Onyx
Origin	Queens, New York
Genre(s)	Hip hop, Hardcore rap
Years active	1989 - present
Label(s)	Def Jam Records, Jam Master Jay Records
Associated acts	Yung Onyx, X1, All City
Website	www.onyxdomain.com
Members
Sticky Fingaz Fredro Starr Sonee Seeza
Former members
Big DS

Onyx is a hardcore rap group from Queens, New York. Originally formed in 1989 by Fredro Starr, Sonee Seeza and the late Big DS, the group later added Sticky Fingaz, Starr's cousin, in 1991. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_York. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... Hardcore hip hop is a form of hip hop music that has confrontational, often violent lyrics, and generally sparse, gritty urban beats. ... See also: 1989 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1989 Record labels established in 1989 // January 7 - Genesis 88 and Sunrise/Back to the Future stage large-scale illegal Acid House party in London January 14 - Paul McCartney releases Снова в СССР exclusively in Russia. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Def Jam Records is an American based hip-hop record label that operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group, which is owned by Universal Music Group. ... Jam Master Jay Records was an American record label which was founded by Jason Mizell. ... X-1 Born March 6, 1979 in Brooklyn, NY, is the brother of hardcore Rapper Onyx member Sticky Fingaz. ... Metropolis Gold is the debut album by Brooklyn hip hop duo All City, released October 20, 1998 on MCA Records. ... Kirk Jones is also the name of a man who survived a plunge over the Niagara Falls, without a flotation device, on October 20, 2003. ... Fredro Starr (born Fredro Scruggs on January 1 1970), also known as Fredro Scruggs or Never, is an American rapper, actor and a member of hardcore rap group Onyx. ... Sonsee who was originally known as Sonee Seeza (until he shortened his name) is a Rapper from Brooklyn and an original member of the Hardcore Rap group Onyx. ... Marlon Fletcher (alias Big DS) was the member of hardcore rap group ONYX. On May 22, 2003, Big DS died from complications of cancer. ... Hardcore hip hop is a form of hip hop music that has confrontational, often violent lyrics, and generally sparse, gritty urban beats. ... Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... This article is about the state. ... Fredro Starr (born Fredro Scruggs on January 1 1970), also known as Fredro Scruggs or Never, is an American rapper, actor and a member of hardcore rap group Onyx. ... Sonsee who was originally known as Sonee Seeza (until he shortened his name) is a Rapper from Brooklyn and an original member of the Hardcore Rap group Onyx. ... Marlon Fletcher (alias Big DS) was the member of hardcore rap group ONYX. On May 22, 2003, Big DS died from complications of cancer. ... Kirk Jones is also the name of a man who survived a plunge over the Niagara Falls, without a flotation device, on October 20, 2003. ...

History

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 Suave) were at Kentucky Fried Chicken at the time, and could not leave without finishing their buffalo chicken wings. They had devoured them quickly though since black people eat fast and love their buffalo, so it was not a problem. Once Sticky Fingaz joined the group, the group released the Throw Ya Gunz EP in 1992. 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", which featured the heavy metal band Biohazard. Onyx also performed with Biohazard on the tune "Judgement Night", taken from the soundtrack album of the same name. The track "Slam" was the #5 single of the entire year and the album went on to quickly sell 2 million copies. Onyx also received critical acclaim, winning Soul Train's rap album of the year. Despite the embrace of commercial outlets, the group maintained their hardcore image through raunchy live performances, Sticky's arrest for assault on a flight, and when the NAACP deemed them a disgrace to blacks, denying them access to perform a football game's half time show. Jason Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), known as Jam Master Jay, was the founder and DJ of Run-DMC, a highly influential hip-hop group, based in the Queens borough of New York City. ... Def Jam Recordings is an American based hip-hop record label that operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group, which is owned by Universal Music Group. ... // Extended play (EP) is the name typically given to vinyl records or CDs which contain more than one single but are too short to qualify as albums. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Bacdafucup (pronounced Back da fuck up) is the first album from hardcore rap group Onyx. ... This article is about the original U.S. music television channel. ... The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is one of the oldest and most influential hate organizations in the United States. ...

