Onyx (group)

For the 1960s Cornish band, see The Onyx.

Onyx
Suavé, Big DS, Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr
Background information
Origin	South Jamaica, Queens, New York
Genres	Hip hop, hardcore hip hop, underground hip hop
Years active	1988 - present
Labels	Def Jam/Jam Master Jay/Universal
Website	www.onyxdomain.com
Members
Fredro Starr Sonsee Sticky Fingaz
Past members
Big DS †

Onyx is a hardcore hip hop group from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. The group consists of Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr and Sonsee (formerly Suavé and Sonee Seeza). The late Big DS was also a member, but left after the group's debut album.

History

Early career

The group was formed in 1988 and Onyx released its first 12" single, "Ah, And We Do It Like This", in 1990. The song revealed a jazz influence, unlike their later work. In 1991, Onyx was going to present a demo to Jam Master Jay at Def Jam, but Big DS and Sonee Seeza (then only known as Suavé) were in Connecticut at the time, so Fredro Starr called up his cousin Sticky Fingaz (who lived in Brooklyn). Once Sticky Fingaz joined the group, the group released Throw Ya Gunz in 1992.

Career

After the track Onyx inked a deal with Def Jam and were promised an album which became 1993's Bacdafucup LP. The album met with great commercial success, including heavy airplay on radio and MTV for the single "Slam". Onyx also performed with Biohazard on the tune "Judgment Night", taken from the soundtrack album of the same name. Onyx also received critical acclaim, winning Soul Train's album of the year.

Big DS left the group during the recording of All We Got Iz Us because he felt he wasn't getting enough time on the microphone.^{[citation needed]} In 1995, Onyx released their second album All We Got Iz Us. While the album was much less successful commercially, it proved to be a critical success. In the August 2008 issue of VIBE, All We Got Iz Us was listed as the best produced rap album of 1995 and one of twenty albums every fan of hip-hop must own.

The release was followed by another gap in albums, but the members remained in the public eye by appearing in several movies, including Clockers, Sunset Park (1996), and Dead Presidents (1995). Both rappers continue to appear in movies and television, appearing on the FX Network on The Shield and on HBO's The Wire.

Onyx returned in 1998 with their third album Shut 'Em Down, which featured appearances from DMX, Lost Boyz, Raekwon, Method Man, Big Pun, Noreaga and a then-unknown 50 Cent. This album found critical as well as commercial success. The album produced two singles "React" and "Shut 'Em Down", the latter featuring DMX. After leaving Def Jam, the group returned in 2002 with Bacdafucup Part II and "Sa'ad Part 4" released on Koch Records, Followed by the 2003 release Triggernometry on D3 Entertainment.

Later career

There has been a low-level argument between Onyx member Fredro Starr and 50 Cent. According to the Rap News Network, 50 Cent started a confrontation with Fredro Starr at the 2003 Vibe Awards.^[1] In a 2003 interview Fredro Starr explained, "50 Cent basically started shit with me, started a scuffle, and a bodyguard broke us up. He's a punk. He's disrespectful to Jam Master Jay ever since he passed".^[1] In an interview with the Source magazine, Fredro Starr said that 50 Cent had been disrespectful towards the Onyx rap group even though Onyx had given him his first breakthrough on a song called "React" from the 1998 album, Shut 'Em Down.

In the summer of 2006, Fredro released a project known as Yung Onyx.

In June 2008, Onyx released their debut DVD: "Onyx: 15 Years of Videos, History and Violence". The DVD contains every Onyx video digitally remastered with optional commentary, all solo videos, and over an hour of rare footage all the way back from 1992.

A new Onyx album, titled The Black Rock, was rumored for a 2006/2007 release but did not surface. The album is now scheduled for a release at the end of 2010, with a new title, 100 Mad.^[2] Prior to the album release, Onyx released a new project which is called "Cuzo".

In January 2010, Onyx was featured on a song called "Vrijeme je" by Croatian rappers Nered and Stoka. In April 2010, Onyx was featured on a song called "Запоминай / Zapominay" by Ukrainian rap group ZB aka Западное Братство.it was released on their debut album "Авародз.Глава первая: Все Вместе". They are to be featured on French rapper Soulkast's album due out in early 2011.

Discography

Main article: Onyx discography

• Bacdafucup (1993)
• All We Got Iz Us (1995)
• Shut 'Em Down (1998)
• Bacdafucup Part II (2002)
• Triggernometry (2003)
• Cold Case Files: Murda Investigation (2008)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Rap News Network - Hip-Hop News: Fredo Starr VS 50 Cent
2. ^ ONYX - BLACK HOODIE RAP Official Music Video YouTube.

http://allhiphop.com/stories/editorial/archive/2010/04/19/22175122.aspx Top 10 Logos In Hip-Hop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_17ksBUbbk Sticky Fingaz & Jay-Z Diss on Dame Dash - The REAL "Black Rock" Video From ONYX - 2010

External links

• Official website
• Support ONYX
• ONYX Madtube video community
• 2008 Onyx interview
• New Onyx Album and Single Confirmed

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Name	Onyx
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