Mic Geronimo - Vendetta (November 4, 1997)

Michael McDermon, working nightshifts spitshining in Madison Square Garden as Mic Geronimo, caught one hell of a break in 1993 when he hooked up with DJ Irv, resulting in his first underground buzzmaker, Shit's Real. (which, of course, was later cleaned up to It's Real.)  Somehow, this was enough to convince a label with the stupidest name I've ever seen, Blunt Records, to sign our protagonist to their lucrative contract that wasn't designed in any way, shape or form to rip him off wholesale. Coz labels is good peoples. So, Mic drops his debut in the most difficult year for him possible, 1995, when everybody was putting out their best material.  And, through God's grace alone, he managed to make enough of an impression to warrant Blunt (I'm really trying here.) to commission a second outing from the fucker. Even though The Natural went earwax, a condition which has yet to change, because the people behind the music (the likes of Buckwild, Da Beatminerz, ChySkillz & Mark Sparks of Shoop fame) gave a fuck about it actually being good.

Also, along with everything going for him, Mic can actually spit when needed. His monotone flow and thuggish persona was lapped up by critics & the odd backpacker white kid who stumbled across the goddamn thing. which is always a plus in this game. Now, I really can't front, I liked The Natural. The ingredients were mixed just right for me to constantly bump it for the past 3 years, because as I've stated earlier, I first heard him in 2012 on Large Professor's awesome cut, Mack Don Illz, and he did not impress me there. Luckily, I was so fond of Buckwild's mid-90s material that I checked his shit out and here we are.

Keep in mind that his guest star on The Natural, masseuse of thumbs Royal Flush, split to seek his own solo fortunes with his release, Ghetto Millionaire, containing many of the same ingredients, yet partly mixed in an effort to suck up to the radio, resulting in something not present in The Natural: Some truly abhorrent shit for songs.

So, gasp, selling snot didn't sit well with Blunt's superiors, TVT Records, who like every fucking Disney princess ever hand-drawn, wanted something more. Long story short, Mic Geronimo's music had to go the route of Jay-Z, DMX & Ja Rule, all of whom appeared on Time To Build off The Natural. Therefore, Blunt's will be done, producers like Diddy, Prestige & an organism called The Legendary Traxster were brought for the campaign to conquer radio almost exactly two years following Mic's debut, even though they failed horribly on such attempts in Ghetto Millionaire, which still sold ass, and, oh fuck it. I can't prolong this any further. This is Mic Geronimo's Vendetta.

1. NOTHING MOVE BUT THE MONEY
Don't know what I was expecting from Diddy, really. This was 1997, after all. Mic appears to be embracing this new direction wholeheartedly, so he really has no one to blame but himself. Want me to spell it out for you? This song blows.

2. VENDETTA
Oh hell no. Mic's speed-rapping now? The Legendary Traxster gives you every reason not to look for any of his material for as long as you live. This album is off to a horrible start.

3. SURVIVAL
Havoc lends our host one of his worst beats of all time. I'm talking Blood Money-type of ass.  Proof positive that Havoc started slacking off with his production way before Prodigy's rhymes took a nosedive.

4. LIFE N LESSONS
By now, DJ Irv has fully and irreversibly devolved into Irv Gotti, so you know what you're gonna get. Mic's rhymes are thrown right back in his face similar to the way you throw your intern's stupid-ass ideas back at him. You take extreme pleasure relishing the fact that he slaved all weekend on the papers you just rejected. You sick 1%-life living asshole.

5. FOR THA FAMILY
K-Def has always earned my respect. His work with Tragedy Khadafi and as one half of Real Live still bangs to this day. So, imagine my utter bewilderment at his presence on a project such as this. Thankfully, he flat-out refuses to compromise his brand of quality boom bap to Blunt, and we're presented with the first song of the evening that can be addressed as a decent song. Mic seems to have awoken from his drugged haze and proceeds to rhyme in a manner vaguely reminiscent of how he did on The Natural. This wasn't bad.

6. STREET LIFE
Who in the FUCK is Chris Large? He has just slaughtered any good will Mic had going for him from the previous song by this desperate crossover attempt. This is worse than watching Jodie Foster succumbing to Harvey Keitel's pimping while subconsciously waiting for a Robert De Niro that will never save her.

7. BE LIKE MIC
This was produced by P & Time. Both P and Time need to be smacked upside their head. Mic? No, that's too soft of a punishment. Someone needs to enroll him in the roughest & most unprofessional wrestling academy out there so they can twist his intestines backwards. Fuck this excrement.

8. UNSTOPPABLE
Chocolate Boy Wonder, am I glad to hear you on this album. Please talk some sense into this piece of shit before it's too late. He did, actually. Pete's treat actually would've fit perfect on INI's lost album. Mic, thank you dear God, plays his part admirably. The best song on the album, far and wide.

9. SINGLE LIFE (FEATURING JAY-Z)
Did you ever want to hear Mic Geronimo and Jay-Z rhyme over some 80s pop with Carl Thomas crooning you into the depths of hell? You didn't? Are you sure? Too bad. Jay-Z has already hit his stride in selling out and sucking the radio's cock, and he drags Mic down with him. Besides, it's not like Mic was struggling to break that image or anything.

10. THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
Prince Kaysaan and, surprise, Royal Flush yank you the fuck out of sellout land to give you a fairly generic beat that sounds like Come fucking Clean when compared to the rest of the shit present on Vendetta, especially considering the fact that Mic actively tries to rap about something of meaning, this time. Meh.

11. HOW YOU BEEN?
Continuing the trend started on Ghetto Millionaire which proves that somewhere along the line, Buckwild of DITC lost his damn mind. This was intended to invoke sympathy for our host as he rhymes an admittedly heartfelt tribute to his mother. However, Buck fails him here with this crud. Shame. This could've been something.

12. USUAL SUSPECTS (FEATURING DMX, JA RULE, THE LOX & TRAGEDY KHADAFI)
Our final song of the evening is, of course, a posse cut.  DMX & Ja Rule echo Hov's sentiment in paying our host respect in the worst way possible, alongside new fans The Lox and old fan Tragedy who stole Royal Flush, Mic's running man, later on. Prestige's instrumental is pretty consistent with the theme of the album: Blowing the radio's genitals. I lost a ton of respect for Tragedy for appearing on this crap, since he's supposed to be this anti-radio vanguard and shit.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, what more is there to say about Mic Geronimo? If he had any clout in the industry following his debut, TVT & Blunt succeeded in obliterating any remaining trace of said clout with this album. I mean, this is Diddy-levels of radio-pandering we're talking about. Two tracks are all that I listen to anymore, and I don't do so that often. What's more, this album also succeeded in tarnishing the reputation of quite the number of respected producers. I never looked at Havoc and DJ Irv's material the same again. However, I take solace in the fact that this album still didn't sell shit.  Nobody owns this piece of crap.

WORTH IT? Why, yes. I've spent all this effort bashing the fucking thing for the sole purpose of you owning this shit. But, if you do commit to this excerpt of ear-rape, don't let anybody know you own this shit. Hide it from your subconsciousness, if possible.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
QUEENS LIFE
This was a proper Havoc beat that was given to Mic in a move that made so much sense, since everyone was comparing Mic G to Prodigy by the time Havoc hooked up with our host, and given that this was before he went brain-dead, he sounds really fucking good in his element on Havoc's sinister beat. This song by it lonesome owns the entire album I've just reviewed. Even the Pete Rock & K-Def joints.

Mic Geronimo's prior shit, fella.

Royal Flush - Ghetto Millionaire (August 19, 1997 )

My second Blunt/TVT Records alumni is one of the many headscratchers of this genre we love. You know the ones. You hear them on a couple of hot songs and you genuinely look for more of their material. Then, after hearing what you asked for, you're left confused about whether you found what you were looking for or not. But, hey. That's why I'm writing about a guy like Ramel Govantes, whom you can still catch selling shish kabobs in Queens at 3 AM to this day, just look for the name Royal Flush aka Mr. Govantes' Kebob for a Shishy Evening and you'll find him in a jiffy.

So Govy here apparently hooked up with the subject of my previous post, fellow Queens Arab barbecue expert Mic Geronimo, in the early 90s, which resulted in our current subject appearing heavily on Mic's seminal 1995 debut, The Natural. (An album I'll admit to being quite fond of.) Ramel's chemistry with the Masta I.C. was pretty undeniable, and  he also impressed with his command of the microphone, which is always good to have. Which for some reason led to Blunt being sold on the idea that Flush should get an album on his own. So all parties involved went to work on just that.

Blunt seemed to like the ingredients that made The Natural whatever it was to fans, so they made the decision to bring back most of the people who produced said album to work on Mr. Govantes' shit as well. However, this decision seems to have been made before Blunt received sale numbers for The Natural, evidenced by the fact that they went the screamingly opposite direction with Mic's sophomore release, Vendetta. (An album I'll admit to utterly loathing.)

This album, however, marked a transition in some of those producers' directions in their music, similar to quite a few production juggernauts. Some started sucking faster than others, I'll admit, because people like Erick Sermon took their sweet time descending into garbage territory, while others like Diamond D flipped at the drop of a hat, never returning to what made them great ever again.  Well, not ever.

Now that nobody's reading this post, I'll keep the review going for my nonexistent fanbase's entertainment. Here's Ghetto Millionaire.

1. INTRO

One thing that always pissed me off about this album is the various intros throughout. As if one wasn't infuriating enough.

2. I BEEN GETTING SO MUCH $

Goddamnit, Buckwild. What the hell went wrong, duke? It's almost like he's trying his damnedest to ruin his beautiful legacy as if it's the most despicable thing in the world to be associated with. Govy here (I don't give a flying fuck if you're annoyed by me calling him Govy instead of Royal Flush, by the way. Save your breath.) marks this special occasion by interpolating Phil Collins' defining song, In The Air Tonight, which is a favorite of mine. Boy, is this one a stinker. Motherfuck this song.

3. ICED DOWN MEDALLIONS (FEATURING NOREAGA)

Fun fact: Flush's actually Capone of CNN fame's older cousin. You can tell if you pay close enough attention. They sound pretty alike. Although I guess he's bringing Noreaga instead to the party because of Capone's prison term at the time. Anyways, this is the start of our host's relationship with EZ Elpee, piano sampler extraordinaire, who doesn't sample any pianos here. Go figure. Anyways, Noreaga sounds at home on the hook while our host runs down the mandatory three verses. The end product sounds surprisingly not that up to par. Not bad, but not amazing.