A lot changed with Onyx in the next two years. 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. Many people thought that Onyx had faded into obscurity, that was not the case. In 1995 Onyx released their second album All We Got Iz Us. While the album was much less successful commercially, many of their fans call it their best work ever. The album did not have any radio friendly tracks and the album's lead single "Last Dayz" peaked at #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, selling 500,000 copies. All We Got Iz Us is the second album from hardcore rap group ONYX. Track listing Life or Death (Skit) - 0:48 Last Dayz - 3:56 All We Got Iz Us (Evil Streets) - 4:13 Purse Snatchaz - 4:07 Shout - 3:47 I Murder U (Skit) - 0:22 Betta off... “Hot 100” redirects here. ...

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. Clockers is a 1995 film directed by Spike Lee. ... Sunset Park is a 1996 basketball film. ... This article is about the American action movie. ... FX (shorter for Fox Extended Networks) is a name carried by two cable television and satellite channels owned by News Corporations Fox Entertainment Group. ... This article is about the TV series. ... For other uses, see HBO (disambiguation). ... The Wire is an American television drama set and produced in Baltimore, Maryland. ...

Onyx returned in 1998 with their third album Shut 'Em Down, which featured appearances from DMX, The Lost Boyz, Raekwon, Method Man, Big Pun, Noreaga and a then-unknown 50 Cent. This album found critical as well as commercial success. The underground scene loved the B-sides to the album and radio listeners liked songs such as "React" and the eponymous "Shut 'em Down", the latter featuring DMX. After Shut 'Em Down, Onyx left Def Jam and temporarily split up for solo releases. They reunited in 2002 with Bacdafucup Part II released on Koch Records, followed by the 2003 release Triggernometry on D3 Entertainment. Both albums met with mediocre reviews and sales. Shut Em Down is the third album from hardcore rap group ONYX. Track listing It Was Onyx (Skit) - 0:48 Raze It Up - 4:00 Street Nigguz - 4:54 Shut Em Down - 3:58 Broke Willies - 3:49 For Nothin (Skit) - 0:18 Rob and Vic - 4:54 Face Down... Earl Simmons (born on December 18, 1970), better known by his stage name, DMX, is an American rapper and actor who rose to popularity in the late-1990s. ... The Lost Boyz are a Hip Hop group from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. ... Raekwon (born Corey Woods, January 12, 1970, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is an American East Coast rapper and a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. ... This article is about Method Man. ... Christopher Lee Rios (November 9, 1971–February 7, 2000), better known as Big Punisher or Big Pun, was an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s. ... N.O.R.E. (formerly known as Noreaga, born Victor Santiago) is an African-American rapper and member of the hip hop group C-N-N (formerly known as Capone-N-Noreaga). N.O.R.E. stands for Niggaz on (the) Run Eatin. Half African American and half Puerto Rican... 50 cents may refer to 50 subunits of currencies where the subunit is called a cent. ... Def Jam Recordings is an American based hip-hop record label that operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group, which is owned by Universal Music Group. ... Bacdafucup Part II is the fourth album from hardcore rap group ONYX. Track Listing Whats Onyx - 2:57 Bring Em out Dead - 3:44 Slam Harder - 4:38 Hold Up - 4:03 Bang 2 Dis - 4:06 Gangsta - 4:19 Hood Beef - 3:40 Big Trucks - 4:58 Clap... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Triggernometry is the fifth album from hardcore hip hop group Onyx and was put out on D3 Entertainment. ...

In other news, there has been a low-level argument between Onyx member Fredo Starr and 50 Cent. According to the Rap News Network, 50 Cent started a confrontation with Fredo Starr at the 2003 Vibe Awards.^[1] In a 2003 interview Fredo 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. Fuck him. I'm doin shit with some ex G-Unit members now. 50 ain’t shit".^[2] In an interview with the Source magazine, Fredo 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. The Source Magazine The Source is a monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture. ...

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

A new Onyx album, titled The Black Rock, was rumored for a release end 2007.

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References

External links

• Official website
• Yung Onyx Official website