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 a whole gimmick."  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.

All City - Metropolis Gold (November 3, 1998)

I am dead serious when I say that I only listened to today's post for the first time just last week.

But, come on, this album was a pretty obscure release and the promotion for it was one of the worst I've seen so far.  I mean, they dropped three singles, while only really backing two. One of them didn't even get the proper video treatment.  Have fun explaining that.

How was I introduced to this album, then? Why, during a quick background check I did for my last review on Onyx co-founder Fredro Starr's so-called production credits, of course.  I wanted to check if he produced some more gems to the world, other than those I've already heard with his baldmates. Of course, I later found out that Agallah was the real producer of the beats credited to Fredro that I liked. Oh well.

All City is a duo comprised of rapper Lawrence J. Troupe aka J Mega aka JT Mega (?!) and rapper/singer Gregory P. Cordew aka Greg Valentine. (Much love to one Felix Montana for providing their elusive real names).  These two met each other when both performed as solo artists in 1993 at the famed Lyricist Lounge, which was a bunch of open mic events hosted in LES, Manhattan, and subsequently formed the act.  Somehow, the duo caught the attention of Onyx, a group fresh off the success of their debut smash Bacdafucup, and were in the process of creating their magnum opus, All We Got Iz Us.  Somewhere along the way, All City impressed Onyx enough that they helped the duo sign their first record deal with MCA Records while simultaneously signing them to their vanity label, Armee Records, with them appearing on All We Got Iz Us, as well.  Then, Armee Records commissioned two promotional singles, one in 1995 and one in 1997, before MCA bit the bullet and dropped the actual lead single for the duo's album, Metropolis Gold, which was named, um, The Actual, produced by DJ Premier with a B-side called Priceless, produced by Pete Rock. I mean, talk about fucking the prom queen.  Both sides actually had videos shot for them and everything, with Primo and Pete appearing in their respective videos and Onyx appearing in both to support Meg & Greg, which was awful nice of them. A second single called The Hot Joint was issued by MCA, with the remix as its B-side.  Again, both single and remix got the video treatment. However, these were two of the worst music videos I've ever seen, as they were basically the same goddamn video, with the original having some women gyrating to the hook, while the remix replaces them with DJ Clark Kent gyrating to the hook.  The third MCA single, Ded Right, got nothing. No promotion, no video, zip.

Now, I remember my impression of these two nonames when I first heard them on All We Got Iz Us.  J Mega sounded confident behind the mic, as his delivery is clearly effortless, while Greg sounded too, well, safe when spitting his threats.  I mean, the dude has a voice that would fit on an episode of that purple pedophile Barney The Dinosaur. Don't get me wrong, he's not Melachi The Nutcracker or anything, but I just couldn't get past his voice and believe me, you'd better bring your a-game delivery-wise if you're going to share mic-time with Onyx, of all the rap groups in the world.

Getting back to my background check on Fredro, the producer. Turns out he produced not one, but two songs for our duo on the album.  All City also acquired the services of various other producers including some at-the-time big names like Def Squad's own Rockwilder, DJ Clark Kent, Amen-Ra from Diddy's bag of Hitmen, Dave Atkinson, EZ Elpee and the aforementioned Primo & Pete Rock.  Meg & Greg also brought in a couple of unknowns named V. Black & Latif King to complete the proceeding, although to be fair, Latif was the first producer on board the project and he did produce the B-sides on their promo singles.

So, Let's see what All City did for themselves with what was given to them:

1. WHO DAT
The A-side of the first promo single, released in 1995. The beat that kicks in amidst Onyx' ad-libs sounds like those beats you hear during skits, which can be pretty good at times.  This one is the slow, menacing type that was pretty commonplace in 95-era New York, and as far as that type of beat goes, this one's not bad. Weird, though, that I can't find the producer of this track anywhere on the internet.  I figured that since he did Metrotheme, which was the B-side of this single, Latif King produced this. If he did, he did an admirable job.  And just when you're about to groan from exasperation at yet another rap album intro, J Mega gets on the mic and delivers a pretty good verse, introducing himself and his partner, who neither rhymes nor sings on this track, but the track is still intact to me. Onyx acting as J Mega's hypemen during his verse was inspired as it added more authenticity to his contribution. To every single rapper in existence, this is how you do album intros.