4. CAN'T HELP IT
My God, this song blows.  I've always hated the Love Is A House sample and Khadejia's interpolation of Michael Jackson's I Can't Help It falls to the ground nostril-first. Trag's future BFF is left trying to pick up the pieces with whatever he can find in his rhymebook, but to no avail. Prince Kaysaan fucked up on this one hard. This is definitely not a good sign.

5. ILLIODIC SHINES (FEATURING MIC GERONIMO)
Hold up, Prince Kaysaan sort of redeems himself here. Maybe it's because Mic Geronimo continues his winning form from The Natural and fucking drags Ramel along for the ride, who excels rhyming alongside his partner. This was pretty good.

6. MOVING ON YOUR WEAK PRODUCTIONS (FEATURING PHENOM PACINO)
Da Beatminerz come with an instrumental that would've been perfect as an 80s love ballad, but I guess the drums hit the way they're supposed to, so I don't mind that much. Flush and his weed carrier, apparently from their support group Wastlanz, rock over the Nas sample well, with thuggery that would make Tragedy Khadafi proud. Might I add that the name Phenom Pacino will never be taken seriously.

7. CONFLICT INTRO
See?

8. CONFLICT (FEATURING WASTLANZ)
The producer's called Sha Self, what were you expecting? I mean, really? Generic late 90s rap song #868430.

9. SHINES INTRO
&^%$#! (Always loved when comics & cartoons did this.)

10. SHINES
Hi-Tek lends Flush his services right after he formed Reflection Eternal with Talib Kweli, and it's one of the best cuts on the album, landing at just over three minutes. Hi-Tek becomes the gajillionth producer to effectively freak a Prodigy of Mobb Deep sample. Ramel sounds right at home, for the record, with lines like: "I'm dyin over better things, not flooded pieces/Kids die for no reason, sick believin/I wish we all wouldn't wear it even." This was really fucking good.

11. FAMILY PROBLEMS
Man, why are the songs that are thought out the most always the shortest on these goddamn albums? Anyways, EZ Elpee returns behind the boards and, could it be? Yes! We have pianos! Mr. Govantes utilizes this opportunity to let off a one-verse wonder that's pretty fucking descriptive. Now, if this story's true, I'm gathering our host was a juvenile when he did what he did, because there's absolutely no way he'd be a free man if he was an adult. The album's momentum is getting a bit better.

12. WHAT A SHAME (FEATURING NOREAGA)
Another EZ Elpee track. (Why doesn't he call himself EZ LP and be done with it. That 'Elpee' spelling gets on my damn nerves every time I come across it.) Here, he brings us samples of The Jones Girls' When I'm Gone effectively. Mr. Govantes and NORE's first real collaboration gives us their take on the One Love idea. It's not bad, per se, but the idea's novelty has worn off a long time ago, to the point that many songs of this nature come off as biting and following a trend. This one doesn't feel like such, though.

13. REGULATE INTRO

If the album had a voice by this point, I swear I know what it'd say to me. It'd say: U mad, bro?

14. REGULATE (FEATURING MIC GERONIMO)
Yet another EZ Elpee beat. I guess our host saved him and his family from a flaming building, and now he's invited over every Thanksgiving. Anyways, this track is a foreshadowing element of things to come for Mic Geronimo, even though it's Govy spitting the club-friendly rhymes. This was meh, at best, solely because of Flush's verse.

15. WORLDWIDE
L.E.S.'s beat is a weird choice for Trag's future BFF's thuggery as he disses the shit outta the Dogg Pound. The beat contains a sped up sample of the opening violins on Billy Preston's You Are So Beautiful, so that it sounds like a broken synthesizer, which is to say, not so bad, per se. Ramel is in full-on thug-rap-reppin-NY mode with his verses, despite the instrumental, which shows the level of commitment presented by him on this song. I'd still listen to it, but I wouldn't go out of my way looking for it or anything.

16. N****S NIGHT OUT (FEATURING JA RULE)
Scratch that. Worldwide is a fucking work of art. A symphony defining an era compared to this shit. The mutated Buckwild is back, and you can imagine my fury at the ignorance present here. Forget the fact that I actually like the source material, Boz Scaggs' Lowdown, Buckwild's sampling here adds absolutely nothing to its legacy. Worse yet, it detracts from it. Furthermore, you can guess what that title lyrically brings out of Govy here. This crapfest is complete with Ja's filthy hook.  And yet, this is still loads better than the last time Buck & our host for the evening hooked up on this album. Nevertheless, skip this shit.

17. INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY INTRO
You know what I needed more than anything in the entire world by this point? Forget something to eat. Forget some goddamn water. No, I needed another intro. They cure AIDS, they do.

18. INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY (FEATURING WASTLANZ)
ChySkillz debuts his lone track on this album with a beat that sounds once again straight out of Buckwild's best material. Maybe ChySkillz was trying to smack some sense in Buck. This leads to Flush and his weed carriers actually handing out some well thought lyrics, despite the pig-ass hook. This was much needed at this point.

19. WAR
Ramel catches wreck on a beat that he produced himself. Given the final result, maybe he should've produced his album by his damn self. At least, we wouldn't be exposed to shit like this album's first song. The beat surprisingly sounds pretty on point and our host is serious with his writing, the line 'Who's to blame? Man or cocaine? This world is insane' particularly catching my ear. This was another step in the right direction.

20. MAKIN MOVES (FEATURING MIC GERONIMO)
Is it possible? Can it BE? LORD YES! A PROPER BUCKWILD INSTRUMENTAL! To anybody who still decided to read this review and document my suffering so far, this is a prime example of what I was talking about when praising Buckwild's production skills. Maybe it's because he worked on this in 1996, but no matter. Buck freaks a brilliantly-sampled Montara by Bobby Hutcherson to sweet perfection, and our host is downright cleansed by it, delivering a gut-wrenching performance into the average street hoodlum's mentality. Best song on the album by far, even with Mic stuck delivering a hook that's not to be proud of. One of my favorite Buckwild productions.

21. REPPIN
L.E.S. returns to ruin any goodwill Govy earned from the previous track with this radio-fucking song. Almost as bad as I Been Getting So Much $, but not quite. What more do you want from me?

22. DEAD LETTER
The prerequisite ode to fallen comrades. I guess Mr. Govantes has enough emotion in his delivery necessary to count this as one of the not-so-bad songs, so there's that. The beat by a thing called Low wouldn't sound out of place as posthumous 2Pac song #6748. I don't know, I still liked it.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Let's play math: You have 22 tracks: 5 worthless skits, 6 bile-ass songs and 11 good-to-fucking-awesome songs. What would you think of it? Royal Flush can hold his own behind the mic if the beat's good enough, although that's not always the case, e.g. Regulate. The guests also vary in quality, from brilliant a la Mic Geronimo, to downright embarrassing a la Ja fucking Rule. I don't know, I'm still confused by this release. It's worth pointing out that Blunt failed in their pursuit to repeat The Natural's success, if you can call it that. However, Ghetto Millionaire did succeed in repeating one of its predecessor's feats: Not selling a single goddamn copy. Oh well.

WORTH IT? This is one of those albums that services like iTunes was invented for, where you can acquire the good shit and leave the rest. It's up to you if you want to get the whole damn thing and support the artist. Besides, for those iPod junkies, like myself, you can always delete the rotten shit. Speaking of rotten.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

ROTTEN APPLE
This EZ Elpee track was released to hype up the album, and ended up being one of Ramel's landmark releases. This is one of those songs that you're mystified as to why they're left off the album, as it would've fit perfectly on it. Anyways, EZ samples Nas' The World Is Yours in an effective manner, while Flush waxes poetic about the paranoia surrounding 'the life', and does a pretty good job up until his final verse where he almost ruins his work by flossing for a bit, then reverting to his by-now trademark thuggery. Overall, this was worth the search for me.

For more Royal Flush, click on his name.

Mic Geronimo - The Natural (October 17, 1995)

I think I wanna talk about a project involving ChySkillz some more. Sort of.

Buckwild, along with fellow DITC producer Diamond D, is responsible for one of my biggest heartbreaks in my journey into hip hop.  Let me elaborate.  My introduction to him was through his collaboration with Celph Titled of AOTP fame, where they actively sought out his 90s material exclusively during 93-97. The result of course blew my mind, as literally every beat I heard from the man on that project caused me brain damage from too much headnodding, including the Pete Rock-style instrumentals after a few of the songs. I was so blown away by the material I heard that I had to check out all the songs he did, with the mere mention of his name drawing me to an entire project. If you're a rabid consumer of hip hop, you know exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to your favorite producers.  However, something seemed to have happened to dude, because he started producing some absolute piffle as soon as 98 hit.  Don't believe me? I dare you to listen to OC's Bon Appetit with a straight face. Go on.

So, I started categorizing his music, along with others that I've had a similar experience with, another prime example being Erick Sermon. In Buckwild's case, I now only listen to his material in the aforementioned 93-97 period. So, when I found out that he had contributed fairly heavily to Queens native Mic Geronimo's 1995 debut, The Natural, I immediately went in for a looksee.

So what is there to say about Mic Geronimo? Well, I, for one, feel it's very strange that an artist like Mic, real name Michael McDermon, is being treated like he's all but evaporated from our chosen genre, even though he played a major part in putting on arguably the three biggest Def Jam artists in the late 90s. Trust me, you'll know them when we get to them, the world got physically sick of them collaborating with each other later on.  Now, for what it's worth, the first time I ever heard Mic Geronimo was three years ago when Large Professor snatched him up from his apartment to appear on his 2012 cut, Mack Don Illz, off the Professor@Large album. I remember thinking he was fairly alright, but there wasn't any lasting impression or the like. But, I digress.

I came to find out that this album had a couple of producers who share Buck's problem, in my eyes. One was DJ Irv, now known as Murder Inc (whoops, sorry. The Inc.)'s very own Irv Gotti. Now, I must be honest, I'm kind of on the fence about lil' Irving here. On one hand, he's responsible for one of Shawn Carter's most enduring songs, Can I Live, off his mafioso classic Reasonable Doubt. On the other hand, he's responsible for the world suffering through Ja Rule. Oh well.  Turns out, Irving was the key factor in Mic signing to Blunt Records, a subsidiary of TVT.  I think the record label's name is a big reason why Mic was never as relevant as he should've been.  Irv produced the debut single, Shit's Real, and the fine folks at Blunt decided it was album time.

On the way, Mic somehow got with fellow Queens hoodlum Ramel Govantes, aka Royal Flush (currently serving time as Tragedy Khadafi's BFF), resulting somehow in Govy appearing in one way or another on nearly every goddamn cut on the album, a la Tragedy on CNN's The War Report.

So, what was the end result?

