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''Bacdafucup'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group
Onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...
, released on March 30, 1993, by
JMJ Records JMJ Records was an American record label which was founded in 1985 by Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay from Run-D.M.C. The label was relaunched in 2017 by Jam Master J'Son, the oldest son of Jam Master Jay. The label released such ...
,
Rush Associated Labels Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop music, hip hop, contemporary R&B, Soul m ...
and Chaos Recordings. The album was produced by Randy Allen (Executive Producer),
Chyskillz Chylow Parker (July 19, 1969 – February 13, 2018), known by the stage name Chyskillz, was an American record producer, DJ, musician, rapper and a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Chyskillz was discovered by the late great hip ...
,
Jam Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician, record producer and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC becam ...
and Kool Tee. ''Bacdafucup'' peaked at number 17 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and number 8 on the
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart. The album was
certified Platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on October 25, 1993. In 1994, the album was nominated as "Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist" on
American Music Awards of 1994 The 21st Annual American Music Awards were held on February 7, 1994, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1993. Whitney Houston was the big winner of the nig ...
and won "Best Rap Album" on
1994 Soul Train Music Awards The 1994 Soul Train Music Awards were held on Tuesday, March 15, 1994, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The show was hosted by Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Johnny Gill. Special awards Heritage Award for Career Achievement ...
. The album features three of the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' singles "
Throw Ya Gunz "Throw Ya Gunz" is the first single by American hip hop group Onyx from their debut album, '' Bacdafucup''. It was released on November 27, 1992, by JMJ, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings. Produced by Jam Master Jay, Chylow Parker, an ...
", "
Slam Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements * S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe * SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...
" and "
Shifftee "Shifftee" is a song by American hip hop group Onyx (hip hop group), Onyx. It was released on August 30, 1993 by JMJ Records, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings as the third single from Onyx's debut album, ''Bacdafucup''. The song was abo ...
". The first single, "Throw Ya Gunz", became a crossover radio hit. Their breakout single, "Slam", which received heavy airplay on both radio and television (
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
and
BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...
), leading the song to reach number 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and get Platinum on August 10, 1993. In 2005, the album is broken down track-by-track by Onyx in Brian Coleman's book ''
Check the Technique ''Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies'' is a book by music journalist Brian Coleman that covers the making of 36 classic hip hop albums, based on interviews with the artists who created them, also providing a track-by-track brea ...
''.


Background

Fredro Starr Fred Lee Scruggs Jr. (born April 18, 1971), better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American rapper and actor best known as a member of the hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay o ...
,
Big DS Marlon G. Fletcher (July 29, 1971 – May 22, 2003), better known under his stage name Big DS, was an American rapper and record producer from Queens, New York. He was co-founder of the hardcore rap group Onyx. As a part of Onyx Big DS released o ...
and Suave (also known as Sonny Seeza) met
Jam Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician, record producer and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC becam ...
in a traffic jam at The Jones Beach GreekFest Festival on July 13, 1991. Jay gave them about two months to get a demo, but Suave and Big DS didn't make it to the studio because they were stranded in Connecticut. So Jeff Harris, the manager of Onyx, asked Fredro to come to the studio with his cousin, Kirk Jones, who would join the group and be known as a group member as "Sticky Fingaz" who at the time was doing a solo career under the name Trop and working in the barbershop making a thousand dollars a week cutting high school. Fredro and Sticky Fingaz made two records, "Stik 'N' Muve" and "Exercise".
"...When we went to the studio we made two records. One was called 'Stick and Move' and the other was called 'Exercise'. And they both were crazy! When Jay heard the songs he was like, 'Yo, I love the group'."
Jam Master Jay liked these songs and that's how Sticky joined the group, because Jay said, “If Sticky ain't in the group, it ain't no group!”. Jay signed the group to his label,
JMJ Records JMJ Records was an American record label which was founded in 1985 by Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay from Run-D.M.C. The label was relaunched in 2017 by Jam Master J'Son, the oldest son of Jam Master Jay. The label released such ...
, for a
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
deal, then for an EP deal followed by an
album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
deal because they did 10 songs on a budget of 6 songs.


