"Adon The One," Albanian Hip Hop Music & Culture.

Adon The One Music, Shows, And Merchandise

"Adon The One," Albanian Hip Hop Music & Culture.

Adon The One Music, Shows, And Merchandise

Adon The One (A.T.1, Ado1)

Origin Story

Adon The One (Real name:John Mark aka Gjon Marku, Ado1 and A.T.1) is an Albanian-American rapper, poet, singer, and songwritter. He was born in Albania, in the district of Mirditë where he lived as a child. Adon was captivated by the sound of poetry and began performing and writing poetry as early as 7 years of age. In a recent interview, Adon described how he was constantly holding a key around his neck since the age of 5 years old and roaming the city while both his parents worked.

His parent's were hard workers. They were educated middle class Albanian migrants who were forced to flee to the US. due to armed civil unrest during 1996 and 1997 riots. In a recent interview, Adon told us that his life was characterized by, "rapping on the street and losing a great deal of friends and family to street feuds and blood feuds in Albania."

He went to middle school in Cleveland Ohio, and then in Bronx, NY. Again Adon, would find comfort in poetry, but this time in the form of rap and hip hop. During our interview he described falling in love with hip hop during his drives to school listening to 2Pac, Mobb Deep, Biggie Smalls, Big Pun and Big L. Adon grew up in NY to the sound of hip hop, freestyle battling constantly and every day onthe streets of New York. He was arrested several times in NY for massive gang brawls between the Albanian community and NY city gangs. In 2013 he opened his recording studio named after his former alias, Oreo. "They would call me Oreo because they could count on seeing me, the only white guy, surrounded by a crowd of 30,40,50 black kids," said Adon.

As an adult he worked with non profit organizations to reduce gang violence in the community. This was the same organization that helped him move away from street life to a life dedicated to helping others. He was arrested in 2013 after an accident at a party in his studio, Oreo Records, and had his life turned upside down, suffering from isolation and depression as a result.

Today, although still battling his own demons, Adon The One is oriented toward raising awareness for people with depression and mental illness.

He changed his Alias to Adon The One, which means, Do You Love God. "A do," do you love, and, "The One," referring to God. When asked why this name, he said, " because I feel dead. everything I do is for the love of music. I dont care to be the center of attention. Everything I do, is for the love for God and music."

Early Influences

Adon The One grew up around music and poetry from the age of 7. After moving to Cleveland, he fell in love with hip hop. After moving to the Bronx, he began rapping routinely in popular freestyle gatherings while attending High School.

His early Musical influences include 2Pac, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Big Pun, Big L, Dr Dre, Snoop Dog, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Lil Wayne.

Later influences include Kenye West, Drake, Pop Smoke, and other genres of music.

Signature Style

Adon The One can be described as a Rapper who can sing. His style is emotional and goose bump provoking as he aims to captivate the audience using real life stories and obstacles of everyday people. His style is dark and metaphorical but with some catchy party tracks to follow.