1. THE NATURAL

We're off with a production from Mark Sparks of Shoop fame, which was done during the phase that every R&B producer goes through where he wanted to make people forget that he's an R&B producer, which can result in good music.  Mark Sparks, in particular, produced one of my favorite Jazzmatazz songs, Medicine, which featured True Master rhyming alongside the late legend Guru (RIP). This song is equally awesome, yet for entirely different reasons. One, it's one of those atmospheric beats that transports you straight back to mid-90s New York. Second, Mic sounds pretty fucking comfortable in his material, which is always a good quality in an MC. It's this very quality that made greats like Guru, Rakim, Tragedy and Prodigy excel behind the mic, and Mic has plenty of it. A headbanger.

2. LIFECHECK

Da Beatminerz in their first of 2 contributions. Keep in mind, this is Dah Shinin'-era Beatminerz, and as such, the material heard here isn't quite up to par. Mic picks up the song, however, with his effortless flow and calm shit-talking. I still liked the end result, nonetheless. That's all I got.

3. WHEREVER YOU ARE

Now this was more of what people expected from R&B producers of that period. Mic's take on Mark Sparks' feel-good music threatens to veer into generic love-rap material during his first verse, but goes back to basic braggadocio that we've heard from countless other aspiring MCs, and the end result is still better than every "made" rapper on the radio today. Sad, that.

4. MASTA I.C. (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

I swear, there's just something different about Buck's production in the era I keep mentioning, almost whimsical even. This was an interesting choice for the second single, and it's a smash with me. Yeah, even with that stupid-ass hook. Mic simply goes off on here with his boasts, with lines like: "I subdued the microphone and left it in submission/Then cracked the philly open and found a talent that was hidden." This shit bangs. Oh, and that's Royal Flush on the hook.

5. MAN OF MY OWN (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

First time I heard this beat, I thought of Buckwild immediately, because of the horns' placement in the midst of all the samples. But nope, this was ChySkillz' handiwork. Now, it's not that big of a mystery why his production is a massive nose-dive in energy when compared with his Onyx output, but, as I've stated before in other similar instances, that can be a good thing. It certainly fits our host's monotone delivery like a glove and Mic doesn't compromise in the consistency of his output. Not as much a statement as the previous song, but pretty fucking good, nonetheless. Royal Flush? On the hook, again.

6. TIME TO BUILD (FEATURING JA RULE, JAY-Z & DMX)

I fucking told you the combo was recognizable, didn't I? The first official track to feature the holy trinity of late-90s mainstream rap sounds like none of their future material together, which is a straight-up godsend. Hell, this is one of the select handful of Ja Rule performances that I'll ever sit through without physically suffering. Irving, another late-90s mainstream mainstay, provides us with his take on DITC beats in the era of this album's crafting, which inspires all participants involved to catch wreck in similar DITC fashion. Seriously, this cut would've fit snugly in Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous, besides the fact that, you know, Big L isn't on the goddamn song. By the way, Jay has lost the Das EFX-sewage flow (No, really. That's what they call their famous flow.) by the time he recorded his shit and started sounding like what we hear on his debut, which is always a good thing. More importantly, DMX walks away with this song's best verse which, to my utter delight, sounds as far away from his Swizz Beatz-produced delivery as humanly possible. Even with everybody else turning in a stellar performance, (Yes, even Ja surprisingly sounds great on here.) just face it, people: There's no denying that a very hungry DMX is a legitimate threat on the mic.

7. SHIT'S REAL

The lead single, produced by DJ Irv again. And, I gotta say, I'll always prefer DJ Irv to Irv fucking Gotti. Anyways, the sampling of Deniece Williams' Free was on the money. As such, this contains my favorite Mic Geronimo showing on this album, for he delivers that monotone flow that sounds like he has absolutely nothing to lose, resulting in lines like: "For every episode I unfold/There be another sick story in my mind to be told" delivered with conviction that keeps you coming back for more, finding his boasts to be just the right amount of authoritative. This song was the perfect lead single for a project like this. Loved it!

8. THREE STORIES HIGH (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

Buckwild returns for one of his most demented beats, with very little melody to speak of. A perfect canvas for our host to debut his homie, who impresses with his first presence on the mic. These two form an effective tag-team, with the thuggery present, even if not as refined, guaranteed to please fans of groups like Mobb Deep and CNN. I guess it makes sense that Royal Flush is now running with Trag. This was highly entertaining!

9. SHARANE

Mark Sparks returns behind the boards for a beat befitting of the East Coast sound of the time, and Mic shits on it with his contractual obligation of a song. I've always hated songs like this, and it being a narrative does not change my mind.

10. MEN VS MANY (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH, C-LO & O.C.)

I'd have thought Omar Credle would prefer rocking over a Buckwild beat, but here you go. The gang wreck shop over a proper Beatminerz beat, where everyone plays off each other back and forth, except for C-Lo who contributes a single verse to the proceedings. Everyone seems to be having fun here, but naturally, Brooklyn's OC sounds the most confident behind the mic, which makes perfect sense. All in all, this was yet another high point on the album, an album that’s quickly turning into quite the gem!

11. TRAIN OF THOUGHT (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed in Royal Flush's frequently wasted efforts on hook duties. Otherwise, this song was a prime example of just how Buckwild evoked an electric chemistry with whomever he produced for during that period. Buck returns again with his best beat on the album, with Mic effectively ripping the beat to shreds and spitting on the remains. Just… chefkiss.

12. THINGS CHANGE (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

Apparently Royal Flush heard my plight earlier, so he threatened to bitch slap Mark Sparks if he didn't feature him on his homie's next song. I guess Marky took it personally, as even though he provided the duo with a fairly somber beat with smacking drums, he added a crooner to the proceedings that threatened to derail the momentum of the entire album. It’s a good thing that Mic & Flush went into the booth and spit some of the realest bars on any of their records together in an ode to fallen comrades, unfazed by the crooning fuckery that is the trashass hook. Overall, this was still pretty good. Moving on.

13. MASTA I.C. (REMIX) (FEATURING MR. CHEEKS & ROYAL FLUSH)

Okay, so apparently the internet's confused about who actually produced the song. Some sources say it's DJ Irv, other sources say it's Nashiem Myrick from Diddy's jolly bag of Hitmen. I'm guessing it's Nashiem, since they say his fucking name on the song, alongside the fact that the song comes built-in with its very own R&B hook. Anyway, the beat is pretty goddamn addictive, and all parties involved remain fairly aware of that as they proceed to demolish it in a worthy manner. One point, though. Mr. Cheeks is repeatedly being credited as the Lost Boyz on many instances such as this one, (including Onyx' Shut 'Em Down album. These plugs were shameless, and I'm proud of them being such.) and granted, Freaky Tah rhymes like, what, half a bar? It's still not enough for them to be credited as the entire Lost Boyz. Mic & Flush prove once again that they’re a criminally underrated tag team in this boom bap game. This shit was nice, son!

FINAL THOUGHTS: So what really is there to say about Mic Geronimo? Well, allow me some hard truths here: Mic Geronimo, despite never really pursuing this career, had something special in that pen of his that allowed him to shine on this debut album The Natural. And I do mean shine in every sense of the word. The man had a commanding presence on the mic, wrote with a purpose and immaculately picked the beats that ended up matching him perfectly. And the guests he brought in were nothing to be scoffed at, and I ain’t even talking about the usual suspects: OC, Mr. Cheeks and especially Royal Flush had stellar chemistry with our host. And as for the Def Jam trio? Jay’s transition into the Jay we ended up hearing on Reasonable Doubt started on Time To Build, X showcased once again why he was ready since he signed to Ruffhouse. As for Ja’s bitchass? Had he stuck to this style, maybe he would’ve never got on and we wouldn’t’ve had to suffer that trashass Murder Inc run. Back to the album, it remains a time capsule of something that can’t be faked nor manufactured. And that’s how real Mic Geronimo’s The Natural proved to be. Shit’s definitely real.

 

WORTH IT? You bet your doughy, warty & rotten rusty sheriff’s badge, it is!. Although it does contain a single snoozefest, Mic's product here is something special. So much so I’m fairly baffled that underground heads don’t talk about this album more. Heed the words you read and go get this shit NOW!

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

HEMMIN' HEADS

Now this DJ Irv concoction I highly recommend. I have to say, I'm surprised that Irving was once as consistent as he is, because he gives us an absolutely smacking beat. One which Mic doesn't shy away from completely obliterating. A completely understandable prelude of his Can I Live work, even if it sounds nothing like it. I'm telling you, the Irving-Mic combination, when it clicks, lyrically brings the best out of Mic. This was a satisfying listen and should've been on the album. And we're done.

Want to know more about this dude? Here.

Onyx - Cold Case Files Volume 2 (August, 2012)

I've talking about nothing but Onyx on this blog for exactly three weeks. Damn.

This album is probably my favorite Onyx discovery, as nobody I know has even heard of this shit. I remember traversing YouTube one sunny evening when I came across a series of videos featuring Onyx' Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz commentating on each and every one of their group's 90s videos. And Slam Harder. You know. Because they haven't forced that despicable song down our throats enough. Anyways, all the other videos were rather insightful. I guess now we can blame Onyx for the disaster that is Brett Ratner. The videos were clearly made in 2005, as Fredro states in the Last Dayz commentary.

Their dated nature was also made obvious by the fact that they were talking about the late Bruce "X1" Sandlin's "new shit sounding crazy". Of course the circumstances surrounding X1's death remain mysterious to this day, other than him being found dead in Las Vegas. Some said it was suicide. Some aren't quite so sure. In any case, this was a terrible tragedy and my condolences go out to his family and friends. RIP X1.

At the end of each video was an advertisement of the abovementioned picture and how to cop the accompanying album. Which was a journey in all of itself.  See, the album was Onyx's first, and so far only, foray into self-distribution. Now, this can really be a double-edged sword, if you think about it: On one hand, you guarantee that all the revenue of every fucking buy goes in your pocket.  On another, you open yourself up to piracy even more than standard distribution. Unless you got some impenetrable method unknown to hackers worldwide, which I'm pretty sure no rapper has neither the financial nor the technical means to yet.

So, Onyx had to settle for a "pay what you feel, including free" model on Onyx's Bandcamp page or an iTunes buy. Now, them letting their fans pick the price is a fucking ballsy move that proves their confidence in their fanbase, which is an awesome approach when looking for ways to repay your fans' years of support. Kudos to you, Onyx. Even though Diddy would cry salty tears into his 50-million-dollar pillow at the lost marketing opportunity but whatever.

The important thing is that Onyx actually took the bold step and we're here now with yet another Onyx collection that appealed.  So, is it any good?

