"Slam" is a song by American hip hop group

Onyx Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...

. It was released on May 11, 1993 by

JMJ Records JMJ Records is an American record label which was founded in 1989 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 the legendary Jam Master Jay. The label re ...

and

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, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

as the second single from Onyx's debut album, ''

Bacdafucup ''Bacdafucup'' is the debut album by American hip hop group Onyx, released on March 30, 1993 by JMJ Records, Rush Associated Labels and Chaos Recordings. The album was produced by Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay and Kool Tee. ''Bacdafucup'' peaked at ...

''. 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, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...

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 stat ...

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 group member

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 of ...

, the song has sold about 5 million copies. 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 and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

, PMD,

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...

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 the ...

. The song has been used in movies such as ''

How High ''How High'' is a 2001 American stoner comedy film starring Method Man and Redman, written by Dustin Lee Abraham, and director Jesse Dylan's debut feature film. In the film, Redman and Method Man portray two cannabis users who are visited by ...

'' and television 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'', the series centers on Cle ...

'', ''

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh in ...

'' 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 K ...

'' as well as numerous commercials, including

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

SoBe SoBe (stylized as ) is an American brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the ...

and

Gatorade Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was first develope ...

. The song was included in the soundtrack for a basketball

simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

NBA 2K18 ''NBA 2K18'' is a 2017 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the 19th installment in the ''NBA 2K'' franchise, the successor to ''NBA 2K17'', and the predecessor to '' NBA 2K19''. It was ...

. It was also included in the baseball

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

MLB The Show 21. and in the

Saints Row (2022 video game) ''Saints Row'' is an action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by Deep Silver. It is a reboot of the ''Saints Row'' series, and the fifth main installment, following 2013's ''Saints Row IV''. It was released on August 23, 2022 ...

on the radio station The Cipher 99.5 FM. In 2013, the song was re-recorded by Onyx, and released on a compilation album ''Urban Classics of the 80's 90's & 2000's''.

Recording

By the time the album was done, Jam Master Jay decided Onyx didn't have its hit single yet. He sent them back into the studio. "Slam" was the last song recorded for the album and was created in the studio in 7 days.

"...We needed to make a song that was just as aggressive, or more aggressive, but can play on the radio", says Sticky. "We spent the whole week in the studio, and that's how 'Slam' was created."

Def Jam knew they were on to something when they released Onyx's "Slam" single.

"...We needed something that we could kill them with, but dominate radio", recalls Sticky Fingaz. "That's when we made 'Slam', which was just as hard s 'Throw Ya Gunz' but more adio-friendly and it had a concept to it."

The song was created under the influence of the

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo. ...

's video for "

Smells Like Teen Spirit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, ''Nevermind'' (1991), released on DGC Records. The unexpected success of the song propelled ''Neve ...

". The melody was inspired by

The Mohawks William Alan Hawkshaw (27 March 1937 – 16 October 2021) was a British composer and performer, particularly of library music used as themes for movies and television programs. Hawkshaw worked extensively for the KPM production music company ...

's song " The Champ". "Slam" introduced

into hip-hop, which previously could be seen in the crowd only at rock concerts.

"...We wanted to bring slam dancing to rap", says Fredro Starr. "Believe it or not, Nirvana was a big influence on us. Red Hot Chili Peppers too. When we was writing the album, irvana's'Smells Like Teen Spirit' would come on all the time n MTVand they had slam dancing in that video. So that kind of triggered that. Run-DMC did the rock thing before, but nobody brought slam dancing until us. We took it to another level."

Radio

As of May 28, 1993, "Slam" was played on 21 radio stations, including early requests at

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...

. Hip hop editor Dart Adams remembered the first appearance of the song on the radio and video rotation: "Slam''' ''aired on both MTV and BET, it was extremely radio friendly and it dropped right around the time of the 1993 NBA Playoffs. The NBA began playing it in arenas and even added it to their new promotional campaign. Next thing you knew, Onyx had their second number 1 Rap single that reached number 4 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and earned them a Platinum plaque from the RIAA.''"