Recording and production

In 1991, despite the reproaches from Fredro, the Onyx's music producer, B-Wiz, sold his drum machine SP-12 and went to Baltimore to sell crack, and eventually he was killed in Baltimore. Thus, all Onyx records were lost.
"...When I met Jam Master Jay, I told B-Wiz, who was doin’ his thing, sellin’ drugs, goin’ to Baltimore. I said, “Yo, don’t go down South, I just met Jam Master Jay.” He went down south, he got murdered... When he got murdered, we lost that sound. When we lost that sound, that was the end."
So the group needed a new music producer. In Brian Coleman's book ''
Check the Technique ''Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies'' is a book by music journalist Brian Coleman that covers the making of 36 classic hip hop albums, based on interviews with the artists who created them, also providing a track-by-track brea ...
'' Fredro described how Onyx met their future producer:
"...We met Chyskillz on Jamaica Avenue one day. We was buying weed at the weed spot and Chy was chasing my truck down the street, yelling, 'I got beats!' His stuff back then was jazzy, on some Tribe Called Quest shit, but it was hot. I knew he could put beats together right away. We brought him into our zone and made him do some grimy shit."
Chyskillz was picked as the main producer of the album, he produced 16 of 18 songs. The first song that Chyskillz ever did for ONYX was "Nigga Bridges". Jam Master Jay attended the studios during the recording of absolutely every song and was guided by the group in the process of recording the album, applying his hand as a producer to many tracks. But despite this, he basically let Onyx and Chyskillz do their thing. Sticky says of the late great JMJ: “Jay was very hands-on, one hundred percent. He was always there in the studio with us. We learned everything from him. He was our mentor”. Jam Master Jay's friend, Kool Tee, also known as a member of rap groups Solo Sounds and The Afros, produced two songs on the album: "Atak Of Da Bal-Hedz" and "Da Nex Niguz". Jeff Harris was credited as the producer of the three songs on this album: "Blac Vagina Finda", "Nigga Bridges" and "Stik 'N' Muve", but in fact he was just the group's manager since the release of their first single in 1990, and after the release of Onyx's first album, they grew apart. The recording of the album began in September 1991 and ended in August 1992, when
Fredro Starr Fred Lee Scruggs Jr. (born April 18, 1971), better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American rapper and actor best known as a member of the hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay o ...
acting in a movie "
Strapped ''Strapped'' is a 1993 American television crime drama film produced by HBO Showcase. The film was directed by Forest Whitaker and is the cinematic debut of Bokeem Woodbine. It features several rappers including Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Mo ...
", and from the set he went to the studio to record the album. The album was recorded in 7 different studios in New York. During the recording of the album, Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz were still working at the Nu Tribe Barber Shop on
Jamaica Avenue Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue's western end is at Fulton Street and Broadway, as a continuation of East New York Avenue, in Brooklyn's ...
in
Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
until they heard their song "Throw Ya Gunz" on the radio in November 1992. Fredro drops a very interesting fact about the group's mind state when recording Bacdafucup:
"...While we were recording the album, niggas was on LSD the whole time, straight up. We was dropping papers, taking meth tabs, during that whole album. That's just the creative side of making music. We were like Jimi Hendrix. And that's partially what kept our energy going at that high level. We had that battery pack. LSD was our secret weapon. It kept us creative."
Sticky Fingaz credits ''Bacdafucup'' with introducing
slamdancing Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other. Taking place in an area called the mosh pit (or simply the pit), it is typically performed to aggressive st ...
, grimy delivery, and bald head fashion to hip-hop.


Conception of album title

The title track, "Bacdafucup", was one of the first songs Onyx made, at first it was just a
skit Skit may refer to: * * A short segment in a performance, such as: ** Sketch comedy ** Hip hop skit ** Puppet skit ** Promo (professional wrestling) * Skit note, parody of a banknote * "Skit", a song by Bad Gyal from '' La joia'', 2024 See als ...
, from which they made an intro and filmed a video for it. Then they made a complete song, "Onyx Is Here". Once they did this song, she gave them direction, she described what they was feeling: the whole industry gotta back the fuck up".
"...Bacdafucup was probably like one of the first joints we made, it turned out to be like a skit at first, then we did an intro and video to it. Then we did this song but once we did that song, that kind of like gave us our direction, it kind of described what we was feeling. The whole industry gotta back the fuck up. Das EFX gotta back the fuck up, Naughty By Nature gotta back the fuck up, Cypress Hill gotta back the fuck up"
Spelling of "Bacdafucup" as well as "United States Ghetto" was made up by Suave (also known as Sonny Seeza). In 2016, FreshPaintNYC revisiting the place of filming "Bacdafucup": Shinbone Alley south,
NoHo, Manhattan NoHo, short for "North of Houston Street" (as contrasted with SoHo), is a primarily residential neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded by Mercer Street to the west, the Bowery to the east, 9th Street to the north, an ...
,
NYC New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive wit ...
.


