'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 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.
[1][2] HipHopDX calls "Let It All Hang Out" "a certifiable Pete Rock classic", with "delicious horns" that no other producer could emulate.
[3] 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.
This record provided the "back once again with the ill behaviour" vocal snippet which was sampled by Wildchild in "Renegade Master" and popularized in Fatboy Slim's 1998 hit remix.
For his fledgling label he immediately recorded and released as a single another Pete Rock track, "Enter the Center".
Stanton reports that it sold "remarkably well" given its independent, small scale distribution, and received heavy radio play.
[1] 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.
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.
's roster at Tru Reign also included artists K The Terrorbull, Nappy Redd & Filthy Rich, and Cristal Lane.
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 or Pun.