1. SET IT STR8 (FEATURING DEZ)
Onyx starts us off with a Shut 'Em Down outtake that should've made the fucking album. Sonsee sets shit off with a few lines from his impressive verse on Face Down, a song that I've already voiced my intense disdain for due to Self's horrendous beat. X1 follows up with his usual standard, which is pretty goddamn good. Dez from Gang Green sounds right at home filling in for Fredro, while Sticky bats cleanup. I'm surprised to say this, but I thought I'd favor Sonsee's verse but after close inspection, everybody came correct, each verse complimenting the other nicely. This was as good a start as any. Hey, at least it wasn't another intro.

2. KIDZ FROM QUEENS (FEATURING STILL LIVIN')
Damn, the Gang Green love is running strong so far, huh? Fredro is absent from the proceedings again with his spot filled by Gang Green's Still Livin' this time, who delivers the standout verse on this track, also a Shut 'Em Down outtake. That doesn't mean that Sonsee and Sticky were dozing off, however, as both turn in solid verses. This song and the previous one were obviously Face Down prototypes, with Sticky lowering his voice forcing you to pay attention a la said song, which incenses me even further at it. Anyway, this song was awesome. Good one-two.

3. BRING IT
This was another Shut 'Em Down outtake that was a poor attempt at paying tribute to hip hop's pioneers, including Rakim and Audio Two among others. The beat will bring you to sleep. And he lyrics fail to add anything worth substance. And yet, I'd rather listen to this than Onyx's entire new material in the 2000s, sans Black Trash. Very sad, that.

4. HI HOE
As misogynistic as this song is, the group sounds like they're having fun with the admittedly nice beat. However, you know my stance on this shit.

5. CRIME STORIES
One of Sticky's solo ventures in storytelling. We know he's good at this and all he needs is a good beat, which he kind of gets here. His attention to detail is pretty impressive as the story goes on. Not bad.

6. PUNKMOTHERFUKAZ
This is the full version to the half-thought song we got on All We Got Iz Us, complete with lyrics on the group's website that, I'm pleased to say, have been uploaded to Rap Genius successfully. This full version would've fit nicely on the album, as Agallah's beat fucking bangs and Onyx tear it to pieces, accordingly. Despite the somewhat bad quality, this was awesome.

7. TO ALL Y'ALL CREWS, WHATEVER
This song alone was what pushed me to listen to this album, as it was a song never heard before by anybody prior to release.  See, even with its bad quality (quite recurring throughout the album), this song lives up to its rare stature. One of those Agallah beats that I've been vocal about my fondness of before, this was a perfect fit for that growling type of shit-talking prevalent in everybody's favorite Onyx album, All We Got Iz Us. This was quite the find for me that I still regularly listen to.

8. ANYTHING GOES
A Shut 'Em Down throwaway that's exactly that for a good goddamn reason. Here, Onyx are pimping their live shows (which were pretty fucking awesome back then) to the meh-est beat you can think of. That's about it. Even Sticky's punchlines can't save this one.

9. GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT (FEATURING GREG VALENTINE)
Here, Fredro and Sticky prove to hip hop that a good sample doesn't mean a good song. The sample in question being Keni Burke's immortal 1982 hit Risin' to the Top. Which Onyx completely waste performing their bread and butter violent raps. I think the contrast is crystal clear to everyone who heard this misfire.

10. FLIP DAT SHIT (FEATURING NAUGHTY BY NATURE, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. & 3RD EYE)
Hey, ChySkillz! Long time since you last popped up on BBR! This collaboration might be the sole reason most people cop this compilation, as it features a pre-fame Biggie Smalls spitting for his life, alongside a very in-form Treach, both spitting and ghostwriting for Vin Rock, (Yeah. I'm saying it. Vin never wrote his rhymes. Vin, if you don't like what you read, sound off in the comment section below.) and 3rd Eye, whom I swear had an identity crisis back then, as he apparently chose to deliver his verse as two separate voices. Not the first time I've heard that from him, as he did the same thing on PMD's solo debut in 1994. Oh, and Onyx use their final verse on Judgment Night. Their end product is slightly inferior than the song they ended up using it on but nice, nonetheless.

11. PUSSY ON THE REGULAR
Fredro's disgusting interpolation of his verse on Last Dayz that appeared on Bacdafucup Part II started here. Other than that, refer to track #4.

12. TAKE THAT
Remember my Shut 'Em Down review? When I said that there was a full version to Sticky's one-verse wonder on Take That? Here. And might I add that this song is every bit as awesome as you'd expect it to be. The beat by Keith Horne aka K-Love is the same one used on the released version, and Fredro and Sonsee match Sticky's intensity step by step. The result is glorious, I tell you.

13. RAZE IT UP (ORIGINAL)
Exactly as it reads. The group rock over K-Love's same brilliant instrumental but this time, it's Fredro on the hook. And to be honest, Fredro's always been Onyx' workman so I prefer his performance over Sticky's on the released version of this song. Speaking of Sticky, he obviously worked hard to improve his verse, as the one we hear here pales in comparison to what we ended up hearing, but this one's still good.

14. LOVE OF MONEY '96 (FEATURING CHOCOLATE)/HIDDEN TRACK
Lady and/or dude, the original Rob & Vic. Once again, I really wish they stuck with this version, because Chocolate's hook sounds infinitely more on-key here than the final product. Also, X1's delivery here sounds crazier, which fits the desperate theme as I've said before. Excellent song. Unlike the hidden track, which is X1 talking about his perfect woman, a concept so goddamn redundant it physically makes me sick. I would enjoy this if there was actual effort put into the lyrics, but I should've known better.

15. WE COMIN' THRU Y'ALL
Hey! It's K-Love's Broke Willies beat! So fun! Seriously, though, this wasn't as good as the parody that ended up on the album, as this song is the regular "crowd participation" hook, punctuated by violent verses by our hosts. It's not technically bad, but Broke Willies is just so much better. Side note: This compilation sure has a lot of Shut 'Em Down throwaways, huh?

16. WALK IN NEW YORK (DEMO)
Interesting. This sounds exactly as advertised. However, the beat doesn't sound like an Aga beat. Instead, I'm willing to bet my dad's 30-year old FC Barcelona shirt that this is a ChySkillz beat, before he was snatched up by Shaq then ditched to the curb after his album. Hear it and you'll get my point. Most of the rhymes ended up on the released song, though Fredro's line: 'To all my future criminals/We maximize the minimal/I know what we've been through/The knot-ups is offending you" should've made the cut, in my opinion. Interesting song, to say the least.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Peace, Onyx. It's been fun. Seriously, though, the very nature of this project should be a godsend to Onyx fans. Plus, for the assholes out there, they're simply telling you to buy it for free. And besides, 6 crap songs out of 16 is still a bargain, right? Right?!

WORTH IT?
Did you not read the paragraph above? YOU CAN GET THIS FOR FREE. What're you waiting for?



The comment section's below. If you think I'm crazy, tell me.

My previous Onyx work is but a name click away. You know you want to.

Onyx - Cold Case Files: Murder Investigation (August 19, 2008)

You didn't think I was done with everyone's favorite group of certified loons, did you? You did? Well, when life gives you lemons...

Speaking of which, the late great Jason Mizell aka Jam Master Jay, of hip hop royalty Run-D.M.C. and the executive producer of Onyx' entire Def Jam tenure, was unfortunately murdered in 2002. Jam Master Jay was a pioneering DJ that was a premier showcase of the importance of the DJ to hip hop. JMJ's contribution as founder and developer of the art form simply cannot be overstated. His murder was a devastating incident that still hurts his family and friends, along with those who established a connection with him either personally or artistically. On a lesser note, he impacted so many influential hip hop figures, who never were quite the same after losing him.

Because, since the trio lost their mentor, (who actually committed to the very last Run-D.MC. album at least a year before his murder, so they might've lost his creative input even before that) Onyx have been on a downward spiral with their releases for over 13 years, with the notable exception of Sticky Fingaz' Black Trash. Releases like Firestarr, on the other hand, broke my heart. One of the many reasons is that you'd expect a guy who produced a bona fide CLASSIC album (All We Got Iz Us) to at least take control of his own goddamn album in a similar manner, but noooo, he's only an executive producer whose horseshit at executive production while something named a Davinci fucks up his and Onyx' albums. (Don't even get me started on Bacdafucup Part II. Think I'm fucking kidding?) and the less said about their group & solo ventures with D3 Entertainment, the better. In all honesty, all this confusion that Onyx went through might also be attributed to Fredro Starr signing his deal with Koch, a label notorious for luring some of the biggest acts in hip hop history who have either lost their way or no longer know what they're doing in the game, with a few exceptions. To top it all off, they seem to have lost unannounced 4th member, the late Bruce "X1" Sandlin (who filled the spot of original member and co-founder, the late Big DS. RIP both.) among all the confusion.

I mean, come on. Everybody who's read the past few posts knows how much of an Onyx fan I am, so it's only right that I call them out on their bullshit.

Which leads us to 2008, where Onyx found out that their best days might be behind them. Of course, we all know that now, but clarity is always nice. So, the group tried to mount a comeback in the independent market and, to be honest, they had some interesting ideas. First of all, Sticky secretly compiled never-before-seen footage of live performances and interviews of the group and released them with his narration on a label he currently runs called Major Independents, which has since released numerous music videos for Onyx and two rap musical movies (A Day In The Life & Caught On Tape. They're the first of their kind and very impressively cast, might I add) all under his direction.  Anyway, the resulting DVD (Onyx: 15 Years of Videos, History & Violence) is actually pretty fascinating.  Along with it, Onyx decided to release every single obscure song they had in their collection at the time in the compilation I'm choosing to review today. Which amounted to about 15 songs and an intro.

Now, this compilation came across my attention during one of my Wikipedia voyages. I remember the time so perfectly, because it was my very first assignment away from my hometown. The loneliest month of my life, so far, was also the first of many times that I dove headfirst into my hip hop journey, with these divings becoming the highlight of most of my days. I distinctly remember listening to the following albums for the first time: Gang Starr's Moment Of Truth and their Full Clip compilation, Celph Titled's Nineteen Ninety Now (which singlehandedly began my DITC fandom), Cypress Hill's Temples of Boom, and Onyx' Cold Case Files. It also reintroduced me to Cypress Hill IV, which took me back to my Twisted Metal 4 days. Good times.

Cold Case Files was released by Iceman Music Group, which also released Sonsee's debut Tytanium, an album that I still haven't been able to finish listening to, in 2009. Iceman Music Group also released one of Killah Priest's smorgasbord of solo albums in that two year period, which is The Exorcist and All In Together Now Raw, a tribute by Brooklyn Zu to ODB, which I'm sure is a sweet gesture and all but I don't think many people heard it. Matter of fact, I don't think many people know or even give a shit about Iceman Music Group, a fact majorly emphasized by the fact that it hasn't released anything else yet.  Oh well, I digress.

