Since it's release in 1993, Onyx' debut album BACDAFUCUP has become a gangster rap classic. To quote the song Shifftee, the rap group's sound is "low down, gritty and grimy"... not to mention violent, manic and hostile. But the albums sound is also very jazz influenced, thanks to main producers Chyskillz and Jam Master Jay, making Onyx sound like a completely unhinged Wu Tang Clan. Contributing to this sound is the fact that the majority of BACDAFUCUP is literally shouted by Onyx members Fredro Starr, Big DS (R.I.P.), Sonny Seeza, and Sticky Fingaz (by far the loudest of the group). No song on the album brings this deranged feeling as much as the hit single and rap music classic Slam, in which Sticky Fingaz delivers one of the hardest verses I've ever heard. Seriously, the guy sounds like he's going to explode.
Speaking of Slam, this song is one of the main reasons why I still really dig this album. The song is built on one of the most sampled breakbeats in hip-hop, Mohawk's The Champ, but every time I hear this song sampled by any artist I immediately think of Slam. There are some other great songs on this album, like Stik 'n' Muve, Onyx is Here, Throw Ya Gunz, and Shifftee to name a few. But overall, every song on the album flows smoothly into the next thanks mostly to the smooth jazzy production and Onyx' penchant for gang vocals, which seem to tie every song together into a holistic experience.
Although it should be clear by now that I do enjoy listening to BACDAFUCUP, the album wasn't enough to make me an Onyx fan. After listening to the whole album all the way through (which is the best way to listen to BACDAFUCUP) I started to get the feeling that Onyx is a one-trick pony. They have a unique sound which they really nail with this debut... but it's not something that made me want to listen to their other albums. The flow on each song is nearly identical to the next, and by the end of the experience I felt like I've heard everything that Onyx has to offer. The lyrical themes of sex and violence get old pretty fast too, but that's just gangster rap for the most part. On a total side note, I can't help but laugh whenever I hear the closing track (Getdafucout) play, in which Onyx scream at me to "turn that shit the fuck off! Now! Turn it OFF!" keeping with the album's general theme of shouting every single lyric to the very end.
At the end of the day, BACDAFUCUP delivers a unique (see: very loud) sound and some incredible jazzy production that will undoubtedly give you a feeling of hip-hop nostalgia. Despite its violence and hostility, the album is actually a really fun listen. Just watch the video for Slam (in the link above) and you'll see that Onyx deliver a certain energy that a lot of rap groups are lacking. The kind of energy that makes you want to crowd surf at a show and join in with the abundance of gang vocals. Yet, I'm still strangely content with this being the only Onyx album I've ever listened to in full. Maybe someday I'll venture further into the group's discography, but for now BACDAFUCUP is good enough for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment