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.
The Wu-Tang
Clan is a New York City-based hip-hop group, which consists of: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah
Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Ol' Dirty Bastard.
They are frequently joined by fellow
childhood friend Cappadonna, a
quasi-member of the group. They were formed in (and are generally associated
with) the New York City borough of Staten Island (referred to by members as
"Shaolin"), though some of its members originate from Brooklyn.
The founders of the Wu-Tang Clan were cousins
Robert Diggs, Gary Grice, and Russell Jones, (RZA, GZA, and Ol' Dirty Bastard).
The name "Wu-Tang" is derived
from the name of the mountain Wu Dang (Wudang Shan) in northwest Hubei Province
in central China with long history associated with Chinese culture, especially
Taoism, martial arts and medicine. The RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard adopted the
name for the group after the film Shaolin and Wu Tang.
The Wu-Tang Clan first became known in 1993
following the release of the independent single "Protect Ya Neck",
which immediately gave the group a sizable underground following, especially
after their tour with Kat Nu and Cypress Hill. The group members sold the
single to local record stores and radio stations, and it became an underground
success. Loud Records soon signed the Wu-Tang Clan to a deal that gave the group
members creative control and the freedom to negotiate solo projects with other
labels. In 1993 Loud released Enter the
Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). This album turned out to be critically acclaimed,
and to date is regarded as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.
RZA was the first to follow up on the
success of Enter the Wu-Tang with a side project, founding the Gravediggaz with
Prince Paul and Frukwan (both of Stetsasonic) and Poetic. The Gravediggaz
released 6 Feet Deep in August 1994, which became one of the best known works
to emerge from hip hop's small sub-genre of horrorcore. The first Wu-Tang
member to become a major solo star was Method Man. In November 1994, he
released Tical on Def Jam Recordings, the first official Wu-Tang solo album.
Again, RZA produced the album, creating a dense, dirty sonic collage. Tical
became a big hit in early 1995, as did Meth's duet with Mary J. Blige, I'll Be
There for You/You're All I Need to Get By. Ol' Dirty Bastard followed Method
Man's breakthrough success with Return to the 36 Chambers, which appeared in
March 1995 on Elektra Records. Thanks to the hits "Brooklyn Zoo" and
"Shimmy Shimmy Ya," the record became a gold success.
Later in 1995, the two most critically
acclaimed Wu-Tang records appeared: Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and
Genius/GZA's Liquid Swords. Raekwon released his album on Loud/RCA in August
1995; the record featured extensive contributions - a total of 12 songs - from
Ghostface Killah, his greatest exposure yet. GZA/Genius narrated Liquid Swords
(1995), produced by RZA, the most dramatic and cinematic of the solo projects.
In February of 1996, Ghostface Killah's first solo track, Winter Warz, appeared
on the Don't Be a Menace to South Central While You're Drinking Your Juice in
the Hood soundtrack. Later that October, he released his own solo debut, the
critically acclaimed, '70s soul-flavored Ironman; the record was the first
released on RZA's new Epic subsidiary, Razor Sharp Records.
The Wu-Tang Clan finally reconvened and
returned with their second album, the double-CD Wu-Tang Forever, in June of
1997. Hugely anticipated, the album entered the charts at number one - selling
over 600,000 copies in its first week alone - and quickly spawned the hit
single Triumph. There were several contributions from guest associate
Cappadonna, who'd appeared on Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and Ironman. The group
toured extensively in support of the album.
In the meantime,
the next phase of the Wu-Tang plan started to take shape: unearthing new
associates and spinning the resulting stable of talent into a brand-name
franchise. A group of Wu protégés dubbed Killarmy released their debut album,
Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, on Priority Records in August 1997, drawing
heavily upon the Clan's martial imagery. 1998, however, was truly the year for
Wu-related side projects. In March, Cappadonna released his solo debut The
Pillage on Columbia. The same month, Killah Priest - not an official part of
the Clan, but a frequent guest and a member of another protégé group called the
Sunz of Man - made his solo debut on Geffen Records with Heavy Mental, an
acclaimed album filled with spiritual imagery that established him as one of
the more distinctive solo artists in the Wu-Tang orbit. In July the Sunz of Man
released their own debut album, The Last Shall Be First, on Red Ant, and yet
another group of up-and-comers dubbed the Wu-Tang Killa Beez released their
first album, The Swarm, Vol. 1, on Priority, featuring a number of guest
appearances by Wu members and associates. In August, Killarmy issued their
second album, Dirty Weaponry.
