Onyx is a hip hop group from New York City
(South Jamaica, Queens). Originally formed in 1988 by Fredro Starr, Sonsee, the
late Big DS, the group later added Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr’s cousin, in
1991. the members of Onyx (Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Big DS, and DJ Suave
Sonny Caeser) met while working as barbers. Onyx released its first single,
"Ah, And We Do It Like This", in 1990. After Sticky fingaz’s joining
the group, the group released Throw Ya
Gunz in 1992.
The band honed their rhyming skills and act
by performing at local clubs, which eventually gained the attention of
Run-D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay, who signed the group to his label, JMJ Records,
and even helped produce Onyx's debut full-length, Bacdafucup, in 1993. The album turned out to be a
platinum-certified smash, spurred on by the runaway success of the hit single
"Slam," which went on to become one of the year's biggest rap hits. 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. 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.
1998's Shut 'Em Down came and went without
much fanfare. 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 late '90s saw members Sticky and Fredro try their hand at
acting, landing spots on HBO's Strapped, Spike Lee's Clockers, the Rhea
Pearlman/Danny De Vito-directed Sunset Park, and Brandy's hit TV show Moesha. After
leaving Def Jam, the group returned in 2002 with Bacdafucup Part II released on Koch Records, Followed by the 2003
release Triggernometry on D3
Entertainment. The various members tried to launch solo careers, but the
records never connected with audiences.
