Sticky Fingaz

Kirk Jones, known professionally as Sticky Fingaz, led the intense rap outfit Onyx and gained notice for his deep, rough vocal tone and confrontational delivery that steered hip-hop toward the physical force of a mosh pit. Born in Brooklyn, Kirk Jones passed much of his youth inside a well-known New York street crew. He began performing alongside cousin Fredro Starr, after which the duo came to the attention of hip-hop figure Jam Master Jay. The meeting led them to assemble Onyx, whose opening album Bacdafucup appeared in 1993 and reached a wide audience chiefly through the raw texture and hoarse quality of Sticky Fingaz’s delivery. Onyx issued two further albums before Fingaz stepped away to focus on solo work. Jones simultaneously built a parallel path as a screen actor. His opening solo project, Black Trash: The Autobiography of Kirk Jones, arrived in 2000 as a narrative-driven record of cinematic breadth that follows the path of an unlucky ex-con drawn back into street existence. The album stands as a striking first statement that fuses his interests in film and hip-hop. Decade, issued by D3 Entertainment in 2003, registered lower chart results than the debut yet still entered the Billboard 200. Film roles and appearances in multiple video games, among them Def Jam's Fight for NY, filled the years leading to 2009 and his first effort as director, A Day in the Life. The feature took shape as a hip-hop musical supplied with a two-CD soundtrack.