Lyrics

Every song on ''Bacdafucup'' explains an aspect of life for these self-proclaimed Afficial Nastee Niguz. The first single, "Throw Ya Gunz", signifies the Jamaican tradition of a gun salute as a show of respect to the men on the mic ("buc buc like ya just don't care"). "USG", standing for United States Ghetto, stresses their belief that no matter what city you go to, you'll find all ghettos in this country are similar. Onyx talk about the difficulties you face when you live in the ghetto.
"...We was talking about the life of "United Statez Ghetto" ("U.S.G."), the hardship of the ghetto. We was speaking for the ghetto. It wasn't just about sticking people up (*robbing people) because that's what people doing in the ghetto, this is one part of this."
On another choice selection, Onyx modifies the old childhood jingle "London Bridge" to "Nigga bridges falling down". "Bichasbootleguz" bluntly describes Onyx's attitude towards the bootleg industry. "Stik 'n Move" is on its way to becoming the stick up kids' national anthem. "Atak of Da Bal-Hedz" pretty much sums up Onyx's method-behind-the-madness - get charged and wreck shit wide open. Onyx used to change the spelling of words. For example, they had a song called "Phat ('N' All Dat)".
Sticky Fingaz Kirk Jones (born November 3, 1973), better known by his stage name Sticky Fingaz, is an American rapper, record producer and actor best known as a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Sticky Fingaz was discovered by Jam Master Ja ...
invented the word "phat".
Russell Simmons Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has p ...
took the word and made a clothing line
Phat Farm Russell Wendell Simmons (born October 4, 1957) is an American entrepreneur, writer and record executive. He co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, and created the clothing fashion lines Phat Farm, Argyleculture, and Tantris. He has pro ...
around it. The album contains a huge amount of profanity, which in itself prevented to playing the songs on the air of various radio stations. However, the song "Slam" sounded literally from everywhere, and a video for it, released 5 days earlier, was broadcast on all cable channels, including BET and MTV.


Album cover

Sticky Fingaz Kirk Jones (born November 3, 1973), better known by his stage name Sticky Fingaz, is an American rapper, record producer and actor best known as a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Sticky Fingaz was discovered by Jam Master Ja ...
came up with the idea to use
Plexiglas Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bra ...
for the album cover and for the video for "Throw Ya Gunz". The group members stood on Plexiglas while the photographer, Gary Spector, took the pictures. Sticky wanted people to see the group from under their shoes.