So, what is in this compilation exactly?

1. U.S.G.
An aborted intro from a 90s Onyx album. Even if this was released on one of their albums, you only needed to hear this once.

2. GHETTO WAY OF THINKING
An early smash! Onyx used these awesome verses in the Vissi D'Arte mashup off the classic Def Jam failure, 1997's the Rapsody: Overture.  The beat sounds like a mid-90s Fredro production, the type people fell in love with on All We Got Iz Us, and it friggin' bangs accordingly.  Also, I realised that my earlier prediction about Fredro & Sonsee's mic-time being shortened on Vissi D'Arte was actually true: Their verses here are complete & more enjoyable. I can only imagine how Sonsee's contribution would've sounded on Vissi D'Arte's awesome beat.  Nevertheless, this song is still addictively good.

3. O.N.Y.X.
Then, we get to this shit. The remix of this song was included on Onyx' abysmal Triggernometry, and it's just as bad as this original. Guys, if fucking D3 Entertainment thought this was boring, chances are it's goddamn boring.  The beat was an earsore and nobody sounded impressive nor interesting on here.

4. SEE U IN HELL (PT. 2)
Onyx record some rhymes over Tragedy Khadafi's Alluminati beat, and rip the shit out of it. This was clearly recorded in the Shut 'Em Down era as X1, sounding very young, is present in their lineup. (Notice how I insist on not adding him as a guest performer in the header of the song.  I'm doing that for a reason, lil fam.) The contrast in the group's hunger is very evident between this song and the previous one.

5. EVIL STREETS (REMIX) (FEATURING METHOD MAN)
Ah yes.  This song is one of the most infamous Onyx collaborations, courtesy of yet another Agallah production. You need to keep in mind that Agallah made all of his beats for Onyx during a very short timespan in which he reached '5yr-plan-RZA' levels of focus, so it should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that he knocks this one out of the park. Another thing, this was pre-Wu-Tang Forever, so Mef was during his absolute peak here. Yet, even with his grimy-as-fuck verse, Sticky walks away with this song.  His verse & delivery thereof are just undeniable.

6. ROCK U
This was another Agallah production during that period I spoke of earlier, and it's almost like those beats make you recognize that. I know you didn't listen to me before but trust me, they're that good. However, the hook is a goddamn misfire. The lyrics are pretty decent, but that hook, though. I really wanted to let this slide, as it contains one of my favorite Fredro performances on the mic, but that flippin' hook, b.

7. HYDRO
This sounds like a Shut 'Em Down-era track. Too bad you'll never get to fully appreciate it, as the quality on here is awful. Fucking awful. Next!

8. PURSE SNATCHAZ PT. 2 (FEATURING SMOOTHE DA HUSTLER, TRIGGER THA GAMBLER & D.V. ALIAS KHRIST)
This was a remix that was made possible by the arseholes-that-be at Def Jam, in one of their few glimpses of brilliance, as most parties were on Rush Associated Labels at the time. The end result is a massive song that's almost as perfect as the original, if it weren't for DV's sucky hook. Otherwise, everything was put together nicely: From Agallah's beat that samples the same Jimmy McGriff song (Love Of My Life) as the original (though, again, not as masterfully) to the rhymes that were executed pretty well. Fredro's second verse was a highlight for me.

9. WILI'N WILI'N (FEATURING ALL CITY & STILL LIVIN')
This was interesting. A Shut 'Em Down outtake, this song contains one of the best Sonsee performances that I've ever heard from the man. His choice to contrast everyone else's attempts at speed-rapping by flowing normally pays off tremendously with his verse ending up the only one stuck in your head. The rest bored me to shit on an admittedly decent, minimalistic beat. Greg Valentine is severely relegated to singing 'wiliiiiiiiiin' only once on the hook. This one's up to you.

10. FREE STYLE
Another famous Onyx recording over Rampage's fucking awesome Wild For Da Night instrumental. This seems to be the original See U In Hell, as its hook is the very phrase, so it absolutely confuses me why they choose to call it by the very imaginative abovementioned name. The lyrics, even though you've heard most of Sticky's verse by now, are fucking awesome by the way.

11. I'LL MURDER U (REMIX) (FEATURING GANG GREEN)
This was a nice surprise as by this point I've already heard the original song (which is credited to Gang Green, by the way.) Using the same Agallah instrumental as the original, Onyx join their musical progeny on a monster posse cut, where X1 delivers the standout verse. I loved this shit.

12. MAD WORLD (FEATURING WHOSANE)
Choosing Whosane to fill in for Sticky Fingaz, who's on hook duties, is interesting to say the least, but Onyx pull it off. This was what the majority of Shut 'Em Down should've sounded like, as the strings sample fits the apocalyptic themes of the lyrics like a glove. Speaking of which, the lyrics are home runs from all parties involved. Sonsee, who usually shines on these themed tracks, surprisingly takes a backseat, despite a smoldering verse, to Fredro who steals this song with his opening verse. Check this line: "It's everyone for self in this 5-borough cell/You're in Hell where it says: These streets are worse than jail!" This was an awesome find.

13. I DON'T WANT TO DIE (FEATURING CHOCOLATE)
This actually got many a chuckle out of me, simply for how stupid Chocolate's interpolation of R. Kelly's smash, I Believe I Can Fly, sounds. The rest was pretty decent. Lyrics and beat were tight, although I'm not crazy about Sonsee's contribution here. Oh well. This took time to grow on me.

14. RETURN OF THE MADFACE
Fuck this shit, I am NOT listening to another Triggernometry outtake. You won't neither. This almost sounds like an intentional insult to the fans of Bacdafucup. The Bacdafucup that actually matters. Skip this sewage.

15. CANDY MAN
An X1 solo joint that sounds like it was recorded in the mid-90s. This sounds so much like an Agallah beat, but so far I simply cannot prove that. There is absolutely nothing on the internet that points out information about the producer.  X1 delivers, in my not-so-humble opinion, his finest performance ever.  He's that good on here, even if the song is cut midway. Still, this was awesome.

16. HARD TO BE A THUG
Another solo, this time by Sticky himself. This sounds very dated and the beat's tempo is offputting, similar to every generic beat that came out circa 97-02, but it barely scrapes a way into my comfort zone, so it's fairly good. Sticky goes in a rage-filled analogy about "thug life". On the subject of which I say, 2Pac (RIP) has wiped out any positive feeling I've ever had for that phrase. Now, it's just an abrasive phrase uttered by anybody who's trying to make up for their severe lack of identity, very similarly to the words pimpin', swag, etc. Oh, the end result of this song? It was pretty good. (Damn ADHD.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: This collection was a revelation to me. At a time when I felt I couldn't have any more of that good Onyx, they release this collection to feed the starving masses. And, considering the fact that they were in the middle of a creative slump that took some fucking effort to shake off (read: their recent material is fairly decent), the majority of this shit becomes that much more valuable. Make no mistake about it, this album has some premium grade sewage, but the good stuff will take care of it smooth-like.

WORTH IT? It's a good thing this collection is readily available online, so I suggest you acquire one as soon as possible. Oh, and turn on the A/C on your way out. I'm sweating fucking bullets in here.

Anybody not liking what they're reading? Sound off below.

Onyx's back catalog, for those who love the punishment.

Sticky Fingaz - Black Trash: The Autobiography Of Kirk Jones (May 29, 2001)

First of all, the album's name is Black Trash. With a space. I'm not calling the shit Blacktrash. I don't care if Sticky Fingaz himself disagrees with me.


When people from the industry look back at the career of Onyx today, they usually go: "Those Slam dudes? They were alright."  Or: "Those dudes who got into it with 50 Cent? Nah, they're not gangsta."  I imagine that a hip hop fan with a brain would not actually look at them that way, but the thing is, even among the purists, Onyx are somewhat overlooked.  Me personally? I'm a big fan of their first 3 albums, Bacdafucup, All We Got Iz Us and Shut 'Em Down, and anything related to those releases. Also, I don't talk only about Sticky Fingaz, even though I get why he's treated as the group's standout, but Fredro Starr & Sonsee have also contributed to Onyx' finest hours and they don't seem to get mentioned at all. Which really bothers me. Take a look at some of the Genius lyrics for Onyx, You'll normally find that Sticky Fingaz' verses are very clear and distinct and very few mistakes are committed in writing them.  The other two, by comparison, could as well be nonames and they wouldn't get the kind of treatment they're receiving now.  Especially Sonsee, whom people sometimes seem to forget about entirely. Stop doing that, people, or I'll tell. Anyhow, Sticky has certainly given reason for people to single him out, as he is, without question, one of the wittiest punchline rappers I've ever heard. He's up there with the Redmans, the Das EFXs, the Akinyeles. I'm not bullshitting.


So, after Shut 'Em Down was released to mild fanfare back then and unanimous adulation now (which I don't get, as All We Got Iz Us is a much better album yet nobody seems to talk about it as much), A dynamic changed within the group.  Fredro and Sticky were suddenly in demand as actors (with good reason, might I add), and Sonsee suddenly started to appear less and less in the mainstream, along with Sticky's close mentee and new fourth member, the late Bruce "X1" Sandlin. (RIP) This change benefited Sticky the most as he appeared in two very important cameos in as many years, each one more important than the next. The cameos were Pete Rock's Strange Fruit and Eminem's Remember Me. Someone out there might think I'd have mentioned his hook duties on Massive Heat by Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz (which is a goddamn torturous mess of a song, by the way) and Buck 'Em by Snoop Dogg, but since they're hook duties, they don't really count. Also, he did contribute an awesome verse to the very weird posse cut New World Disorder by Biohazard from their album of the same name, which doesn't come as a surprise to me since Biohazard collaborated with Onyx in the past and post-apocalyptic themes are one of Onyx' home turfs. (Although I swear I heard Roc Marciano deliver the opening verse.)


After that, many major labels started a bidding war for his services. Even Dr. Dre's Aftermath wanted him. I'll pause to let the following 'what if' sink in for a second: What if Dre signed Sticky right after Eminem and kept Royce Da 5'9"? That's right. The 2000s era of hip hop would've been a punchline era instead of a bling era. And we wouldn't have had to suffer through the whole 50 Cent experience. Oh well. Long story short, Universal won the bidding, and when album time was upon him, Sticky opted for a concept story album as his solo debut.


Now, when Prince Paul invented the concept story album, it began taking on a life of its own with releases like Prince Paul's own Psychoanalysis: What Is It? & A Prince Among Thieves, as well as The Equinox by Organized Konfusion (their best album, by far.)  So, Sticky had already decided that this format was the perfect gateway for his solo career. And if you think he's going to pull any stops in acquiring the proper guests on the mic and behind the boards, you're dead wrong. So, is this another pretentious attempt at artistry?

(WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!! Just thought I'd do so for anybody out there who don't like spoilers. You can thank me in the comments.)


1. INTRO

I find the use of the Universal Studios theme hilarious! So Kirk Jones (Sticky Fingaz' real name and his in-story character. Go figure.) is back home from a prison bid and going to a Sticky Fingaz concert. Interesting. So far, so good.


2. COME ONE

Self, who has a previous working relationship with Onyx (one with mixed results), sets us off admirably.  Sticky wilds out on the perfect introductory beat for this album, which he proceeds to rip to shreds with his trademarks violent punchlines. Upon listening to this song, you realize something: Lyrically, Sticky has not lost a step since his debut 8 years prior, which is pretty amazing. A particular line stuck with me: "The man that could murder me, I'm dying to meet/Rather fuck your own seed than shoot a 5 with me!"  After the song ends, we hear a guy named Sammy step up to Kirk and tells him to meet him outside. Kirk then acquires a pistol from his friend who can't be associated with this life no more. which prompts Kirk to issue the following statement...


3. MY DOGZ IZ MY GUNZ (FEATURING BLACKCHILD)

Get it? A dog is a man's best... oh fuck it. While I appreciate the narrative he's trying to build, this song was really unnecessary. Bud'da gives us his first contribution of the album and, I swear, he seems to have peaked in Westside Connection's Bow Down, because all I've heard from him afterwards is pure crap.  Sticky does what he can with the track, but Murder Inc underling Blackchild snuffs the remainder of its life out with his crappy hook. I guess it makes sense why Murder Inc signed him since they’re in the business of putting out absolute garbage (Looking dead at you, Ja Rule.) This was a failure, all things considered.  After the song, we hear Sammy argue with his girl before he gets into it with Kirk and shoots him, after which Kirk executes Sammy and gets in a getaway car driven by one of his boys.


4. NOT DIE'N

Self is back and he's out to redeem himself from that Face Down beat on Onyx' third album, Shut 'Em Down, and his beat is adequate for Sticky's shit-talking.  The punchlines come at a time in the story where Kirk is feeling pretty invincible, so kudos to Sticky for paying attention to sequencing. Nice!


5. KIRK JONES CONSCIENCE

That's Omar Epps as Kirk's conscience, by the way.  Moving along.  Then, we transition to to Kirk losing his shit over his stolen money. The perfect gateway to..


6. MONEY TALKS (FEATURING RAEKWON)

Sticky starts getting ambitious.  Here, he raps from the perspective of cash, literally. And you know what? He pulls it off. Honestly, I don't understand why I don't hear about this track more often in the discussion of great rap songs, like Stray Bullet, I Gave You Power, Invetro & Rewind. He brings up many interesting points, including: "All by myself, I created black on black crime" or "If you're smart, you make me work for you".  Brilliant! Raekwon is on fire with the hook.  I'll tell you, I friggin' love wordy hooks, and he and the original Terror Squad did them lovely!! Rockwilder brings in a very fitting beat for this conscious song. A fucking hit with me. The song ends with Kirk walking up to a gun dealer he knows to buy one of his guns which plays the beginning of the next song's beat.


7. WHY (FEATURIN STILL LIVIN' & X1)

DJ Scratch, a man whose turntablism I've already expressed admiration of, gives us a beat that, while not really that good, forces us to pay attention to the events happening mid-song. Kirk meets up with two of his homeboys, Dez (played by former Gang Green member Still Livin') and Bruce (played by X1). The song follows their shenanigans where, punctuated by a Still Livin' hook that does its job, Kirk is leading the unwilling Bruce down a destructive path that leads to Bruce's death. The chemistry between Sticky and co. is great on here, especially between him and X1, which isn't really weird judging by their past work together. Although I must admit, this song creeps me out now because of what happened to X1 in real life, yet I'm not saying Sticky is a bad influence in his real life, either. Kirk enters a state of despair which is a gateway to the next song.


8. OH MY GOD

Now this song is where Sticky is at his most ambitious. I, for one, think he got part of what he's going for right. How, indeed, can there be light if there was no darkness? However, the rest is a mixture of pride and confusion on Sticky's part.  At least, that's how I feel. He, for one, contradicts himself when stating "How could I write commandments and not have them kept?" then stating the above-mentioned point that without darkness there is no light. Another instance is in the same bunch of bars near the end: "Don't think, your thoughts are just that: thoughts/Your feelings are real, erase what you been taught/Feelings are the language of the soul the soul is truth/I speak through you to aware the youth"  One might ask: Should I forget what you're teaching me right now?! What makes you worthy of my trust?! This whole point simply does not make any sense.  There are a few other arguments that don't really hold up under scrutiny, but I'll never hear the end of it, so I'll let someone else do it for me.  Besides, Self's beat is just unworthy of such a high concept.  It's grade A blandness.  All in all, this was way over Sticky's head. I know he's a smart and ballsy cat, but he's unprepared for this kind of question-raising, unlike Money Talks, where he knows all the ins and outs of his subject matter, therefore presenting a thorough analysis AND an entertaining song.  This was a misfire. The song ends with the scene returning to Kirk as he's being arrested, which sets up the following track's events.


9. STATE VS KIRK JONES (FEATURING REDMAN, CANIBUS, RAH DIGGA, SCARRED 4 LIFE & LORD SUPERB)

Nottz sets up this courtroom scene with a beat worthy of such drama.  The song itself is actually one of the funniest on this album. Sticky sticks to playing Kirk in the background without any verses on this song, but the guests more than make up for it. Rah Digga plays Judge Battle (really?), her contributions moving things along. Canibus and Redman steal the fucking show as prosecution and defense lawyer Pat Haley, respectively. Canibus also performs double duties as the second witness, Paul De Jour.  Scarred 4 Life isn't that good of a rapper, but he nails the jealous tone of witness Henry Lace, while Lord Superb sounds like a kid who just got fucking bitchslapped by his mama as Mr. Fitzpatrick. (I'm sure everybody believes you wrote Ghostface Killah's verses from 97-01 now, 'Perby. I mean, blazing lyricism, right? Groan.)  After all is said an done, Battle sentences Kirk with the maximum sentence with the line "By the time you come out you gon' have a grandson" To which he responds by kicking down the mic stand in the booth. All in all, a good enough track, even with its weak parts.


10. KIRK JONES CONSCIENCE II

O.E. is back. After which Kirk gets into an argument over his phone time to call his brother, which leads to the next song...


11. BABY BROTHER (FEATURING DAVE HOLLISTER)

Sticky makes the curious choice of playing Kirk's younger brother when he had X1 right there who could've played that role perfectly. He did so before on Shut Em Down’s Rob & Vic. RIP X1, once again.  DJ Scratch presents us a soulful beat reminiscent of the 70s on which Dave Hollister absolutely does his thing on the hook, while Sticky delivers his by-now trademark storytelling with another solid performance. His second take on the converse-with-myself flow is a success. The song ends with Kirk getting a visit from his girlfriend, who proceeds to dump him. Don't know why you're taking it so hard, Kirk. You did take her from another man. A man you killed immediately before doing so, nonetheless. She's got Gold Digger written all over her, man.


12. CHEATIN'

This Rockwilder-produced song is a misogynist's wet dream. Sticky vents out his frustration with females worldwide and ensures this song will have very few female fans, which is a stupid move on Sticky's part to me.  Anyway, he gets it out of his system and things move on. The song ends with Kirk meeting the appeal committee, who inform him that his bid was rejected the way everybody hates: By giving you hope that you'll get out early. The attorney utters the title to the next song


13. WHAT CHU WANT (FEATURING X1)

Bud'da's back. And, what's this? Am I finally hearing a decent beat from him? Why, yes I am! See, Bud'da? You only had  to bring the beat back to a simple composition for things to fall into place nicely. Sticky and the returning X1 bounce off each other effortlessly, as usual. Both nail the lawyer's greed right on the money. So, yeah, this song was good. It ends with Kirk, back on the streets, getting into a confrontation with a man he wronged a long time ago. Which leads into the next song.


14. GHETTO (FEATURING PETEY PABLO)

So, Bud'da. It only took you one song to forget how to do it right. I should've known better. Anyway, he gives us a very mediocre beat for Sticky to spit about the attributes of being ghetto, in which Sticky does a good job. Guest rapper Petey Pablo’s crooning sounds like an old man who used to be a singer and is trying to get his career back on track. Needless to say, he doesn't sound very good. Should’ve stuck to being a rapper, here. Unfortunately, Sticky's performance doesn't prevent this from being a misfire, either. Too bad. The song ends with Kirk coming across an unsuspecting kid whom he proceeds to rob, leading into the next song and…


15. WHAT IF I WAS WHITE (FEATURING EMINEM)

Finally, we get to the biggest guest star on Black Trash. Actually, Eminem used to do this fairly often back then, so his presence on this album isn't really that far off. The sequel to Remember Me (which was fucking awesome) is, of course, Eminem being stuck on hook duties, ad-libbing and ONE fucking rhyme. And it's not even a good hook. Also, Damon Elliot doesn't do a very good job producing the track, which is a shame since Sticky does the concept lyrical justice. I really thought I'd like this track, but it is what it is. The song ends with Kirk entering into a dispute with his new girlfriend which ends in him smacking her, thereby leading into the next song.


16. SISTER I'M SORRY (FEATURING CHOCOLATT)

Damn, this was a surprise. Sticky Fingaz, the crazy, evil, never-give-a-fuck cat, is apologizing to women across the world in a seemingly heartfelt song about the abuse they face from men, other women or life in general. The lyrics indeed were pretty good. Too bad the cheesy beat (by Big D Evans and Sticky himself) and cheesier crooning by guest star Chocolatt, whose new misspelling of his nickname pisses me off to no end, don't do the job for me, so, this was another misfire. The song ends with Kirk robbing yet another grocery store.


17. GET IT UP (FEATURING FREDRO STARR)

Which leads us into the only single released from this album featuring Sticky's cousin Fredro Starr (don't get excited. He's only ad-libbing.) DJ Scratch gives us his best beat of the album, and Sticky does not waste it this time. This truly is a song that you expect Sticky to spit his trademark violent punchlines on. Finally, a homerun. The video is hilariously awesome, with cameos by Omar Epps, Fredro Starr and X1. The song ends with a violent altercation for someone's chain


18. KIRK JONES CONSCIENCE III

Omar's final appearance on the album, explaining Kirk's desperate state of mind, at present. Bye, OE. See you in House.