1998 was also the year Ol' Dirty Bastard
began a long and bizarre saga of erratic behavior and run-ins with police that
found him making headlines with alarming (and ridiculous) regularity. In
February he interrupted Shawn Colvin's acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards
to protest the Clan's loss in the Best Rap Album category; shortly thereafter,
he announced he was changing his name to Big Baby Jesus. This was only the
beginning - over the next year and a half, ODB would be arrested for a litany
of offenses that included assault, shoplifting, making terrorist threats,
wearing body armor after being convicted of a felony, possessing cocaine, and
missing countless court dates. Plus, in early 1999, the whole Clan fell under
suspicion of masterminding a gun-running operation between Staten Island and
Steubenville, OH, charges that were never proven to have any validity.
The group reconvened once again to make The
W, though without Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was at the time incarcerated in
California for violating the terms of his probation. Though incarcerated, ODB
managed to make it onto the track "Conditioner" which featured Snoop
Dogg. ODB's vocals were recorded via the telephones used for inmates to talk
with visitors, while in prison. The W was mostly well received by critics,
particularly for The RZA's production, and also gave the group a hit single
with the uptempo "Gravel Pit", part of a trilogy of videos where the
group would visit different eras with a time traveling elevator, which also
included "Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off)" and "Careful (Click,
Click)", which were then followed by "I Can't Go to Sleep"
featuring Isaac Hayes. The album would go on to reach double platinum status. In
2001, the Wu-Tang Clan released Iron Flag, an album which made extensive use of
outside producers and guests. GZA/Genius dropped his new album Legend Of The
Liquid Sword in December 2002.
In August 2003 Ol' Dirty Bastard returned
home and immediately signed a new deal with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records the
same day of his release. An official mixtape titled Osirus featuring many new
songs was released in March 2005, but ODB's Roc-A-Fella album A Son Unique,
which should have been released in 2005, had numerous delays until now.
Ghostface Killah joined Def Jam Recordings to build his own Starks Enterprises
imprint. Raekwon jumped to Universal Records and his shaping up his own
company: Ice Water, Inc. Masta Killa released his first solo album No Said Date
in 2004. In early 2004, U-God apparently left the group in disgust. A DVD
titled Rise of a Fallen Soldier was released detailing his problems, which were
mostly with his treatment by RZA, who he claimed had hindered his success as a
solo artist. He also formed a new group of young protegés called the Hillside
Scramblers, with whom he released the album U-Godzilla Presents the Hillside
Scramblers in March 2004. The dispute culminated in a heated phone conversation
between RZA and U-God on live radio, which ultimately saw the two reconcile. He
has since returned to the group and is heavily featured on solo albums, Wu
albums, and projects.
On November 13, 2004 the most tragic moment
in the Wu-Tang history happened as Ol' Dirty Bastard collapsed at approximately
5:29 p.m. at Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers studios on West 34th Street in New York
City. Less than an hour later he was pronounced dead, only two days before his
36th birthday. His funeral service was held at Brooklyn's Christian Cultural
Center.
In 2005 RZA premiered as a writer and
published his first book the Wu-Tang Manual giving an inside view of the
philosophy behind the Clan. The manual is divided into four books each
containing nine chambers totaling 36 chambers. The chapters include biographies
of each member, an explanation of the famous Wu-Tang slang, a history on the
Wu-Tang Clan logo, explanations of diverse influences like the Nation of Gods
and Earths, chess, comic books, drugs, and martial arts. The book also shows
RZA's views on music, spirituality and producing, and a lyrical guide to the
meanings of key Wu-Tang songs. U-God also released his second album Mr.
Xcitement in 2005 and GZA started his collaboration with DJ Muggs, GrandMasters.
On March 28, 2006, Ghostface Killah
released Fishscale which was followed by the release of More Fish in December.
The whole Clan, including Cappadonna and the deceased ODB, appeared on "9
Milli Bros." Method Man came back with his critically acclaimed 2006 album
4:21... the Day After. He was heavily featured in the media due to his
displeasure with Def Jam's handling of his project, and despite not having any
promotion or airplay the album still debuted in the Billboard Top Ten. 2006
also saw the release of Masta Killa's second studio album, Made in Brooklyn,
and Inspectah Deck released an official mixtape titled The Resident Patient on
June 25, 2006, a prelude to his next album The Rebellion. Finally in December
2006, the Wu-Tang Clan signed a one-album deal with Steve Rifkind's SRC
Records, who released the group's four previous albums on Loud Records. The
album was titled 8 Diagrams referring to the Kung Fu classic movie The 8
Diagram Pole Fighter and has been released on December 11, 2007.
RZA announced the release of a new Bobby
Digital album DigiSnacks in summer 2008, which he has already begun to work on.
Raekwon's Cuban Linx 2 and GZA's new album Protools are also scheduled for
releae this year.
On June 29,
2011, Raekwon announced that the group were working on a new studio album,
still in early stages. Ghostface Killah later revealed in an interview during
their European Rebirth Tour that the album should hit the shelves in May 2012.
Discography:
Enter the
Wu-Tang (1993)
Wu-Tang Forever
(1997)
The W (2000)
Iron Flag
(2001)
Method Man:
Tical (1994)
Method Man:
Tical 2000 (1998)
Method Man:
Blackout (1999)
Ol' Dirty
Bastard: Return to the 36 Chambers (1995)
Das EFX is an
American hip-hop group. Das EFX was formed by Drayz (Born Andre Weston, 9
September 1970, New Jersey, USA) and Skoob (Born Willie Hines, 27 November
1970, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA; Skoob is "books"
spelled backwards), two easy-natured rappers whose success story was of the
genuine rags to riches variety. they met each other at Virginia State
University in 1988 and began performing together. They named themselves
"Das" standing for "Drayz and Skoob" and "EFX"
meaning "effects".
As college friends who had met during
English classes, they entered a rap contest at a small Richmond, Virginia
nightcluBorn Luckily for them Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith of EPMD were in
attendance, and, despite not winning, they walked off with an instant record contract.
Signing to the East West label, Das EFX
began work on their debut album, commuting between Virginia and New York and
mailing tapes to EPMD (then touring the country) for guidance. Upon its release
in 1992, Dead Serious caused an immediate sensation, and is still considered
something of a landmark in hip-hop circles. Dead Serious went platinum and its
lead single, "They Want EFX," (which contains samples from James
Brown's "Blind Man Can See It" and Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo
Gals") reached the top ten on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, the Top 40
on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. Soon they were
touring together, despite the fact that neither Drayz nor Skoob were old enough
to legally enter the premises on some of the dates. As rap aficionados began to
look once more to the old school and its freestyle vocals, Das EFX were the
perfect modern proponents, with their jagged, cutting rhymes and sweet
wordplay. They developed a wonderful habit of making words up if they could not
find something appropriate in the dictionary to shore up their rhymes:
"We're not too worried about really putting heavy messages in our records
- we just try and make sure all the lyrics are super dope". It was a style
that was to be, in typical hip-hop fashion, quickly adopted and mimicked by a
hundred other artists, and by the time of their follow-up some of its impact
had been lost.
From the time of their debut in 1992 to
1993, several elements of their style were adopted by other hip-hop artists,
including the Lords of the Underground, The Fu-Schnickens, Kris Kross, Common
and even, to a lesser extent, Public Enemy. Jay-Z's early style is described by
Vibe as "a distinctly Das EFX-type, stiggety style" on his 12"
single "Can't Get With That".