Singles

Four singles were released from this album: "Throw Ya Gunz", "Slam", "Shifftee" and "Da Nex Niguz"/"Da Nex DingDong" The first single, "
Throw Ya Gunz "Throw Ya Gunz" is the first single by American hip hop group Onyx from their debut album, '' Bacdafucup''. It was released on November 27, 1992, by JMJ, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings. Produced by Jam Master Jay, Chylow Parker, an ...
" was released, November 27, 1992. The song signifies the Jamaican tradition of a gun salute as a show of respect to the men on the mic. Produced by Chylow Parker, "Throw Ya Gunz" was a success and made it to four ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts, including #1 on the
Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...
for two weeks. The song achieved even greater success in the UK, where it peaked at #34 on the UK Top 40 in 1993. The song was used as a promo for the 18th season of the American
animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
. The song was sampled by more than 50 rap artists including
Jeru The Damaja Kendrick Jeru Davis (born February 14, 1971), known as Jeru the Damaja (/'jeiru: ðə ˈdæmɪʤə ''JAY''-roo thuh ''DAM''- ''ih''-juh), is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his 1993 single " Come Clean" from his debut al ...
,
The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...
,
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
,
Vinnie Paz Vincenzo Luviner ( Luvineri born October 5, 1977), better known as Vinnie Paz (formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram), is an Italian-born American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He ...
and
A$AP Mob ASAP Mob (stylized as A$AP Mob) is an American hip-hop collective formed in 2006 in Harlem, New York City, that consists of rappers (most of whom carry the "ASAP" moniker; except Da$H and Playboi Carti), record producers, music video directors ...
. The second single, "
Slam Slam, SLAM or SLAMS may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional elements * S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine), a fictional weapon in the ''G.I. Joe'' universe * SLAMS (Space-Land-Air Missile Shield), a fictional anti-ball ...
" was released, May 11, 1993. The song introduced
slamdancing Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other. Taking place in an area called the mosh pit (or simply the pit), it is typically performed to aggressive st ...
into hip-hop. "Slam" was Onyx's breakthrough single, making it to number 4 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the group's second straight single to make it to number 1 on the
Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...
for two weeks. The single was first
certified Gold Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
on July 7, 1993, before being certified Platinum on August 10, 1993. According to
Fredro Starr Fred Lee Scruggs Jr. (born April 18, 1971), better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American rapper and actor best known as a member of the hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay o ...
, for all time was sold about 5 million copies of the single. The song was sampled by more than 25 rap artists including
GZA Gary Eldridge Grice (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and the Genius, is an American rapper. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both the first member in ...
,
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...
,
PMD PMD may refer to: Government and diplomacy * Pakistan Meteorological Department * Performance Management Division, of the Cabinet Office, Government of India * Possible Military Dimensions of a nuclear program (specifically that of Iran) Heal ...
,
Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...
and Krazy Drayz of
Das EFX Das EFX is an American hip hop duo. It consists of emcees Dray (also known as Krazy Drayz, born Andre Weston, September 9, 1970) and Skoob (also known as Books and Boogie Bang, born William "Willie" Hines, November 27, 1970). They named them ...
. The third single, "
Shifftee "Shifftee" is a song by American hip hop group Onyx (hip hop group), Onyx. It was released on August 30, 1993 by JMJ Records, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings as the third single from Onyx's debut album, ''Bacdafucup''. The song was abo ...
" was released, August 30, 1993. The song was about being grimy and having that echo into a myriad of life situations. Produced by
Chyskillz Chylow Parker (July 19, 1969 – February 13, 2018), known by the stage name Chyskillz, was an American record producer, DJ, musician, rapper and a member of multi-platinum hardcore rap group Onyx. Chyskillz was discovered by the late great hip ...
and
Jam Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician, record producer and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC becam ...
, "Shifftee" was not as successful as the first two singles, but it still managed to make to five different ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' charts, peaking at 2 on the
Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio statio ...
. The song was sampled by several rap artists including
Mad Skillz Donnie Shaquan Lewis (born June 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Skillz (or Mad Skillz), is an American rapper. He first became known for his debut album '' From Where???'' (1996), titularly in reference to his origins in Virginia, co ...
,
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...
,
Marco Polo Marco Polo (; ; ; 8 January 1324) was a Republic of Venice, Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known a ...
and
Noreaga Victor James Santiago Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his stage names N.O.R.E. (an acronym for Nigga On the Run Eating) and Noreaga, is an American rapper, singer and podcaster. Santiago first rose to prominence as one half of th ...
. The fourth single, "Da Nex Niguz"/"Da Nex DingDong" was released, November 14, 1993. It was accompanied by the release of a video on it.


25th anniversary

Several different media have written articles dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the release of the album. Sha Be Allah of
The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
said "Onyx made their claim to fame with their trademark “mad face”, bald heads and all black everything. Many copycats came after these guys, but their mark on the game is definitely unparalleled. Salute to Fredro, Sticky, Seez, and a big RIP to DS." Paul Meara of ''AmbrosiaForHeads'' said "Leading up to the Bacdafucup‘s March 30 drop was their single “Throw Ya Guns,” released in November 1992. It exemplified ONYX's violent and menacing musical style and became a precursor to perhaps the group's most famous single ever in “Slam,” which eventually would make it all the way to #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart." Vin Rican, the author of the program "Wax Only", which appears on the YouTube channel of LA radio station
KPWR KPWR (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Alex Meruelo's Meruelo Group, t ...
, made a mix composed of the drums used to create the album ''Bacdafucup''.
Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
,
NYC New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive wit ...
videographer Olise Forel made a hip-hop cover animation.


Appearance in movies and on television

* "Slam" has been used in movies such as ''
How High ''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film directed by Jesse Dylan in his feature film directorial debut and written by Dustin Lee Abraham. In the film, Method Man and Redman portray two cannabis users who are visited by the ghost ...
'' and TV shows such as ''
The Cleveland Show ''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry (voice actor), Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A Spin-off (media), spin-off of ''Family Guy'', and the second television ...
'', ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It i ...
'' and ''
Lip Sync Battle ''Lip Sync Battle'' is an American musical reality competition television series that premiered on April 2, 2015, on the American cable network Spike, later known as Paramount Network. The show is based on an idea by Stephen Merchant and John ...
''. * Five songs from ''Bacdafucup'' were included in
Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor, filmmaker, and activist. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Best Actor Award at the ...
's
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
drama ''
Strapped ''Strapped'' is a 1993 American television crime drama film produced by HBO Showcase. The film was directed by Forest Whitaker and is the cinematic debut of Bokeem Woodbine. It features several rappers including Fredro Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Mo ...
'': "Throw Ya Gunz", "Bichasniguz", "Nigga Bridges", "Bacdafucup", "Attack of da Bal-Hedz".