2. STAY AWAKE
Rockwilder produced three cuts on Metropolis Gold, and his first one honestly sounds like if two of Large Professor's and the Ummah's respective beats got together after a hard night of drinking and strip poker, then proceeded to make a mistake that will change their lives forever.  I mean that in the best way possible. The saxophone in that mistake of a beat was a nice touch.  However, we come across three obstacles in All City's path: 1. Technically, they're pretty sound as rappers, but they're not really saying anything.  That might not be everyone's cup of tea.  2. Sometimes, Greg's crooning is in the wrong place, such as this song.  I get that they're trying to evoke a jazzy type of mood, but the lyrics have to fit that mood in order to feel jazzy enough to hum along to a rhythm like this one.  3. Greg's voice, man. He's not convincing me when he's boasting about getting money with that voice.  As standalones, the beat and the lyrics were fairly good.  Together? Misfire.

3. PRICELESS
The Soul Brother blesses this B-side to the lead single, The Actual, with a beat that could've fit right in Soul Survivor with a sweet Biggie sample, and that's awesome. The beat is perfect for the boasts n bullshit that we've seen from Meg & Greg so far, even with Greg's muppet voice.  Pete Rock's ad-libs from the video version, however, are gone, which still doesn't make sense.

4. METROTHEME
the aforementioned B-side of Who Dat.  Latif King receives the first production of his career, and I'm telling you, this Latif dude had something.  His beat is minimalistic in approach, which is right up my alley. In my opinion though, allow me to state that the sequencing of this album so far is abysmal. I mean, look at the tracklisting above. How do they make any sense arranged like that?  The least you could've done, MCA, was place this track as the second one. Anyways, J Mega & GV seem to respect Latif's beat enough that they try extra hard to fit their boasts, which again are not bad, within the beat delivery-wise.  They make it work, I'm glad to say.  And Onyx are back, providing an infectious hook and ad-libbing for our duo, similar to the first track.

5. XTREME
The first Fredro Starr production of the night is, unfortunately, a short one with not one 'Xtreme' aspect about it.  At times like this, I wonder who writes the song's names and if they get smacked later for even suggesting such stupid-ass names. Also, the beat is a massive step down in energy from Fredro's tracks with Onyx, who are on this track, too, providing the hook and ad-libbing again.  However, in All City's case, that energy winddown is NOT a bad thing, as it forces Greg to reign in his voice from ruining the proceedings for everybody involved.  J Mega is his usual consistent self here.

6. THE HOT JOINT (REMIX)
If this album had any momentum so far, that shit is blown to smithereens by this flossy Diddy-esque track, courtesy of DJ Clark Kent.  Remember how albums from that era listed both single and remix on the same album and listed the remix first, then popping up the original later? Remember how angry that made you feel? Well, MCA is also trying to piss us off.  This song sucks balls, by the way. Everything about it was ear-bleedingly trash, from the lyrics to Clark actually ad-libbing to his own baby-killing beat.

7. THE ACTUAL
I fucking told you, the sequencing of this album is horrible. How could you put a track like The Actual produced by boom bap king, DJ Premier, after a track like The Hot Joint Remix? Anyways, since this is 97-era Primo, this is a treat with scratches galore. Even if it's not as good as quite a few of his contributions in that time period. He cuts up J Mega's verse from the above-mentioned Metrotheme with a few other samples expertly, which obviously inspired J Mega to go in. Greg also manages to keep up without embarrassing himself.

8. LIVE IT UP
Amen-Ra from Diddy's merry band of Hitmen produces this song.  See track #6 for reference. Fuck this album's sequencing.

