Ayatollah (record producer)

Lamont Dorrell, known as Ayatollah, is a hip hop record producer. He has mainly produced music for New York–based rappers, including Mos Def, Talib Kweli, R.A. the Rugged Man, Tragedy Khadafi, Wordsworth, Vast Aire, Afu-Ra, Guru, M.O.P., Inspectah Deck, Cormega, and Ghostface Killah.

Career

Ayatollah first received mainstream recognition after producing Rawkus rapper Mos Def's 1999 single "Ms. Fat Booty", the first single off his Black on Both Sides album.^[1] He went on to produce Cormega's "Rap's a Hustle", from the 2001 album The Realness, and Styles P's "The Life", featuring Pharoahe Monch (2002), among others.

Ayatollah has also released numerous solo albums, starting with his 2003 debut, So Many Reasons to Rhyme.

In 2015, he formed the trio COLOSSUS with the hip hop production team Widowmaker. Their debut instrumental album, Ayatollah Presents: COLOSSUS, was released digitally in June of that year,^[2] and a limited vinyl pressing was issued in mid-August.^[3]

Selected discography

Albums

• So Many Reasons to Rhyme (2003)
• Personal Legend Vol. 1 (2003)
• Listen (2006)
• Now Playing (2006)
• Louder (2008)
• Drum Machine (2008)
• The Quixotic (2010)
• The Quixotic Remix EP (2010)
• Cocoon (2010)
• Live from the MPC 60 (2010)
• Fingertips (2011)
• Bridges with Moka Only (2012)
• Avant Garde (2013)
• Be Real Black for Me (2014)
• Who Is My Soul Brother? (2015)
• Wendee (2015)
• Ayatollah Presents: COLOSSUS (2015) (with Widowmaker)
• The Box Cutter Brothers (with Drasar Monumental) (2015)
• Box Cutter Brothers II (with Drasar Monumental) (2015)
• Weapons of Mass Production: Episode 1 (with Budget Money)
• Blaxplotiation: A Piece of the Action (with Hell Razah) (2017)
• Box Cutter Brothers – B.C.B. 4 (with Drasar Monumental) (2017)
• Box Cutter Brothers – 5 (with Drasar Monumental) (2018)
• Karmic Points (2018)
• Phantom of the Chakras (2018)

Production

• Mos Def – "Ms. Fat Booty"; "Know That" (Black on Both Sides, 1999)
• Mos Def & Ghostface Killah – "Ms. Fat Booty 2" (Lyricist Lounge 2, 2000)
• Cella Dwellas – "Game of Death" (The Last Shall Be First, 2000)
• Guru – "Cry" (Baldhead Slick & Da Click, 2001)
• Tragedy Khadafi – "Lift Ya Glass" (Against All Odds, 2001)
• Masta Ace – "Hold U" (featuring Jean Grae) (Disposable Arts, 2001)
• Screwball – five tracks (Loyalty, 2001)
• Cormega – "Rap's a Hustle" (The Realness, 2001)
• Afu-Ra – "Think Before You..." (featuring Jahdan Blakkamoore) (Life Force Radio, 2002)
• Royce Da 5'9" – "Life" (featuring Amerie) (Rock City, 2002)
• Styles P & Pharoahe Monch – "My Life" (Soundbombing III, 2002)
• Talib Kweli – "Joy" (featuring Mos Def), "The Proud" (Quality, 2002)
• Inspectah Deck – six tracks (The Movement, 2003)
• R.A. the Rugged Man – "Chains" (featuring Masta Killa & Killah Priest), "Make Luv Outro" (Die Rugged Man Die, 2004)
• Wordsworth – "Right Now", "Evol" (featuring Justin Time & Masta Ace) (Mirror Music, 2004)
• Cormega – "Bring it Back" (Legal Hustle, 2004)
• Vast Aire – "Elixir" (featuring Sadat X and Sinclair) (Look Mom... No Hands, 2004)
• Tragedy Khadafi – "No Equivalent" (Thug Matrix, 2005)
• Sean Price – "Spliff N Wessun" (featuring Ruste Juxx) (Monkey Barz, 2005)
• Cormega – "Rapture" (Born and Raised, (2009)
• Killah Priest – "Super God" (The Psychic World of Walter Reed) (2013)
• Capone-N-Noreaga – "Future", "Not Stick You Pt. 2" (feat. Tragedy Khadafi) (Lessons, 2015)

References

1. Strock, Owen (2005) "Ayatollah Now Playing", CMJ New Music Monthly, Issue 137, 2005, p. 40, retrieved February 5, 2010
2. Bandcamp. "Ayatollah Presents: COLOSSUS". Bandcamp.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
3. Fleamarketfunk (May 18, 2015). "Ayatollah Presents: COLOSSUSS". Fleamarketfunk.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.