Funkmaster Flex Aston George Taylor Jr. (born August 5, 1968), professionally known as Funkmaster Flex, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer, and host on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. In 1992, he became host of the first hip hop radio show on Hot ...

was one of the first djs who played "Slam" on his show ''Friday Night Street Jam'' on station

. The song also played on ''The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show'' before the single was officially released. The single helped the group's debut album ''

'' go

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

in 1993.

Music video

The music video was directed by Parris Mayhew, known in the past as guitarist and songwriter of

Cro-Mags Cro-Mags are an American hardcore punk band from New York City. The band, which has a strong cult following, has released six studio albums, with the first two considered the most influential. With a Hare Krishna background, they were among t ...

Drew Stone Drew Stone is an American film director, producer, film editor, author and musician. His works include music videos, commercials, documentary films and television. He played an active role in the early stages of the New York hardcore and Boston ...

's production company ''Stone Films NYC'' was a producer of this video. The video was filmed on Broadway Stages (Queens, NYC) and

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate ...

in February 1993, and was premiered on The BOX on March 25, 1993.

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. Simmons ...

Run-DMC Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history o ...

Boss Boss may refer to: Occupations * Supervisor, often referred to as boss * Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier * Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization * Fire boss, a p ...

Flatlinerz Flatlinerz is a horrorcore group from New York City. They are responsible for introducing the term "horrorcore" with their 1994 release '' U.S.A. (Under Satan's Authority)''.Biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...

had a cameo appearance in the video. The music video begins with the band surrounded by a crowd that is jumping up and down. Onyx performs the song outside, in a warehouse, and as they crowd surf. The video showed slamdancing,

moshing Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dance, dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal music, heavy metal and punk rock ...

crowd surfing Crowd surfing is the process in which a person is passed overhead from person to person (often during a concert), transferring the person from one part of the venue to another. The "crowd surfer" is passed above everyone's heads, with everyone's ...

. The video hit

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

right when the channel had also begun to play harder rap. Patti Galuzzi was MTV's director of music programming: ''And we did play it in heavy rotation. It was something like number 13 in the top 100 of 1993, which is huge.'' The music video was #1 on

MTV's Most Wanted ''MTV's Most Wanted'' is a television series on MTV Europe which was broadcast from 1992 to 1995, based in London, England. It was presented by Ray Cokes. The series was broadcast live from MTV Studios in Camden and featured blends of viewer int ...

for 4 months and hit #1 on MTV's ''Weekly Countdown'' in 1993. As of 28 May 1993, the music video "Slam" was played on MTV 3 weeks in active rotation, was in top 10 requests and was #9 most played video. The video can be found on the 2008's DVD ''Onyx: 15 Years Of Videos, History And Violence'' and on the 2000s DVD ''And Ya Don't Stop: Hip Hop's Greatest Videos, Vol. 1''.

"Slam" (Bionyx remix)

Lyor Cohen Lyor Cohen born October 3, 1959) is an American record executive and entrepreneur. Cohen has been actively involved in hip hop at various record labels for more than 30 years. He started by managing rappers for Rush Productions, then led Def J ...

came up with an idea to do a cover version of "Slam". An official remix entitled "Slam (Bionyx Remix)" was a collaboration with heavy metal band

Biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A bioh ...

. This

rap rock Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, res ...

version was released as a maxi-single entitled "Slam: The Alternatives" on June 22, 1993. In May 1993, Parris Mayhew shot the third video for Onyx, for the song "Slam (Bionyx Remix)".

's ''Stone Films NYC'' produced the video again. The video was filmed at The Academy, NYC. Redman,

Danny Diablo Dan Singer (born December 20, 1971), known professionally as Danny Diablo a.k.a. Lord Ezec, is an American hardcore punk and hip hop vocalist. He is a current member of underground hip hop acts The ShotBlockers, KAOS 13 and FTW, and a foundin ...

Madball Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother F ...

, and 25 ta Life make appearances in the video. The video for the song "Slam (Bionyx Remix)" was used in an American

animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of the sitcom that is animated instead of live action and is generally made or created for adult audiences in most cases. ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''The Simpsons'', '' South Park'', and ''Family Guy'' are four of ...