9. AFTA HOURZ
V Black, with his lone production credit under this pseudonym, produces a track that is later mixed by DJ Premier to a degree where I highly suspect that V Black is DJ Premier.  The excellent piano loop permits our duo to kick game about nightly street life with decent results. Unsurprisingly, J Mega delivers the better verse, as usual.  Whereas, Greg is spouting random gibberish.  I still liked this song, though.

10. DED RIGHT
Another club track, although this beat by EZ Elpee isn't as much of an earsore as the previous club tracks. No, it's the lyrics that are the culprits this time.  You know the guy in your circle of friends who hates rap? The lyrics to this song are the reason why.  At the end of the song, Greg spits over a relaxed instrumental his smooth shit, lasting only 4 bars long. Those 4 bars are better than the entire song that preceded them.

11. GET PAID
This Rockwilder production, xylophone and all, is utilized by Meg & Greg to speak about society's ills, caused directly or indirectly by greed and lust for money.  What do you mean, the hook's stupid?  By the way, Greg Valentine the singer makes his debut on this song in a truly horrendous manner.  No lie, one of the shittiest songs I've ever heard.

12. TIMEZ IZ HARD
Latif is back.  And he's hellbent on picking up the duo from this horrendous form they're in.  He succeeds in resuscitating only J Mega, as Greg's goofy ass is still in crappy R&B mode.  But, really, that's actually a relief, as I'm not in the mood to hear his squeaky voice flossing anytime soon.  J Mega makes good of this opportunity, describing life in the ghetto with a delivery suited for introspective rhymes.  This was nice.

13. DAYDREAMING
Greg utilizes this opportunity to flex his R&B by covering Kurtis Blow's Daydreamin', aided by a very convincing Dave Atkinson instrumental, and I have to say, Greg does the song justice. His voice might even be a better suit for the song than Kurtis himself.  That is until J Mega tries to join Greg in his tribute by kicking a full verse in place of Kurtis's two bars, and he majorly fucks things up with his sex rap.  I mean, Kurt never even mentioned a biological private part. Moving along.

14. FAVORITE THINGS
The second Fredro production, which is somewhat decent. And what does All City use it for? Why flossing, of course. I mean, in a very distant reality of course, I can believe that J Mega can pull  some women. But ain't no way in hell that Greg Valentine will ever be considered pimp material. The R&B hook is the sewage icing on this shit cake. I'm very disappointed that Fredro's production skills are associated with this horrible, horrible garbage.

15. THE HOT JOINT
Amen-Ra returns for the original second single, in all its flossy manureness. What the fuck do you mean, that's not a real word? PSA: shoe-in does NOT condone violence or hatred against any human being, but man do I hope someone got his ass whooped for sequencing this album.

16. MOVE ON YOU (REMIX)
After hearing this flirt rap, I'd rather you move on to the next song. Rockwilder produced this remix and the original, the second promo single. The beat to the remix is alright, but the original is one of the best beats he's ever done, but as the case is with Stay Awake, there just isn't any chemistry between him and our hosts. In fact, this song is even worse, as the flirt raps are flat out ass. Which is something to note, considering that the lyrics for the original and the remix are the exact same.

17. JUST LIVE
For our final number, Latif King sees us off with a brilliant sampling of Art Farmer's Chanson. Our duo, BOTH of them, make an honest attempt to redeem themselves from the ear-rape we've listened to throughout the album by spitting conscious bars. Latif must be doing something right, because both J Mega and GV deliver potent verses about staying strong in the face of life's bullshit. I'm kind of pissed off that Greg waited a full album to tone down his voice the way he did, but his verse is finally focused on something to say, although to be fair, I had trouble recognizing him from J Mega as GV's lowered voice sounds almost exactly like his partner. J Mega delivers the highlight of the album, in my opinion.  Maybe it's because it's the last friggin' song on the friggin' album, but all I can seem to think about when remembering this album's positives is his verses here. Latif proves to us that he was always the one who had the most chemistry with All City. Nice work. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Latif & Rockwilder's contributions to this album pretty much sum up my stance on it: this album is the divisive kind. Half of it contains brilliant compositions by Latif, Primo and the PR, on which our duo find their footing pretty nicely. While the other half is Meg & Greg stumbling from low to sinking low on Rockwilder's beats and some of the flossiest crap I've ever had the misfortune to listen to from the likes of DJ Clark Kent and Amen-Ra. Daydreaming remains the sole confusing track to me. It depends on whether Greg's earnestness wins you over enough to disregard J Mega's shitty sex rap. It's all up to you.