Their debut self-production, "Freak
It', followed in 1993, and was the first release to see them drop their
familiar tongue-flipping style, which detractors accused them of copying from
UK rappers like the Demon Boyz. The duo slowed down their lyrical flow and
downplayed the surrealistic side of their interplay on the follow-up album,
1993's Straight Up Sewaside, which went gold. Around the time of 1995's
disappointing Hold It Down, Das EFX found themselves caught in the middle of
EPMD's ugly breakup; it led to a three-year absence from recording.
They returned in 1998 with the album
Generation EFX and followed up in 2003 with the album How We Do; both were
panned by critics. In 2007, the duo appeared on the remix of Nas' "Where
are They Now" and continued to tour the globe on a regular basis. They
toured again in 2010, and are working on a new album.
Gang Starr was an influential East Coast hip
hop duo that consisted of MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier.
The group was founded in Boston, MA in 1986
by Guru (then known as Keithy E. The Guru) and DJ 1,2 B-Down (also known as
Mike Dee) with various producers, such as Donald D, J.V. Johnson or DJ Mark the
45 King helping out
In 1987 and 1988, Gang Starr released three
12" vinyl singles on the Wild Pitch label.
In 1989, the group split and the only member
willing to continue under the name Gang Starr was Guru. He soon got in touch
with DJ Premier who sent him a beat tape which Guru liked. He invited DJ
Premier to join Gang Starr and in that same year they released their first
single "Words I Manifest" along with the album "No More Mr. Nice
Guy" (1989).
Gang Starr set new standards for East Coast
rap with a pair of early-'90s touchstones, Step in the Arena (1991) and Daily
Operation (1992), whose appeal has only grown over the decades. Beginning with
these classic releases, both listeners and critics heaped mounds of praise upon
Guru and DJ Premier -- the former because of his socially conscious lyrics and
no-nonsense stance, the latter because of his DJ-style beat-making and jazzy
sound. Following Step in the Arena and Daily Operation, Premier became one of
New York's most demanded producers, crafting hits for the city's finest MCs,
including the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Jay-Z, and KRS-One.
Guru likewise collaborated with plenty of
well-known artists -- Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, N'Dea Davenport -- on his solo debut,
Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (1993), and its series of follow-ups. Following Hard to Earn
(1994) -- the duo's fourth Gang Starr collaboration overall -- Guru and Premier
began focusing primarily on their solo projects, reuniting infrequently -- too
infrequently, many fans felt -- for albums such as Moment of Truth (1998) and
The Ownerz (2003). During this period of solo activity, Gang Starr became
increasingly recognized as a touchstone, one that critics and hip-hop purists
frequently cited as a standard-bearer for streetwise, socially conscious East
Coast rap.
February 2010, Guru suffered a heart attack,
went into a coma, and died on April 19, 2010. Solar, a long-time collaborator
of the artist, said Guru chose not to go public with the diagnosis of myeloma
that was made in 2009.
The most intelligent, artistic rap group
during the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest was formed in Queens, New York City in
1988. The group is comprised of Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
Fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but
rejoined in 1991. Q-Tip and Phife had grown up together in Queens, and met
Muhammad in high school. Soon
after, the group began performing live and recording on a local label.
A Tribe Called Quest debuted in 1989 and
released their debut album one year later. They made their studio debut in 1990 with People's Instinctive Travels and Paths of
Rhythm. Though this album was critically acclaimed and lead to a strong fan
following, their next album, The Low End
Theory (released on September 24, 1991). Album was quite simply the most
consistent and flowing hip-hop album ever recorded. The two MCs, known for
their engaging, and free-wheeling lyrical styles, began to focus on a range of
social issues, from date rape ("The Infamous Date Rape") to
consumerism ("Skypager"). The songs were noticeably shorter, more
abrupt, and bass-heavy. Guests on the album included Leaders of the New School
(which included Busta Rhymes), Brand Nubian, and Vinia Mojica. Their innovative
sampling, layering, and structuring of jazz records led many critics to label
their style as jazz rap - a term which Q-Tip disapproved of, as although he
felt it described groups such as Stetsasonic quite well, it misinterpreted
Tribe themselves, who (aside from the song "Jazz (We've Got)") did
not base most of their songs around the topic of jazz.
