onyx

Story

Base and name

In 1988, graduating from school, at the age of 17, Fredro Starr creates a rap group along with his school comrades: Big DS and Suve. Big DS came up with a name for the onyx group. He called the group in honor of the Black Gemstone [17]. They begin to make the first demos in the basement at B-WIZ using the drum machine SP-12 [18]. In 1989, they met Jeffrey Harris, who becomes a group manager and helps them conclude a contract with Profile Records label to issue one single. In 1990, at the studio York Studio in Brooklyn, they record their first single "Ah, and We Do It Like This", which is coming out on April 25, 1990 on the Profile Records label. However, the single had low sales [19] [20].

Fredro Starr, Big DS and Suave met Jam Master Jay in a car traffic jam at the annual festival The Jones Beach Greekfest Festival for African American College Students on July 13, 1991 [21] [22]. Jay gave them about two months to make a demo-recording. Suave and Big DS could not come to the studio, they were in Connecticut, because they were involved in the case with a robbery [23]. Therefore, Jeff Harris, the onyx manager, asked Fredro to come to the studio with his cousin, Kirk Jones, who at that time did a solo career under the name Trop and worked in a hairdresser, making a thousand dollars a week, having taking the hair of high school students. Fredro and his cousin recorded two songs: "STIK 'N' MUVE" and "EXERCISE" [24].

"... when we came to the studio, we made two entries. One of them was called 'Stick and Move', and the other was called 'Exercise'. And both of these records were crazy! When Jay heard songs, he said: "JOU, I love this group." "

In 1991, despite the researchers from Fredro, the musical producer of the onyx group, B-Wiz Bitmeaker, sells his drum-car SP-12 and leaves to Baltimore to sell a crack there, and ultimately kill him there. Thus, all ONYX records were lost [20]. It was then that Kirk and Fredro come up with a new logo of the onyx group. The bloody letter X in the name of Onyx is a tribute to the B-WIZ memory. The evil face is the face of Sticky Fingaz, and the two bulbs at the mouth is his teeth. It was then that the group came up with a new image - a britogeal fashion [18].

"... when B-Wiz was killed, once I just went into the hairdresser and cut all my hair. I wanted to start with a blank sheet. Then the stick and others did the same, and thus we had an image. I did not plan it, but it was a cool style for us. "

The group needed a new musical producer. Rapper from Queens Neek The Exotic presented DJ Chyskillz Group onyx in 1991 [18].

1993: Bacdafucup.

In 1993, the onyx team released their debut album, Bacdafucup, on the JMJ Records label, tied to the Def Jam label through another Rush Associated Labels label. The album was sprinkled by Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay and Kool Tee. The album contains 3 singles that hit the charts of the Billboard magazine: "Throw Ya Gunz", "Slam" and "Shifftee". The first single, "Throw Ya Gunz", became crosslinked radioshit. Their breakthrough single, "Slam", which received a large broadcast on radio and television (MTV and Bet), reached 4 places in the Billboard HOT 100 chart, and was certified as "platinum" on August 10, 1993. Bacdafucup debuted at number 17 in the Billboard 200 chart and at number 8 in the Top R & B / Hip Hop Albums chart in the American Billboard magazine. The album was certified as "platinum" on October 25, 1993. In 1994, the Bacdafucup album, the Bacdafucup album was nominated for the "Favorite New Rap / Hip-Hop Artist" award at the American Music Awards ceremony and won the "Best Rap Album" nomination at the Soul Train Music Awards ceremony. Bacdafucup is an innovative hip-hop album, which brought to Hip-Hop to Slam, Manera perform songs with a gloomy voice and fashion shave head naked [13].

The onyx group also united with the Biohazard group and recorded the song "Judgment Night", for the soundtrack to the same film.

In August 1993, the onyx team began working on a new album, previously called U.S.G. (What deciphered as the United States of Ghetto), refusing the name Bacdafucup: Part 2, to which they return after 10 years [25]. This album did not come out. Writing at the studio of one of the songs from this album, "Black Ghost Wit Gunz" can be seen on DVD onyx: 15 years of video, history and violence.

Big DS left the group in 1994 to start the solo career [26]. He founded his own Label Illyotic Music and began to produce music. After the recording of several demulsions Big DS sent them to Jimmy Ayovin, co-owner of the Label Interscope Records, hoping to sign a contract with his label to the release of the album.

1995: All We Got Iz US

In 1995, the group released the second album All We Got Iz US, which debuted at number 22 in the Billboard 200 charter and at number 2 in the Top R & B / Hip Hop Hop Albums chart in the American Billboard magazine. During the album recording sessions, 25 songs were recorded, but only 15 of them were included in the album by the decision of Jam Master