K. Terrorbull: Yeah, you know, the last LP that came out... Did a couple of joints on there. So, went overseas, you know, touring and all... but now, trying to get everybody together and put this Tru Reign joint out. K. Terrorbull. Got Diamond, Jess West, 45 King, you know what I'm saying? So we're gonna bang with this thing, this Tru Reign thing.
ADOR: I think it's a frequency of music, and it's true hip-hop in the sense of illmatics. 'Cause New York, that's really where comes the banging New York horns and sirens... Hank Shocklee and the Bomb Squad... Things like that.
And you were also part of the Fantastic Four, right?
K. Terrorbull: Yeah, that was a thing we did with Ras Kass...
How'd you hook up with him?
K. Terrorbull: Well, I met Ras Kass through Diamond. It was a while ago. So, he had come up and we vibed that whole weekend. He did that single with Diamond. So we got in the basement, got down and everything and did our thing... Just put that out.
And so now you're comin' out on Tru Reign, too?
K. Terrorbull: Yeah, we're workin' on this album now.
You got a title for it?
K. Terrorbull: Nah, it ain't even titled yet. The Adventures of K. Terrorbull Something Crazy, it's gonna be crazy.
ADOR: The Adventures of Francis Xavier (Laughs) Francis Xavier: Shockbliss...
K. Terrorbull: You are so crazy, so crazy...
ADOR: Nah, it's gonna be good music, good music.
So tell us about Shock Frequency. It's got some tracks from The Concrete on it...
ADOR: Yeah, there's a couple. I had to put on "Let It All Hang Out" 'cause that's my record that was born to be on my debut album. This is my debut album. And I took two other records from The Concrete, which are so special to me they had to come out. "From the Concrete" and "The Kid Is Crazy," you know what I'm saying? And these records are timeless, because the world hasn't heard 'em yet. And, I don't know if you've heard them, but they're pretty powerful records, so, you know, we're gonna put them out there... And the great thing is it's doing really well here, and it's doing really well overseas... but the greatest thing that I feel, one of the greatest freedoms I have, is that when I give up on this album is when the album is over. You know, a lot of kids now, especially kids who are staying true to their music, when they're putting a hip-hop album. The label doesn't see SoundScan 50,000 in the first week, they start calling up, "What's going on with my next single? When's it gonna come out?" And it takes a long time and sometimes it don't even come out. And you have no control over it. And that's something I would never put myself, or any of my artists, through. We're gonna keep streaming to people and keep giving it to them until they understand that we're probably mixed up in some of the best music in the world.
And, so, what's up with the stuff on Uppercut?
ADOR: The stuff on Uppercut is just a licensing/ distribution deal I have in Europe. I'm like Michael Jackson out there. I just came back from, like, a press tour over there. In Germany, France, and England, we did all of that stuff. And I gotta tell you, man. I'm in, like, thirty magazines out there, full-page spreads... It's great to see. But, you know, I'm from New York. My music bangs in America. That's my thing. And, still overseas, while I respect what they're doin' over there, but it's kinda hard. Like I was on the Kut Killer show, that kid over there in France, it's like huge. Like he's in all the magazines out there; I don't know f you ever heard of him, but he's got me freestylin' for like fifteen minutes and I don't know if anybody can understand what I'm really feelin', what I'm really saying. So I don't know how strong they'll really take to me out there. My vibe is strong and my music is good; they can understand that. But, as far as what I'm sayin', what I'm trying to say, and what I'm giving my generation and the future generations, I don't know if they could get it, like, if they could get the full grasp of it.
So tell us about the production.. You've got some big-names...
ADOR: Yup, no doubt. Got Pete. Well, Pete did "Let It All Hang Out," which you know. He also did a joint called "Enter the Center" which is a favorite record of mine that I made last year kind of on some underground... And it did well, man; it's on the album. D came through with the first single off the album, "The Rush." And"The Rush" did well, man. I did Top Twenty Gavin... Miramax Films used it for the movie She's All That. It's done well. Radios like it. I can't be mad at that. I definitely can't be mad. I'm happy that I'm sitting here and that I can be talking, politicking with you. And, you know, we got some nice things happening.
You kinda touched on it real quick, but what's your next single comin' out?
ADOR: It's gonna be "The Kid Is Crazy" maxi-release. This is the banger, too. I like this record, personally, better than "The Rush." As a single, there's more I could do with it creatively. It's a story about a friend of mine, actually. So, it's a "The Kid Is Crazy" maxi-release with a remix of "One For the Trouble" that Sam Sever did... I don't know if you remember him. Some people know Sam Sever from Third Bass, and he just did a remix of "Intergalactic" for the Beastie Boys...
Yeah. he was with, uhm... Downtown Science.
ADOR: Downtown Science, right right. So, Sam is a very talented producer. He's a very talented brother, so we have him on "The Kid Is Crazy" maxi-release; Diamond did the single. And then Sam Sever did the remix for "One For the Trouble" and then I got, like, a nice - I just got it, too, and I love it - a nice remix of "The Rush." like a Mecca and The Soul... Almost like a "Reminisce" with the horns and the "Let It All Hang Out" vibe to it, but "The Rush," that I'm really feelin'. So, you know, we're gonna keep comin'. We're gonna keep bangin'. Can't stop the Reign, baby. That's the truth.
So, why don't you tell us a bit about the name, the acronym? 'Cause it seems to stand for a couple different things...
ADOR: Yeah, It's A-D-O-R. It means Another Dimension of Rhythm, 'cause basically I like to make my music the way I wanna make it. And that was another thing with Atlantic... I could've went out and did a lot of things if I wanted to, and stayed with Atantic... been a totally different artist. Really, artistically, my integrity was definitely checked there. For the type of music they wanted me to make because I'm not of black skin. That was something that I could not do, I didn't want to do that. So ADOR stands for Another Dimension of Rhythm, which means, I think, my sound can't be identified with anyone. I think you can really listen to it, and my lyrics, and how my music is arranged... I don't think you can identify me with anyone, or say, "Oh, he's tryin' to sound like this cat. Or he's trying to be in this style, or this genre of rap." It's ADOR. Another Dimension of Rhythm. A Declaration of Revolution. Against Discrimination of Racism, you know, from both sides... So, I just wanna say, yo, if you want a quality hip-hop album, honestly, that I think is timeless and ageless and be able to tell you something years from now, check out Shock Frequency. I just want to give a lot of peace and love to all my brothers and sisters out there that's supportin', and just make it happen. We're just makin' it happen, baby. And check out the K. Check out the K-T, too. For The Stupendous Adventures of Sir Francis Xavier. Comin' to the stores soon.
K. Terrorbull: (Laughs) It's comin', it's comin'. Tru Reign.
ADOR: Tru Reign, baby. From now 'till forever, it's goin' down, son. That's for real.
And like I said in the opening, he's still doing it on Tru Reign in '08. Check out his myspace, and be on the look out for Reign of the Machine. If his 15-year track record is anything to go by, it's sure to be quality.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment