10 Greatest Forgotten Songs Of The 1990s
4. Slam - Onyx
Onyx is a hardcore hip hop group from Queens, New York City. The group began in 1988, consisting of Fredro Starr, Sonny Seeza and Big DS. Onyx finalized their lineup when rapper Sticky Fingaz joined in 1991. That July, the group met Run D.M.C. DJ Jam Master Jay at the Jones BeachFest. Onyx submitted a two-song demo to Jay.
Jay signed the group to his record label. Two years later, Onyx released their debut album, Bacdafucup. Blending elements of aggressive rap and heavy metal, Onyx have been credited with bringing slam dancing into hip hop culture.
The album was met with critical and commercial acclaim upon release. It was their lead single, Slam, that brought Onyx to the forefront of early 90’s rap. Sticky Fingaz stated, “We needed something that we could kill them with, but dominate radio".
Slam did just that. It reached number 4 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Singles. Since then, Slam has been used in four commercials, four video games, five feature films and numerous television shows.
In 2022, Onyx released their tenth album, 1993, as a tribute to their breakout year and to show that these OG b-boys can still slam.