WORTH IT?
Since I'm a cat who sees the glass half full, this album's positives outweigh the negatives. However, not everyone out there can be as optimistic as me so I leave the choice up to you. Either support the album, or burn Latif's tracks along with The Actual, Priceless, Afta Hourz & Xtreme.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
BASIC TRAINING
This song, however, might help you make up your mind about All City. Since I began listening to 90s hip hop, I've heard a TON of timeless beats. I know I heard this just last week but I guarantee you, dude/dudette: This is one of those beats. Courtesy of, of course, Latif, the B-side to the second promo single,  Move On You by Rockwilder, utilizes a straight up menacing piano loop that switches mid-song without sacrificing its quality. This type of beat is most suitable for Meg & Greg's bragging, and sure enough, they take turns one-upping each other effortlessly. Fuck MCA for not including this on the album. You can find this pretty easily on the web. So git.

Comments are down below. Look at the sentence that says Post A Comment. There you go.

For more about Armee Records bosses, Onyx, click on their name. Duh.

Onyx - All We Got Iz Us (October 24, 1995)

I have a confession: I'm still a fan of Eminem's songwriting. And it's not because of his lyricism, humor or even subject matter. It's because of how much he's a fan of this art form, which is something not many people give him credit for. For my money, nowhere is this more apparent than 8 Mile, a movie that, despite the mainstream Hollywood hype it received, I'm still a fan of. I say this because, in the battling scenes of a movie about hip hop set in the mid-90s, of all the hip hop instrumentals he could've chosen from that era to personify the vibe he was looking for (aside from his own, of course), he chose two Havoc beats, a Preem beat, a Buckwild beat & most crucial to my post today, an Agallah beat.

I've already stated my nostalgic connection to Eminem's music, back when I had absolutely no clue about any of this hip hop shit, so when I tell you that those five instrumentals from the battling scenes stuck, they STUCK. Which is what caused me to squeal like a witu goyl about four years later when I heard Last Dayz, the lead single from Onyx' sophomore album, All We Got Iz Us, for the first time. At the time, I immediately noticed that this was an Onyx unlike the ones I heard on Throw Ya Gunz & the Shut Em Down remix, as apparently they were hell-bent on convincing other people that their pen game was nice. But, here's a fact, the song that convinced ME to track this album down was Live!!!, which also introduced me to the hip hopumentary, The Show (Clever, right?), for which it was released as a single then added to the album on a Russell Simmons whim. More on its significance to me later.

Onyx did very well for themselves with Bacdafucup. That album and Slam, its second single and their biggest hit without question, BOTH went platinum. Fredro began his career as an actor that very same year, appearing in Forest Whitaker's directorial debut, Strapped. His cousin, Sticky Fingaz, would follow suit in 1995, debuting alongside Fredro in Spike Lee's Clockers, one of Spike Lee's best flicks. Sonsee? Well, he didn't do shit outside of Onyx for a while there, but he seems perfectly fine with that, and so you should be such. In short, life was good to be in Onyx. Yet, along with all that fame and glory, East Coast hip hop was rapidly advancing with critical and commercial hits left and right. Acts like the Wu & Biggie were unleashed on New York and quickly dominated sales, while others like Nas, Mobb Deep & the Boot Camp Clik were raking in the accolades. Oh and let's not forget MOP, who debuted with a style that was steadily gaining ground in the hardcore hip hop market back then. Onyx was quickly being left in the dust, amid claims of inauthenticity, being cartoonishly angry and overall just plain childish. All during which Big DS, one of Onyx' co-founders, severed all ties with the group, while CkySkillz was becoming quite sought after as a beatsmith, thereby no longer available to his affiliates. So, the group's mentor, the late great Jam Master Jay, felt it was time for Onyx to address those issues.