Beavis and Butthead ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...

'' in the 1993 episode "Buff 'N' Stuff". This

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was t ...

helped the main single "Slam" go

on August 10, 1993. Onyx saved

Def Jam 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, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

thanks to the successfully sold singles "Slam" and "Slam: The Alternatives" and debut album ''Bacdafucup''.

"...'Slam' was already platinum, then we did it with Biohazard, and it's double platinum.", says Sticky Fingaz. "We saved Def Jam, actually. We sold two million singles, and we sold two million albums."

Performance on television

* The song was performed live by Onyx on ''

Yo! MTV Raps ''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Dough ...

'' "Live Fridays" in March, 1993. * Onyx featured with "Slam" on the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

In Living Color ''In Living Color'' is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in ...

'' on May 9, 1993. * Onyx performed the song live on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, 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 ba ...

's ''Rosie Perez presents Society's Ride'' aired on May 14, 1993. * "Slam" was performed live by Onyx on a

late-night talk show A late-night talk show is a genre of talk show popular in the United States, where the format originated. It is generally structured around humorous monologues about the day's news, guest interviews, comedy sketches and music performances. It i ...

The Arsenio Hall Show ''The Arsenio Hall Show'' is an American syndicated late-night talk show created by and starring comedian Arsenio Hall. There have been two different incarnations of ''The Arsenio Hall Show''. The original series premiered on January 3, 1989, a ...

'' aired on June 3, 1993. * "Slam" was performed live by Onyx via Pay-Per-View Cable TV on

's ''Phat Jam'' at The Academy Theatre, NYC on June 18, 1993. * Onyx performed the song live on a

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

music television show ''

It's Showtime at the Apollo English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal verbs and a few others. Although definitions vary, as generally conceived an auxiliary lacks inherent semantic meaning but instead modifies the meaning of an ...

'' aired on November 6, 1993. * The song was performed live on an American music-dance television program ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series ...

'' at stage 30 at the

Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldes ...

aired on December 11, 1993. * Onyx performed the song live 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 California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million reside ...

'' aired in national

television syndication Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...

on March 15, 1994. At this ceremony the group won "Best Rap Album" for ''

''. * Onyx performed "Slam" live at

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communic ...

's ''

Hip Hop Honors The Hip Hop Honors is an annual event that airs on VH1. The television special honors old school and golden age hip hop rappers and contributors for their long-term influence and importance in the history of hip hop culture. It features live pe ...

'' 2009 on September 23, 2009. * The song was performed live by Onyx on the concert '' Yo! MTV Raps: 30th Anniversary Experience'' at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on June 1, 2018. MTV streamed live the concert on its website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. * The song was performed live on a Russian

'' Evening Urgant'' hosted by

Ivan Urgant Ivan Andreyevich Urgant (russian: Ива́н Андре́евич У́ргант; born 16 April 1978) is a Russian television host, presenter, actor, musician and producer. His best known roles in film are Boris in the '' Yolki'' series and as Dan ...

on Channel One on February 19, 2020.

Appearances

Appearance on television

* In 1993, the video for the song "Slam (Bionyx Remix)" was used in an American

'', episode ''Buff 'N' Stuff'' aired on

on October 14, 1993. * In 1994,

Toby Huss Tobias Huss (born December 9, 1966) is an American actor, known for portraying Artie in the Nickelodeon series '' The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' (1993–1996). He is also known for his voice-over work on the long-running animated series ''King of ...

covering "Slam" as Frank Sinatra as part of a series of

bumpers ''MTV Keeps You Plugged In''. * In 1994, the song been used by Professional Wrestling tag team

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

. Including in the event

Hardcore Heaven (1994) Hardcore Heaven (1994) was the first Hardcore Heaven event. It was promoted by Eastern Championship Wrestling on August 13, 1994 in the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. Nine professional wrestling matches were co ...

during the fight between

The Public Enemy ''The Public Enemy'' (''Enemies of the Public'' in the UK) is a 1931 American talkie, all-talking Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code gangster film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by William A. Wellman and stars James Ca ...

