Onyx

Ruff, rugged, and raw usually describes a group like M.O.P., but it can also describe this group that represented Queens, New York. Under the initial guidance of the legendary, late great Jam Master Jay, Onyx emerged with a vengeance in 1993 and if you didn't feel it when you first heard them, you may have been sleeping, lol! And yes, I did go crazy when I first heard "Slam". These guys were not just rowdy and bald headed, but specifically Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Starr, and Sonee Seeza/Suave (RIP to Big DS) more than held things down on the mic, and once you got pass the adrenaline rush, you can see they had something to say.

This was Soul Train's pick (in 93 or 94) for album of the year, and although there were other albums that were better, respectively, it was still a good choice overall. Classics up and down the lineup, plus memorable, head nodding production from Chyskillz and Jam Master Jay, this was a hell of an introduction to Onyx.

Rating- 5 stars

5 favorite songs- Throw Ya Gunz, Shiftee, Slam, Onyx Is Here, & Stik N Move

This is Onyx's most underrated album and it was released in a PACKED year that was 1995, so as you can see, it did not receive the attention it deserved, as it certainly gives "Bacdafucup" a run for its money when it comes to their best album. Lyrically they were still evolving, and production this time around was more in house, as Fredro, Sonee, and Sticky held things down behind the boards. Awesome material here.

Rating- 4.5-5 stars (STILL undecided on this rating, which shows you how good it is.)

5 favorite songs- Last Dayz, All We Got Iz Us, Purse Snatchaz, Getto Mentalitee, & Shout

As I've mentioned before, hip hop was rapidly changing in 1998, and considering the type of music Onyx made, it was a little surprising they made some noise with this release that year. It was also released the same day as Master P's wack "MP Da Last Don", and I'll give you one guess as to which album received the most hype. Moving on, Onyx still delivered on album three. It's not on the level of their first two albums, but it's still damn good.

Rating- 4 stars

5 favorite songs- The Worst, Shut Em Down, Roc & Vic, Raze It Up, & Street N*****

I never got around to checking out subsequent albums such as "Bacdafucup Part 2" (I remember when they were on 106 & Park promoting this album) and "Triggernometry", which were basically forgettable based on all the feedback I've heard and read, so I won't get around to checking those out any time soon. "Cold Case Files" is a compilation album of previously unreleased material, so I'll probably get to that one before I do the latter two. Overall, they had a very solid career, and considering that Fredro and Sticky have mostly done more acting in recent years, it's somewhat safe to say that chances of another Onyx album are very slim at this point, but things can change. I would like to see them return, even in today's hip hop world.