What was the plan? Well, Fredro Starr, whom I've previously stated to be most in sync with JMJ, noticed that a new approach behind the boards was needed to supply a new sound for the group, all the while refocusing with his two baldmates Sonsee and Sticky Fingaz on their pen game. Not long after, he fell upon a grimy young rapper/producer by the name of Angel Aguilar tka 8-Off The Assassin nka Agallah, who used to run with a lot of crews in the 95-00 period & who is the spitting image of my neighbor, a man to whom the concept of rap is completely foreign, let alone hip hop. I even showed said neighbor a picture of Agallah, and even he sees the resemblance. After hearing some of his beats, Fredro, with a little help from Stick, provided him with all the samples they felt suited their new desired direction. The pressure was then on Agallah to deliver on the primetime level. You'll see exactly how he did in the review.

As for our trio, it was a make or break time for them, so of course, you're chomping at the nuts to find out how this album's story ends, right?

1. LIFE OR DEATH (SKIT)
A lot of people seem to like this skit. I'm NOT one of those people. The beat's interesting, though. Just like the first album.

2. LAST DAYZ
It's a damn shame that Agallah's mainstream production career was so short that nobody mentions him among their personal favorite producers. The man fucking BROUGHT IT on the boards. If you thought Shifftee & Judgment Night were dark, they are Disney films compared to what's presented here. That approach inspired Onyx on the mic as each member eviscerates the memory of past work with their verses, especially Fredro since he's the one who came under fire the most. Sticky is his usual awesome self, and Sonsee furthers my claim that he's the most underrated Onyx member. Many people consider this their favorite Onyx song, and I don't blame them.

3. ALL WE GOT IZ US (EVIL STREETZ) (FEATURING PANAMA P.I.)
I loved the video for this song, where Fredro stole the spotlight from his baldmates every time he appeared on-screen. True that Sticky was up to his usual lyrical standards and also had more screen time to flex his acting, but Fredro looked like a possessed vampire. The netherworldly beat was another smash from him, as well. Sonsee? He'll have to make do with delivering the song's best verses. Onyx also switch up the verse order from the usual template seen in the previous song. Panama P.I.'s hook is the icing on the cake. So, yeah, this song's the tits.

4. PURSE SNATCHAZ (FEATURING GREG VALENTINE)
An extremely short skit at the beginning leads us into this monolith of a song. The third Agallah home-run starts with a looming bass that plays in the background when rapper/crooner Greg Valentine from Brooklyn duo All City starts us off with an interpolation of Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine as a hook that fits the theme pretty nicely, during which the beautiful strings of Jimmy McGriff's Love Of My Life enter the equation, resulting in a masterful atmospheric instrumental. For their part, Onyx clearly put in the most lyrical effort into this song, and it really shows: Fredro utilizes his verse to tell us how depraved he is by recounting his experiences with a fucking lot of other similarly depraved people, resulting in a lot of imagery, most of which I thought did the subject matter well. Then, we have Sonsee, who continues this dark thesis of the terrible wasteland rappers love to call hood life, by delivering an impressive lyrical analysis from his point of view of a few of American society's various problems which cause depravity such as Fredro's. After which Sticky Fingaz completes the song's concept by delivering, no lie, a verse that should be physically etched in a physical hip hop hall of fame, even though I cannot disagree more with the motive behind its second bar. Feel free to question why, the comment section is there for a reason. Nevertheless, Sticky probably delivered the best verse of his career on this very track. Some way to break out of the cartoonish image, huh? 3 songs out of 3.