19. LICKEN OFF IN HIP HOP

The final rap song of the evening finds Sticky going back again to his punchlines, and while that's always been his forte, I need a beat worthy of the lyrics to enjoy the song. Sadly, Punch's production just doesn't provide that. Very unfortunate, that. Columbo The Shining Star certainly doesn't help matters with his half-assed singing. The man simply sounds like he's doing someone a favor that he's completely uninterested in doing, which I'm sure will give us his performance of a lifetime, right? No? Oh well. The song ends with Kirk refusing arrest and killing himself. Roll credits.


20. WONDERFUL WORLD

The credits. You only need to listen to this once.  Onyx' official website features a version with original lyrics by Sticky, with the beginning of Raekwon's hook to Incarcerated Scarfaces sampled within the song. Look for that version.

And we're done.


FINAL THOUGHTS: Actually, I admire Sticky's dedication to the concept, and he's pretty much consistent throughout, with no real lyrical slip ups. But the beats are a different story, as they varied greatly in quality. To put it bluntly, I think this album shares many similarities, both highs and lows, with Onyx' Shut 'Em Down. So my stance on it is kind of the same. If you're a purist, stay away from this album. If you're not, then this album is worthy of being in your collection. I know I enjoyed it.


TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

GET IT UP (REMIX) ( FEATURING METHOD MAN, REDMAN & XZIBIT)

Sounds about just as much as it looks, an awesome remix to an awesome song. Everybody on here came correct with their punchlines. I always love Mef when he's really invested in the performance and this song is no exception. To be honest, I can't really pick a winner among the verses displayed on here, as everyone has a line that edges out the other. This track is a must have. Go get it right away.


Agree? Disagree? Sound off below.


For more Onyx, go on here.

Onyx - Shut 'Em Down (June 2, 1998)

Video games are fucking awesome. This is a fact that will not be disputed here on BBR. My post today takes you specifically ten years ago, where a teenaged shoe-in bought his precursor to the iPod, his very first Playstation Portable with Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories bundled with it.  I distinctly remember enjoying the game's radio stations very much as I was blowing up my path through the game's missions, which were set in 1998. One of the stations was The Liberty Jam, an East Coast hip hop station hosted by DJ Clue. After the talk station, Liberty City Free Radio, this was my favorite station as I spent hours of my actual life grinding its selection of 90s classics into my unwitting brain as I carried my PSP around wherever I went. Shook Ones, Incarcerated Scarfaces and Do What Ya Feel were among its many highlights.  Anyway, the most included artists, whether via guest appearances or their own shit were the Wu, (whom I've already heard of at this point) the LOX & Big Punisher (both of whom I've been introduced to by this game). I remember being really impressed with Pun. (Who wouldn't be, really?)

One of the songs he was included in was the remix to Shut 'Em Down by crazy people Onyx, on which he was joined by Noreaga (whom I don't really care for outside of The War Report.)  As I've previously stated, listening to this song marks the precise point where I realized that Sticky Fingaz was a member of Onyx. Because, as I've also said before, I didn't make the connection between hearing him on Throw Ya Gunz for the first time on Def Jam Vendetta (even though Sticky clearly states his name on the goddamn song, which says enough about my attention to lyrics at the time.) and being introduced to his crazy ass on its sequel, Def Jam: Fight For NY. (His secondary antagonist character was awesome.) Which brings me to the end of story time and to my next point.

Many contributions in as many art forms connected with us humans over time. It is a shame, however, that we rank contributions to this art form so fervently that we forget a lot of people and their hard work while other genres simply appreciate what's been handed to them. So much so that we start seeing a lot of stupid shit. For example, I have never heard of Roy Ayers starting a beef with Lonnie Liston Smith because some fan ranked the latter higher than him in their "top 5 best jazz pianists of all time".  Even reading that sentence is ridiculous, right? People in hip hop chalk it up to it in essence being a confrontational art, which is some premium made bullshit. So we get so caught up in our comparisons of hip hop artists that we lose sight of the pieces presented to us for observation. These pieces always connect very deeply with many people, and I'm pretty confident in saying that Onyx' All We Got Iz Us is one of those pieces and proud to say that it connected with me. On paper alone, Onyx pulled a goddamn forest of rabbits out of their hats with that album, and deserve each and every complement they got for producing that masterpiece.  In reality, though, they shut the critics up with their interesting take on concept albums, where they played characters so determinedly evil that the album could be considered a conscious album and nobody would object, at all.  Everyone who heard the friggin' thing recognized why immediately. Also, the album saw the emergence of Agallah, the producer, with some of the grimmest yet most melodic beats in hip hop history, all under veteran DJ and executive producer Jam Master Jay's close tutelage. Of course, this approach certainly didn't do them any favors commercially, which sent Def Jam into a frenzy, trying to find a way to make these loons a successful act again.

Meanwhile, Onyx were already trying to establish themselves as an influential force in the rap game by expanding their roster to include groups like All City and Gang Green, helping the former in signing a deal with MCA Records, who released the duo's lone album Metropolis Gold (on which two songs were produced by Agallah) while the latter simply released a single (also produced by Agallah, which resulted in a song that would've fit perfectly on All We Got Iz Us).  Now, for that nitpicker out there who questions the reason my last post came before this one, even though Shut 'Em Down was released first: 1. It's my fucking blog. 2. It's my fucking blog. and 3. Metropolis Gold was promoted first, in 1995.  Oh, and did I mention it was my fucking blog?

Important to note, Gang Green's single wasn't as useless as many people perceived.  Firstly, It's a kickass song that was issued a kickass remix using the same beat which featured all three members on Onyx rapping alongside their musical progeny.  Secondly, this small connection led to the trio briefly becoming a quartet again after co-founder Big DS left the group to pursue a solo venture, which unfortunately led to his untimely demise from cancer. See, Gang Green unofficially & quietly split after their single, which left two of its members, Whosane & the late X1 (who were Fredro & Sticky's real-life brothers respectively), unemployed.  Whosane reportedly became a visual designer, while X1, for all intents and purposes, became Onyx's new fourth member.  He appears on nine songs, including three singles, from the album. He even appears on the cover. Fuck it, he's Onyx' new fourth member.

In a very sad & very sudden series of events, though, X1, whose real name is Bruce Sandlin, mysteriously lost his life in Las Vegas in 2007. RIP.

So after Metropolis Gold was released to crickets, even though it tried to appeal to as many hip hop tastes as possible.  The assholes-that-be at Def Jam felt like it was time for the home team to represent. And represent their way. So, because they're always right, Def Jam decided that the approach taken on All We Got Iz Us was not good for business. How do they solve this problem? With dollar signs in their eyes, of course. Since Bacdafucup made the most money, Def Jam made sure Onyx went back to a similar formula. So JMJ's creative input was all but deleted and Def Jam made sure that Agallah didn't come nowhere near the boards, two moves that make absolutely no sense. They replaced Agallah  with the standard-issue production of the time, which included turntable Da Vinci DJ Scratch, Def Jam in-house producer Self, Keith Horne (mostly known for collaborating with Janet Jackson as K-Love at this point), Bud'da of Bow Down fame and Latif King, whose production pulled off what DJ Premier's & Pete Rock's couldn't do together: it elevated Metropolis Gold into an OK album after Amen-Ra of Diddy's jolly group of Hitmen & DJ Clark Kent nearly wrecked any chance Meg & Greg had at having an interesting album. They also included the group with a few other acts like DMX, Def Squad & a pre-'kicked to the curb for the second time' Cormega for the Survival Of The Illest tour, which, for some reason, made sure it performed at the grimiest venues it came across. This act ensured that the album sounded very similar to the other albums in production value, which agreed nicely with Def Jam's game plan.

I'm sure you skipped all that. So, is the album any good?

1. IT WAS ONYX (SKIT)
Dear Lord...

2. RAZE IT UP
And we're off.  Sticky handles chorus duties admirably, but a version unreleased until 2012 featured Fredro on the hook, and I have to say that after hearing both, Fredro's take is infinitely better, since he's the best Onyx member to handle workman duties but Sticky has a better verse here, though. Anyhow, all three members sound pretty at home over this Keith Horne instrumental that brings Def Jam's vision to the group without insulting their past work. Nice.

3. STREET NIGGUZ
I have a confession to make:  No matter how many crappy beats he makes, DJ Scratch can do no wrong in my eyes. Since he hooked up with EPMD, one of my absolute favorite groups of all friggin' time, he's been tearing up stages with his performances, an undisputed fact that earned him the respect of many hip hop fans till some even started calling him 'The King Of DJs' (which I don't agree with, as there is NO King of DJs in my book, but whatever.) Anyways, as a producer, he's alright. His beats range from downright amazing to downright barf.  This one, in particular, sounds merely OK. Which is enough for our quartet, as their verses compliment each other nicely. This is X1's debut as a member of Onyx, in case the former sentence confused you. This wasn't as good as the preceding track but it wasn't bad.

4. SHUT 'EM DOWN (FEATURING DMX)
This track is an official collaboration between two of the headlining acts of the Survival Of The Illest tour, and as such, it is pretty fucking awesome.  Self brings us one of his two best beats ever, the hook is a fucking home run, every member of Onyx plays to his strengths impressively and DMX proves he's quite the versatile cat.  I'll be honest, this is one of my favorite DMX tracks, simply because of how much of a team player he is here.  Highlights include Sticky throwing the mic after finishing his verse and Sonsee flowing slower than the rest. This song still refuses to leave my head.

5. BROKE WILLIES
Our quartet utilize the second Keith Horne smash to parody the genre's mainstream bullcrap at the time. (Which, as hard as it is to believe now, sucked back then just as much as it does in current times. Hell, it always sucked so keep it moving.). The song structure comprises of brothers Sticky & X1 on the hook, with the verses divided into tag team #1 Fredro & X1 and tag team #2 Sticky & Sonsee, with all parties involved  throwing verses to-and-fro at the end. This was a brilliant one-two after the lead single. Loving this album so far.

6. FOR NOTHIN' (SKIT)
At this point in 98, Def Jam have perfected being killjoys in album sequencing.  Exhibit A.

7. ROB & VIC (FEATURING CHOCOLATE)
Useless intro aside, the beat on this song evokes the feeling that the group is going back to its vibe on All We Got Iz Us, but actually this and a couple of other songs on this album are the earliest precursors to Sticky's monumental debut, Black Trash. I highly doubt that this beat was the one Chocolate recorded his hook over, since a version recorded in 1996 & released in 2012, which is called Love Of Money 96, has a beat more in tune with the hook, which sounds horribly off-key on this one. The back and forth between brothers Sticky and X1 is actually pretty convincing, even though I prefer X1's delivery on the previous version because he sounded more desperate, which fits the overall theme. Still, this was nice.

