About
Onyx built their reputation on pure sonic aggression: shaved heads, stage diving, grimy voices, and a live show that felt more like a brawl than a concert. The New York hardcore hip hop group formed in 1988, and their 1993 debut Bacdafucup remains their defining statement. That album went platinum, peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200, and gave the world "Slam", a track The Source credited with introducing slam dancing to hip hop. It hit number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and got heavy rotation on both MTV and BET. Bacdafucup also won Best Rap Album at the Soul Train Music Awards and landed on The Source's list of the 100 Best Rap Albums. Over eight studio albums, Onyx never really softened the edges. Their 1998 album Shut 'Em Down pulled in DMX, 50 Cent, Wu Tang Clan, and Big Pun, and still shifted 500,000 units. After a long gap, they came back in 2014 with Wakedafucup, produced entirely by Snowgoons, which XXL named one of the best hip hop albums of that year. With Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz at the core, the group has kept the noise going across decades without ever pretending to be anything other than exactly what they are.