5. SHOUT
OK, I have to state that Onyx deserve all the credit for not compromising their vision for this album. So far, this shit is consistent and you'll love that about it. I highly suspect that the way Def Jam pleaded with them to record a song close to their previous album's work was funny as all hell. And the trio STILL pulls it off nicely & without being too chipper. Fredro, the leader & workman of the group, lyrically shines here, with Agallah once again delivering a beat that is a nice homage to Bacdafucup. Sonsee & Sticky keep up pretty nicely. This shit will liven up any party.

6. I MURDER U (SKIT)
The title above is a full single recorded by an Onyx-affiliated group called Gang Green, consisting of five teenagers, two of them younger brothers of Fredro and Sticky, one of whom would have a pretty major role in Onyx' future, so it's a family thing. The single was pretty decent, with a dope video shot and a remix that actually features Onyx rapping alongside their disciples. Agallah's beat was a nice & calm contrast to the thuggery present from the five runts, which was dope. It fits the remix even better, which is also dope. Since this skit only featured the hook to said single, it doesn't count as a real song and is pretty much a waste of everyone's time. Oh, you wanted me to tell you to skip this barf, right?

7. BETTA OFF DEAD
Remember how Bacdafucup had a slamming beat that was wasted on the intro then redeemed later in the album in a kickass song? The sequel, my fellow lonely soul. And it expands on the intro's theme with threats that become truly evil because of our hosts' delivery. And, I'm surprised I'm writing this, but Fredro steals the show yet again. I'm sincerely looking for a flaw in this album's music so far. Yet another Agallah home run!

8. LIVE N***Z
Yep, the exact same song as Live!!!. Storytime: I have this obsession with nostalgia, so anything remotely nostalgic captures my attention right away. So, how did this song capture my attention in that particular way when absolutely NONE of its components are even slightly nostalgic to me? That, my friends, is the definition of artistry: To force you to enjoy a certain piece the moment it connects with your senses. And I can honestly say that the way Agallah sampled the somber Isaac Hayes ballad, Wherever You Are, and flipped it into an almost whimsical beat forced me to do just that. It reminded me of the children movies about New York that I constantly and obsessively watched in my early childhood, but the fact that it's a continuation of the party theme introduced in Shout remains fascinating to me. Lyrically, Onyx do their thing well on these songs and this one is no exception. And they still didn't compromise and write lyrics for the radio! This would be the final time that Fredro would steal the show from any of his baldmates on this album. Even with Sticky doing his warped version of Slick Rick's verse on Doug E Fresh's La Di Da Di. This was lovely, son!

9. PUNKMOTHERFUKAZ
Onyx fans were reasonably pissed that the full version of this song wasn't on the album. The full version, however, has been available for the past 3 years on the Onyx compilation, Cold Case Files Vol. 2, which I may review later, but until you clean up your room, I'm not reviewing that shit. Don't repeat Daddy's bad words!

10. MOST DEF
Agallah really is achieving something very special on this album. He's taking you on a unique emotional journey, as displayed with this amazing wind-down of a beat, where Onyx dial their voices down with their threats & braggadocio, thereby focusing your attention on their lyrics, and it works for me. Sticky set the proceedings off very nicely, indeed. Fredro sounded fucking weird but delivered some decent lyrics, but Sonsee takes the cake for me. The way he said "Gimme all that green stink shit, thank you" made me laugh my ass off. All in all, great chemistry between the trio.

11. ACT UP (SKIT)
Yeah, this was pretty pointless. Shame that Agallah's beat, which sounds like a pretty damn good EPMD imitation, was wasted on this.