Critical response

''Bacdafucup'' was met with generally positive reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' wrote: "Four baldheads from Queens, N.Y., with Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. co-producing, these menaces crank up monolithic old-school noise, thick as a brick and iceberg cold." James Bernard of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' rated the album an A−, saying "...bare-knuckles hip-hop featuring raw beats and four manic MCs competing for center stage. Onyx's confrontational attitude is so over-the-top that its enthusiasm becomes infectious..." (''Entertainment Weekly'' magazine, Issue No. 165 – April 9, 1993, p. 54). Ghetto Communicator of ''
The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
'' gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "...an extremely dope vision of ugliness that is not for the sensitive....the lyrical chemistry between Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr combined with the phat production work of Chyskills (Large Professor's old school homey) and Kool Tee blows shit into orbit and leaves you open for more..." (''The Source'' magazine, Issue #42 - March, 1993, p. 79). ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' said "...'Move back, muthafuckas! The Onyx is here!'...When the gentlemen of Onyx beseech this of you, it would be within your best interest to heed their desires and indeed withdraw as requested ...Onyx raps it hard like it is..." (''Spin'' magazine June, 1993, p. 18). Gil Griffin of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' said that Onyx's lyrics about beat-downs, stickups and gun-toting may be more real than fantasy. Steve 'Flash' Juon of ''RapReviews'' gave the album eight out of ten, saying "For the most part, the plusses on this album are many for fans of hardcore rap, with Sticky Fingaz providing the needed comic relief if and when things get too serious. Other than the six unnecessary skits and a couple of throwaway songs that don't hold up to the high standard the group themselves set, "Bacdafucup" is a solid debut album for Onyx from beginning to finish." Deedub of ''Time Is Illmatic'' said "Jam Master Jay insisting that Sticky Fingaz be added to Onyx. There is no question that the self-proclaimed “mad author of anguish” is the chief emcee and carries the lyrical load throughout BacDaFucUp. Led by Sticky, Onyx's animated hyper-energy and horrorgangster rhymes mixed with quality and consistently dark production, make BacDaFucUp an overall solid album and very entertaining listen".


Accolades

In 1998, ''
The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
'' selected the album as one of "100 Best Albums". In 1999, '' Ego Trip''s editors ranked album in their list "Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1993" in ''Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists''. In 2010, ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' put the album in their list "Do It Again: When Rappers Redo Their Album Covers". In 2012, ''Complex'' put the album in their list "The 50 Best Rap Album Titles Ever". In 2013, ''
Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
'' put the album in their list "The 50 Best Rap Albums from 1993".


Track listing


Leftover tracks

* "Exercise" (1991) * "Here 'N' Now" (demo) (1991) * "Bacup" (radio edit for "Bacdafucup") (1991) * "United States Ghetto" (The U.S.G.) (Prod. by Chyskillz & Jam Master Jay) (1992) * "Wake Up Dead, Nigga" (a.k.a. Throw Ya Gunz) (feat. Tek-9) - Version 1 (with different chorus at the beginning) (1992) * "Wake Up Dead, Nigga" (a.k.a. Throw Ya Gunz) (feat. Tek-9) - Version 2 (1992) * "Stik 'N' Muve" (original version) (1991)


Personnel

* Onyx - performer, vocals * Fredro Starr - performer, vocals * Sticky Fingaz - performer, vocals * Suave - performer, vocals * Big DS - performer, vocals * Jam Master Jay - executive producer, producer * Randy Allen - executive producer, * Chyskillz - producer * Jeff Harris - producer * Jeff Trotter - A&R executive /editing / mastering * Tony Dawsey - mastering


Awards and nominations

In 1994 the album was nominated as "Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist" on
American Music Awards of 1994 The 21st Annual American Music Awards were held on February 7, 1994, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1993. Whitney Houston was the big winner of the nig ...
and won "Best Rap Album" on
1994 Soul Train Music Awards The 1994 Soul Train Music Awards were held on Tuesday, March 15, 1994, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The show was hosted by Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Johnny Gill. Special awards Heritage Award for Career Achievement ...
.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References


External links


Bacdafucup at RapGeniusBacdafucup at Discogs
* * * * * * {{Authority control Onyx (group) albums 1993 debut albums JMJ Records albums Columbia Records albums Albums produced by Jam Master Jay