Onyx

A pugnacious strain of hardcore rap delivered Queens duo Onyx unexpected mainstream pop traction in 1993 via the single “Slam.” The track’s immediate classic status propelled its parent album Bacdafucup into the upper reaches of the Billboard 200 and cleared a path for similarly aggressive yet distinctive rap successes by M.O.P. and DMX, artists among the many who would later work with core Onyx members Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz. Following their second and third releases on Jam Master Jay’s JMJ imprint—All We Got Iz Us (1995) and the Top Ten-charting Shut ’Em Down (1998)—plus a pair of independent projects early in the ensuing decade, Fredro and Sticky temporarily halted group activity. A prolific sequence of recordings resumed in the mid-2010s, encompassing #WAKEDAFUCUP (2014), Onyx 4 Life (2021), Versus Everybody (2022), and Blood on Da X.

Formed in 1988 in Queens’ South Jamaica section, the group made its first appearance on wax two years later for Profile with the single “Ah, and We Do It Like This,” featuring permanent members Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz alongside Suavé (aka Sonsee and Sonny Seeza) and Big DS in a still comparatively measured presentation. Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. soon became a supporter, signing them to his Chaos/Columbia-linked JMJ label and serving as co-producer on the debut album Bacdafucup (1993). That set arrived behind the stark “Throw Ya Gunz” and the explosive, rallying “Slam,” both of which led Billboard’s rap chart; the latter single climbed even higher, reaching number four on the Hot 100. Consequently Bacdafucup peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and, like “Slam,” earned platinum certification. Shortly after their breakthrough, Onyx courted rock audiences through two Biohazard team-ups: the “Bionyx” remix of “Slam” and the title song for the Judgment Night soundtrack. Bacdafucup later received the Best Rap Album honor at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards.

Although All We Got Iz Us (1995) and Shut ’Em Down (1998) both entered the Top Ten of Billboard’s R&B/hip-hop chart and landed at positions 22 and 10, respectively, on the Billboard 200, Onyx exited the major-label sphere after the latter album and proceeded independently with Bacdafucup, Pt. II (2002) and Triggernometry (2003). The second of those projects appeared the same year former member Big DS succumbed to cancer. By then Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz had already launched solo careers while also becoming sought-after screen actors in projects including Clockers, Dead Presidents, New York Undercover, Moesha, and The Wire.

Reconvening without Sonny Seeza, Fredro and Sticky resumed Onyx studio work the following decade and maintained a high output. #WAKEDAFUCUP and #TURNDAFUCUP (both 2014), the 2017 collaboration Shotgunz in Hell with Dope D.O.D., Black Rock (2018), and SnowMads (2019) all surfaced before the decade closed. Into the 2020s the MCs added the compilation Lost Treasures (2020) and the studio albums Onyx 4 Life (2021), Versus Everybody (2022), and Blood on Da X (2023).