(

Rocco Rock Theodore James Petty (September 1, 1953 – September 21, 2002) was an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Flyboy" Rocco Rock. Rock is best known for his appearances in Eastern Championship Wrestling / Extreme Champio ...

and

Johnny Grunge Michael Lynn Durham (July 10, 1966 – February 16, 2006) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Johnny Grunge. He is known for his appearances with Eastern/Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrest ...

) and

The Bad Breed The Bad Breed was the professional wrestling tag team of Axl Rotten with his storyline brother/real life protégé Ian Rotten. The team achieved their greatest fame in the Philadelphia professional wrestling promotion Extreme Championship Wrestlin ...

(

Axl Rotten Brian Knighton (April 21, 1971 – February 4, 2016), better known by the ring name Axl Rotten, was an American professional wrestler. In the early 1990s, he was a part of the tag team The Bad Breed with Ian Rotten. He had a short stint with Wo ...

and

Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestlin ...

). * In 1995, "Slam" appeared on the

's show ''

Superock ''Superock'' was a music television show that focused on rock music, heavy metal music, alternative rock and alternative rap. History ''Superock'' first aired on MTV in the US on February 18, 1995 and it replaced the long running ''Headbangers ...

''. * In 2007,

Sebastian Bach Sebastian Philip Bierk (born April 3, 1968), known professionally as Sebastian Bach, is a Canadian-American singer who achieved mainstream success as the frontman of the hard rock band Skid Row from 1987 to 1996. He has acted on Broadway and ...

covered this song on the eighth and final episode of MTV's new weekly competition show '' Celebrity Rap Superstar''. * In 2011, the song appeared in an American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...

clip show A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicte ...

'' Ridiculousness'', episode ''Biker Fox'' aired on MTV on November 14, 2011. * In 2013, "Slam" was featured in an American

adult An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a "minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of ...

'', episode ''Mr. & Mrs. Brown'' * In 2015, "Slam" was featured in an American

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

television

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

Brooklyn Nine-Nine ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural Television comedy, comedy television series that aired on Fox Television Network, Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight ...

'', episode ''Yippie Kayak''. * In 2016,

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The Ton ...

singing along to song "Slam" on ''

'' in the battle against the actor

Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part ...

in the category ''Lip Sync Battle''. * In 2016,

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning s ...

performed "Slam" on

Spike TV Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was ...

's ''

'' vs.

Olivia Munn Lisa Olivia Munn (born July 3, 1980) is an American actress and former television host. After an internship at a news station in Tulsa, she moved to Los Angeles where she began her professional career as a television host for the gaming network ...

. * In 2016, "Slam" was played on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reage ...

's TV show '' Танцы'' aired on December 17, 2016.

Appearance in movies

* In 2001, "Slam" was featured in the movie ''

'', but was not included in the official soundtrack. * In 2013, "Slam" appeared in Capital Distruct, the movie by Seasons about skateboarding. * In 2015, "Slam" was featured in an American comedy-drama '' Dope''. * In 2017, re-recorded version of "Slam" was included in the soundtrack for Cleopatra Entertainment's movie ''Devil's Domain''. * In 2017, "Slam" was featured in the

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

Fist Fight Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

''.

Appearance in video games

* In 2010, "Slam" was included a rapping game ''

Def Jam Rapstar ''Def Jam Rapstar'' is a music video game based on rapping, developed by 4mm Games and Terminal Reality. It was released on October 5, 2010 in North America and on November 26, 2010 in Europe.(2010-11-26"MAKE THE WORLD YOUR STAGE WITH DEF JAM RAP ...

''. * In 2012, "Slam" was included in a

rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to pr ...

NBA Baller Beats ''NBA Baller Beats'' is a rhythm game developed by HB Studios and released by Majesco Entertainment on the Xbox 360 for use with the Kinect motion sensing controller. Unlike most rhythm games that revolve around dancing or playing musical instrum ...

''. * In 2017, "Slam" was included in the soundtrack for a basketball

''. *In 2021, "Slam was included in the soundtrack of " MLB The Show 21" *In 2022. "Slam was featured in the

on the fictional radio station The Cipher 99.5 FM.