8. FACE DOWN
This track is one of the two most infuriating tracks on this album, and it's not for the reason you think. You see, the track's beat, produced by Self, is the absolute worst beat on the entire album, which would be fine and dandy with me if the lyrics were equally bad, as I can simply skip the shit. Problem is, the lyrics are among the very best on the album, especially on Sticky's part.  This is the kind of boasts n bullshit that all of Onyx thrive on. This irritation has a sequel. Moving on.

9. COPS (SKIT)
I'll go eat something...

10. CONSPIRACY (FEATURING CLAY THE RAIDER)
Apparently the previous skit was to lead into this song, featuring Clay The Nobody. DJ Scratch returns to provide us one of his meh beats, on which Fredro is stuck with hook duties (one of his worst hooks at that) and replaced by Clay The Who Gives A Fuck, whom I swear sounds like someone just beat his ass for his lunch money. I understand he's "fam n'alldat", Onyx, but if he doesn't compliment you well enough, don't put him on the fucking song. Sonsee delivers another solid verse and Sticky tries his damnedest to inject life into the song but Fredro ends it with a verse that's not enough to pick up his fuckup on the hook. Yet another misfire.

11. BLACK DUST
I told you this irritation has a sequel.  Why? Because DJ Scratch's final beat of the evening is an absolute banger. By far, his best on the album. And Onyx present us with the worst fucking outing they've released up to that point, across all three albums. The lyrics, especially Fredro's, are a fucking earsore and their delivery, especially Fredro's, is even worse.  Most annoying of all, this beat was fucking PERFECT for Face Down's lyrics.  Someone better get to making a mashup that rectifies this abomination.

12. ONE NATION (SKIT)
If only the caller could see Onyx now...

13. REACT (FEATURING 50 CENT, BONIFUCCO & STILL LIVIN')
Lady and/or gentleman, I present to you the debut of Mr. Get Rich Or Die Trying himself. And I'm very pleased to say: Aside from him being a brilliant businessman and his work on Hate It Or Love It by current (/former?) enemy The Game, the motherfucker has not contributed one thing to the growth of the art form. Onyx, you get minus points for his inclusion. To be fair, he debuted on the perfect beat for him, as it sounds exactly like the crap he's used to spitting on now. Still Livin' sets us off with his pigshit hook, while a certain organism called a Bonifucco spits the equally repulsive first verse, thereby providing the worst momentum possible for this shit. Onyx (including X1) try to inject the song with some sparks of life, only for Fiddy to kill anything interesting about the song with his boring-as-fuck punchlines.  Bud'da, wherever you are, I hope this reaches you: Fuck your production here.  How can you go from producing a classic like Bow Down to this bile? I proudly deleted this shit off my playlist and anybody who reads this should do the same.

14. VERONICA
After that camel ass of a song, anything would sound like a fucking improvement.  Good thing that this song aspires to continue Sticky's evolution as a storyteller, and damn well succeeds in doing so. Fredro & Sonsee are also up to task as they play along pretty damn nicely over Self's appropriate beat.  I loved the fact that our protagonists all die at the end, which is a refreshing change of pace from the constant superthug imagery portrayed by other rappers past and present. A step back in the right direction.

15. FUCK DAT (FEATURING ALL CITY & BUBBA SMITH)
Fredro seems a bit angry at something as he introduces this weed carrier-infested posse cut, which weirdly features only Sticky Fingaz from the home team. Self's instrumental is simply there to move things along, and everyone sounds bored spitting on this. The end result is meh.

16. GHETTO STARZ (FEATURING MR. CHEEKS)
Bud'da's back. Groan. Sure enough, he inspires Onyx to a contribution that is only better than Black Dust. At-the-time critical darling Mr. Cheeks of Lost Boyz fame lost a lot of credit for his association with this piece of manure. I'm sure he greatly regrets that now. (Not really. I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember recording this shit, anyway.)

17. TAKE THAT
For someone who used to be called K-Love, this Keith Horne dude's beats have so far fit Onyx' vibe like a glove. This one is no exception. Too bad it only lasts for a single Sticky Fingaz verse, which seems to end prematurely even when the hook (which is an interpolation of Run's hook on Sucker MC's) is included. I used to wish that there was a full version that involved all members of Onyx and, thankfully, one was recorded at the same time that fulfills my expectations nicely. Even though it wasn't released until friggin' 2012.  Still, this short version is alright. Actually, the way it ended was kind of funny, even if I only laughed once.

18. THE WORST (FEATURING RAEKWON, METHOD MAN & KILLA SIN)
Story time, boy and/or girl. There was this movie called Ride. (Not the crappy 2014 Helen Hunt vehicle, the crappy 1998 Malik Yoba vehicle.) It featured Fredro, Sticky and the debut of Cedric the Entertainer. That's all you need to know about this piece of shit flick. Its soundtrack, though, had a track that was credited to Onyx and the Wu-Tang Clan. So, of course, only Raekwon and Method Man show up to the party, along with Killa Sin from Killarmy (pronounced Killa Army), whom I've never heard of up until that point. The end result? Everyone played their part extremely well on this beautifully grimy Latif King beat.  Yet, I'm not fully satisfied with X1's showing here. I feel he should've sat this one out and give Fredro breathing space to spit alongside the Chef, even if the Chef's subject matter isn't up to standard. Actually, I honestly feel Sonsee stole the show here.  Best song on the album, so far.  However, Def Jam made the very irritating decision to join The Worst with another track and promote the second track as a "hidden" one, even when its inclusion is in plain sight on the goddamn tracklisting. To add to the irritation, they're split by the very fucking long silence usually associated with hidden tracks.

19. OVERSHINE (FEATURING ALL CITY)
The "hidden" track.  Now, this beat is more like what I expected from a dude named K-Love. Not to say it's bad, or anything. In fact, Keith Horne instrumental's really a grower, since I originally hated it. For their part, Onyx deliver lyrics that are as uplifting as a group like Onyx can be: amid threats galore, promises to erase your essence from existence, the usual.  In particular, I thought Fredro delivered the one line that I still remember after the song's finished, even though his verse was the worst out of all three: "If you can count your money, you ain't got none!"  This wasn't bad.

20. SHUT 'EM DOWN (REMIX) (FEATURING NOREAGA & BIG PUNISHER)
The track that truly sparked my interest in Onyx, since it's the second track I ever heard from them after Throw Ya Gunz. Self tweaked his original beat to great effect, and Fredro delivers a hook that my untrained ear found good enough to repeat for hours in my work as a teenaged radio news announcer mid-breaks. Of course, not all good things last, as Noreaga, fresh off the "success" of his collaboration with The Firm's Nas & Nature on Blood Money Part 2 (Which was all kinds of boring. Go ahead. Massacre me in the comments. I don't give a fuck.) and on the cusp of gold-status success with his debut.  And, let me tell you, someone should've shat in the breakfast of the dude who suggested that P.A.P.I. should go first, because he brings the song to a screeching halt with his unnervingly bad flow.  Luckily, Sonsee AND Fredro deliver full back-to-back verses that save the song, even with Fredro starting a particularly nasty habit that would come back to bite him in the ass later by spinning his interpretation of Big Punisher's hook from I'm Not A Player.  After the hook, Big Punisher in the flesh delivers one of his best ever verses, in my opinion, with the line "I'm moving past you even when I use the bathroom." still bringing me to chuckles.  Ultimately, though, it's Sticky's verse that I remember the most, especially when he said that he told ODB (RIP) to "shut down the Grammys."  A line that, according to an interview with Sticky easily found on Youtube, was actually true. Anyways, his punchlines grabbed me by the throat and emptied my pockets then beat me in the head with a spiked bat. Another line: "Fuck a royalty, I'mma hold up Russell for ransom!" Friggin' classic!

FINAL THOUGHTS: I honestly thought I'd hate this album much more than I did after reviewing it, but I'm at another fucking crossroads.  Don't get me wrong, this is by far the worst Onyx album of the 90s.  But many songs on here are abso-goddamn-lutely essential Onyx music. However, the potential that this album had, which will be more apparent in later posts about the group (yes, there's more), was so much more than what we were given here. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the songs Face Down and Black Dust, as both had negatives that significantly dragged down their positives. Beatwise, Keith Horne aka K-Love was the most consistent producer on the album. Self would be right up there with him if it weren't for that Face Down beat. DJ Scratch was 2 out of 3, Bud'da should've called in sick and Latif King fucking brought his A-game with the lone credit he was given.  With this album, Onyx lyrically show their first signs of fatigue, as a result of constant going to church, no doubt. I mean, seriously, you were obviously a very talented crew, so why the fuck did you waste the opportunity to focus?!  That's how infuriating the mistakes are on here.  Nevertheless, when Onyx are on, they're ON.  Fredro & Sonsee continue proving that they can hang with the best of them on the mic, while Sticky discovers a new knack for storytelling that will play a huge part in his evolution as an artist. New fourth member, the late X1, fits in perfectly in many of the good songs. And the skits suck, as usual. So, all in all, this was a very decent album that could've been a classic.  Once again, RIP Big DS & X1.

WORTH IT?
I'd say yes, but definitely not for the purists out there who nitpick every single aspect of an album presented to them.  Try checking a good track and a bad track back to back. If you like what you get, then you'll like the rest of the album. If the bad is too repulsive, steer clear from it, then.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN
VISSI D'ARTE
Off Def Jam's bullshit attempt to flex their artistic control, 1997's The Rapsody: Overture. This album was so much a failure in most aspects that it was only released in Europe and Japan. (I swear, Japan got all the good versions of hip hop releases back in the day. Lucky bastards.)  It's almost as if the album was purposefully issued to fuck over all artists involved, as there was initially no way that one song on this album would be any good. Two songs by Onyx and Redman, however, broke that wall and became critical hip hop gold. Onyx' was so much better than Redman's, though, it wasn't even funny.  I mean, who would've thought that Onyx, of all the hip hop acts in America at the time, would mesh the best with classical music? But our trio make it work splendidly.  I personally feel that ever since All We Got Iz Us, Onyx did the best post-apocalyptic hip hop of the mainstream.  Yes, even better than Busta Rhymes' first 4 albums & Mef's Tical 2000. This song is a good continuation of that.  To top it all off, all three members fucking body their parts, even Fredro who chose to spit in an old-school flow.  However, there's no fucking contest that Sonsee's double time flow stole the fucking cake, even if he and Fredro sound like they gave up mic time for Sticky's opening verse. This track is easy to find and it's friggin' awesome.

Disagree? Questions? Comments? Leave them below.

If you're still interested in reading about Onyx, go ahead.