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Whether he was at home with me or on the road, Adonis was always writing songs or making his own demos in any studio he could get to. He had loved music since childhood, and took delight in his notebook filled to the brim with ideas and songs; he was always working on a track or something in the wee hours of the morning.
Things had already been going well for the band. Now, after winning the GRAMMY, it was like one of those lawn mowers that you pull to start, and it doesn't want to start. You keep at it, though, and the lawn mower sputters and stops, sputters and stops, until all of a sudden you get it and the lawn mower zooms off. That's how it felt for us. There was always something that needed to be done, and that thing would be linked to something else, which was linked again to another thing we were asked to do.
It was incredible how much we were traveling and playing, how many albums and singles we were selling, and how much everyone loved Adonis. His appeal went far beyond what he did musically. For instance, Adonis recorded a Public Service Announcement for a drug rehabilitation center. Every time a radio station aired this tape, "Get your Life Together Again, and Put an End to Your Pain," the phones lit up with all kind of callers who had heard Adonis's voice and decided to improve their own lives by seeking help for themselves.
Adonis never took any of this adoration for granted. He was always humble, and worried constantly that he might not be working hard enough. He was Abraham's son, no question about that-he had his drive and work ethic, coupled with a creative spark all his own.
In late 1993, the Quiñones family decided to use their new credibility and improved financial position to start Q Productions, a production company and recording studio of their own in a former body shop near the airport in Virginia Beach. Abraham had always wanted to have a world-class studio close to home, and much like his son, he envisioned eventually heading up his own label. He managed that company while Angelo formed his own production company, the Phat Kat Groove.
Both Abraham and Angelo were interested in producing the work of new artists, mainstream commercial groups as well as Reggae, and expanding the Quiñones music dynasty. Adonis soon followed with a production company of his own in March 1994, when he finally opened the studio he had talked about for so long.
Abraham was fit to be tied when he heard about Adonis's decision. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, shaking his head. "How could you even think about opening another business? Do you know how much time that will take and how much harder you're making your life? Your brother and I already have our own production companies, why do you need another one? Why don't you just enjoy the money you're making?"
Adonis held firm. "It's what I wanna do, Pops," he said. "It's my life."
Still not willing to give up on dissuading his son, Abraham pulled me aside next. "You can't let him do this," he said desperately. "He'll burn himself out."