Appearance in a commercial

* In 2002, "Slam" was featured in the commercial

. * In 2006, the song appeared in

commercial starring

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played po ...

. * In 2011, the song was used as advertisement for

's documentary The Fab 5 about the 1991 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team " The Fab 5". * In March 2014, the song played in the Gatorade Fierce commercial with NBA Star

Paul George Paul Clifton Anthony George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is a seven-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of th ...

from

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first est ...

Accolades

In 1993,

The Source ''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the maga ...

described the song as a song that introduce

into hip-hop, saying ''With this one, Onyx is set to introduce the art of slam dancing to the youth of Black America. Crashing Into each other and passing the mic back and forth, the hard heads attack the track's sparse bass and drum sounds with a frenzied level of energy that picks up right where “Gunz" Ieft off. The lyrics are hard and foul, and the shout-along chorus demands that "B-boys make noise.'' In 1993,

The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: Film * ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face'' * ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film * ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antoni ...

put the song in their list ''Recordings Of The Year 1993''. In 1994,

placed the song's music video in their list ''MTV Top 100 Videos of 1993''. In 1994,

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

placed the song in their list ''Top 5 Hip-Hop Chants Of '93''. In 1999, Ego Trip's editors ranked the song in their list ''Hip Hop's 40 Greatest Singles by Year 1993'' in ''Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists''. In 2005, Bruce Pollock put the song in his book ''The Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs of the Rock and Roll Era, 1944-2000''. In 2011, XXL placed the song in their list ''Top 250 Rap Songs of the '90s''. In 2013,

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 song's music video in their list ''The 50 Best Rap Videos of the '90s''. In 2013,

placed the song in their list ''25 Rap Songs That Make Us Want To Punch Someone In the Face''. In 2014, XXL listed the song in their list ''40 Years of Hip-Hop: Top 5 Singles by Year''. In 2014, the British newspaper ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' placed the song in their list ''Def Jam: 10 of the best''. In 2015,

placed the song in their list ''The 100 Best New York City Rap Songs''. In 2015, a free online men's

web portal A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displa ...

AskMen AskMen is a free online men's web portal, with international versions in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is owned by Ziff Davis and operates through the IGN Entertainment unit. History AskMen was ...

put the song in their list ''50 The Best 90s Summer Songs''. In 2016, XXL placed the song in their list ''20 of the Best Hip-Hop Workout Songs''. In 2017,

placed Biohazard & Onyx "Slam (Bionyx Remix)" in their list ''The Best Rap-Rock Songs''. In 2018, the music blog ''Riffs & Rhymes'' placed the song on its list ''20 Badass Baseball Walk Up Songs''. In 2019, LiveAbout.com put the song at number 13 on its list ''25 Rap Songs to Get You Pumped Up''. In 2020, LiveAbout.com placed the song at number 14 on its list of ''The 40 Best Hip-Hop Workout Songs''.

Track listing

A-Side

#"Slam"- 3:36 #"Slam" (Instrumental)- 3:36

B-Side

#"Da Nex Niguz"- 4:05 #"Da Nex Niguz" (Instrumental)- 4:05

Slam: The Alternatives

#"Slam" (Bionyx remix) - 3:41 #"Slam" (Industrial Strength Remix) - 3:35 #"Slam" (LP Version) - 3:39 #"Slam" (Nuclear Waste Industrial Mix) - 3:35 #"Slam" (Glow In The Dark Frustration Mix) - 3:27 #"Slam" (Funkymix) - 6:13

Personnel

* Onyx - lead performer, vocals * Fredro Starr - performer, vocals * Sticky Fingaz - performer, vocals * Suave - performer, vocals, congo * Big DS - performer, vocals, backing vocals * Jam Master Jay - producer * Chyskillz - producer * Kool Tee - producer * Tony Dawsey - mastering * Rich July - engineer * Troy Hightower - engineer * Norman Bullard - assistant engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Slam at RapGenius

Slam at Discogs

Slam by Rap Critic
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slam (Onyx Song) 1992 songs 1993 singles Onyx (group) songs JMJ Records singles Def Jam Recordings singles