Ayatollah, is a Hip-Hop producer from Queens, New York who has produced
for predominantly New York-based rappers including Mos Def, R.A. The
Rugged Man, Tragedy Khadafi, Wordsworth, Vast Aire, Afu-Ra, Guru,
M.O.P., Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah as well as many others. R.A.
the Rugged Man had said in an interview that he was the first person to
ever buy a beat from Ayatollah. Broadly speaking Ayatollah's production
encompasses a soulful, authentic east coast hip-hop sound which has
brought him steady success and acclaim since the late 1990's.

Ayatollah first received main-stream recognition after producing Rawkus
rapper Mos Def's hit Ms Fat Booty, the first single off his Black on
Both Sides album; whilst subsequently receiving a gold plaque for
probably his most well-known track to date, Styles P's hit My Life
featuring Organized Konfusion legend Pharoahe Monch, which appeared on
the Rawkus Recordscompilation Soundbombing III.

Ayatollah is a
favoured producer of many Queensbridge MCs in particular, and after
working with Cormega on Rap's a Hustle on his debut The Realness, the
latter spoke of working on a subsequent album produced solely by
Ayatollah, an eagerly awaited project which has since failed to
transpire; perhaps Queens' own mini-version of Dr Dre and Ice Cube's
almost mythological Helter Skelter project so oft referred to on early
Death Row Records releases.

Despite being well-respected and
having worked with a veritable who's who of the east coast US hip-hop
scene over the last decade, and unlike many of his contemporaries,
Ayatollah has never released a solo album teaming his beats with guest
appearances. Nor has he gone the 9th Wonder/Dangermouse route of
bootleg remixing an entire album. As a result, and perhaps unfairly, he
remains comparatively underappreciated and unknown by a wider audience.

He has however released three instrumental albums, 2003's
unofficial debut So Many Reasons to Rhyme and since then in 2006,
Listen, on Nomadic Wax and Now Playing on Nature Sounds. He has also
worked with hip hop legend Rakim on an unreleased song from The Wash
soundtrack entitled A Cold Feeling.

His production has also
featured on a flurry of a releases over the first half of this decade
and he has since collaborated with Brooklyn newcomer Okai on the album
Dekonstruktion of the Mind, a well-received 2006 debut entirely
produced by Ayatollah. He recently became the producer for the group
T.H.U.G. Angelz, with Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Hell Razah and Shabazz
the Disciple, and produced a majority of their first collaborative
album titled Welcome to Red Hook Houses.