Their third album Midnight Marauders, released on November 9, 1993. Lyrically, the
album benefited from an even more confident duo in Phife Dawg and Q-Tip, whose
nimble verbal interplay is utilized to its fullest on songs like "Electric
Relaxation" and "Oh My God". Opening song "Steve Biko (Stir
It Up)" - which includes the lines "You know that I'm the rebel,
throwin' out the wicked like God did the Devil" - is named after the slain
South African human rights activist and political revolutionary Steve Biko.
Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996), the group's fourth album, was
recorded during the turbulent East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry, which
engulfed many rappers from both coasts and even some from in between. The group
saw it fit to address these issues, a decision based partly on principle, but
also probably based on the fact that, despite being from the East, they were
well respected on both coasts.
The Love Movement (1999), is group’s 5th album. While
touring in support of 1998's The Love Movement, the group announced their
impending breakup.
The group first
reunited on November 13, 2004, headlining the Rock the Bells concert held in
the Angels Stadium parking lot in Anaheim, California. This was the night that
Ol' Dirty Bastard died, and as such the group opened up with a 10-minute
tribute set to the Wu-Tang Clan and continued a 2-hour highly energetic show.
In 2006, the group reunited and
performed several sold-out concerts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Alternative rap quartet from South Central
Los Angeles, the Pharcyde was formed by MCs/producers Tre "Slimkid"
Hardson, Derrick "Fatlip" Stewart, Imani Wilcox, and Romye
"Booty Brown" Robinson. Hardson, Wilcox, and Robinson were all
dancers and choreographers who met on the L.A. underground club circuit in the
late '80s, worked together for a while, and served a stint as dancers on In
Living Color. Around this
time, Imani and Slimkid3 were in a group called "As Is" and later a
group called the "Play Brothers", whilst Bootie Brown was a backup dancer for
Fatlip (Fatlip being the last member to join the group) .
The Pharcyde recorded their first demo in
1991 . Demo contained the songs “Ya Mama”, “Officer” and “Passin’ Me By”. They hired a manager, Paul
Stewart, who had worked for Cypress Hill, De La Soul, and House of Pain. Under
the tutelage of Reggie Andrews, a local high-school music teacher, the group
learned about the music industry and the process of recording an album. They
landed a deal with Delicious Vinyl in 1991, and a year later released their
eccentric debut album, Bizarre Ride II
the Pharcyde, ( Released September 1992 ), Produced by J-Swift. The album
was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1996. Their second single "Passin' Me
By" became a minor Billboard hit, peaking at #52 on the Hot 100. The song
is now usually considered a golden-era staple and is the group's most well
known song.
Problems between the group and producer
J-Swift began during the recording of the debut, with infighting and
"personality conflicts". After the Bizarre Ride album was released,
the group began touring with A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, culminating
with an appearance at the Lollapalooza show in 1994. In 1995, the group released
its second album, Labcabincalifornia,
which was calmer than their first but no less warped. Hit, "Runnin'",
peaking at #55 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The group was
largely missing from the hip hop scene between 1997 and 1999. After a five-year break which saw little
action except for the debut of Stewart as a solo rapper (his single
"What's Up Fatlip" became an underground hit), the Pharcyde returned
in late 2000 with their third album, Plain
Rap. Soon after the release, member Slimkid3 left the group to pursue a
solo career.
With only two
members remaining, Bootie Brown and Imani continued with the group name and
released Humboldt Beginnings in 2004. The album received even less attention
critically and commercially than their last effort. This album introduced Schmooche
Cat and Spaceboy Boogie X as new members and Spaceboy Boogie X as producer to
the group. The album was released on the group's own independent record label,
Chapter One Entertainment.
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. 
.jpg)