12. GETTO MENTALITEE (FEATURING ALL CITY & PANAMA P.I.)
Onyx bring out the weed carrier bandwagon, consisting of Panama P.I. (whom we already know from the title track) and rap duo All City, comprised of rapper J Mega and Greg Valentine. (Whom we've already heard crooning his lovely little heart on Purse Snatchaz) All of whom make their rapping debut on this posse cut. Now, I like Agallah's beat, and the MCs sound like they're having fun, with Sticky stealing the show, as usual. But, two things, Greg's voice is too squeaky soft, to the point that he does not possess any resemblance of menace in his voice, and Sonsee: how many times have I told you NOT to eat from Taco Bell before recording your shit? (Pun intended.) Anyway, this isn't a trash song or anything. The song ends with our three protagonists exploring their conspiracy theorist sides...

13. 2 WRONGS
...which seamlessly leads into this song. Now, this beat isn't horse manure per se, but it's just there. Kind of wish they used Act Up's beat here because the lyrics would've fit like a glove. All three members bring their Ice Cube on, with good results. Sonsee's verse was slightly better than everyone else's. The end result could've been so much more with the Act Up beat. Can't win em all, Onyx.

14. MAINTAIN (SKIT)
...

15. WALK IN NEW YORK
Our album finale carries its weight well, with one last uncompromising beat from Agallah, truly the unsung hero of this album, for our hosts to state how New York is not a city for the lighthearted. Onyx shot a video in their neighborhood that encompasses everything this album is, and everything it's not. Appropriately enough, Sticky steals the show batting cleanup, but his baldmates keep up pretty nicely. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Unlike Bacdafucup, this album is a record label's goddamned nightmare. JMJ made sure of that, as he saw a long-term investment in the group. Which is why he agreed with Fredro in choosing Agallah, proving here to be a BEAST of a producer, for this album. This last part is what changed this album's aesthetic and catapulted it to being a potential classic, even with there being zero interesting skits. It's also been the answer to a huge misconception: A whole goddamn country-load of people, myself included, believed for the longest time that Fredro produced this album, given the fact that his name is plastered all over the credits. Make no mistake, though: this was where Agallah became a sought-after commodity in the rap game, as evidenced by his later equally-stellar work with EPMD, Sean Price and many more. As for this album, all that was left was that our trio maintains lyrical consistency. However, they went truly above and beyond, stepping up their pen game tremendously. Sticky, in particular, received a lot of accolades for his contributions, and believe me they're well deserved. But, what's constantly lost amidst all the hype around him is the fact that both Sonsee & Fredro deserve a ton of credit as well since neither has been recognized as a lyrical force of any sort since releasing this gem. Put simply, this is Onyx' artistic peak as they have broken through every obstacle that came up against them. So, yeah, of course, the album went plastic as it didn't sell zilch, but guess what? Nobody gives a shit now, least of all Onyx themselves. Give yourselves a big round of applause, baldmen. You have earned your place in hip hop's elite.

WORTH IT?
No. Buy Young Thug instead. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK? If you claim to love 90s hip hop and for some reason don't have this in your collection after reading this review, rectify that mistake NOW!

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
SHOUT (REMIX)
Deriving from the same Hubert Laws' Trying To Get The Feeling Again sample that blessed the original, Agallah presents a more upbeat beat (clever, eh?) for Onyx to demolish, which they proceed to do quite nicely. Sticky steals the show, as per usual and the back-&-forth between Fredro and Sonsee is very entertaining, indeed. Good remix, even though I prefer the original.

THANGZ CHANGED
The very last Agallah production he provided to Onyx, before briefly falling out with them. This song was off the Sunset Park movie soundtrack, a film in which Fredro was simply awesome and in which Rhea Perlman was equally ridiculous. I know everyone's tired of me saying this, but Agallah delivers the perfect swan song for his production career with Onyx. The man was that good, I'm telling you. And appropriately, the baldmates send him off in style with lyrics of equal potency about life in the ghetto. Each MC reflects by stating the grim situation then provides a story as an example, except Sticky who provides his story first, then the reflection. Nerd talk from my part, really. Awesome song, though.
Did I lay it on too thick? Did I not lay it on thick enough? Leave your opinions below.

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