Happy 25th Anniversary to Onyx’s third studio album Shut ‘Em Down, originally released June 2, 1998.
Onyx found themselves in a strange position in the late 1990s. Comprised of Fred “Fredro Starr” Scruggs, Kirk “Sticky Fingaz” Jones, and Tyrone “Sonny Seeza” Taylor, the crew had been surprising breakout stars during the early-to-mid part of the decade, creating an aesthetic built on grimy imagery, aggressive delivery, and evocative production. But by 1998, they were seeking a way to find a way to successfully move forward with their label, Def Jam.
Onyx earned their acclaim without making blatant pop overtures. The Queens-based group had gone platinum with their debut Bacdafucup (1993). Their first single “Throw Ya Gunz” became a rugged hip-hop anthem, while their second single “Slam” became a massive crossover smash. All We Got Iz Us (1995), the group’s second release, didn’t find as broad of acceptance, but it was a creative masterpiece. To this day, it’s still considered a fan favorite.
However, even though Onyx excelled during this period, Def Jam lacked cohesive direction, traversing hip-hop’s changing landscape during the second decade of the imprint’s existence by making numerous missteps. Yes, the definitive hip-hop “brand” still had cornerstone artists like LL Cool J, along with success stories in the form of Warren G, Method Man, and Foxy Brown, but there were also unfortunate detours. “Horror-core” crew The Flatlinerz are now a punchline, while many of the label’s dalliances into gangsta rap and R&B provided a good deal of bargain-bin fodder.
By the late 1990s, the label was finding its footing and starting to chart its course into the 2000s, even as the Great Label Merger loomed large. Def Jam hitched its wagons to DMX, Jay-Z, and Ja Rule, who would all go on to sell millions of records and define mainstream hip-hop success during this new era. Amidst this, Onyx recorded Shut ’Em Down, released a quarter of a century ago. The project is an entertaining endeavor, and one the demonstrates the group’s adaptability, while still maintaining its core values as artists.
Lyrically, the Afficial Nastee collective are still on the ball. Fredro and Sticky Fingaz are as confrontational as ever, while Seeza utilizes a more restrained approach. The group also brought X-1, Sticky Fingaz’s brother, into the fold, as he appears on a sizable portion of the album. He’s a steady lyrical hand and gives the album some solid variety.
The production on Shut ’Em Down differs from their earlier releases. The majority of the beats for Bacdafucup were handled by Chyskillz, famously crafting “evil” jazz-loop based tracks. As mentioned earlier, Fredro Starr worked behind the boards for nearly all of All We Got Iz Us, putting together a grim and stark soundscape. In the days preceding the release of All We Got Iz Us, Billboard reported that Chyskillz was already preparing production for the group’s planned third album. The recording process took place over a few years, and the album’s release was delayed multiple times. Ultimately the group went in a different direction, as Chyskillz is nowhere to be found on Shut ‘Em Down.
Onyx ended up employing a wide array of beat-makers to create the sound for Shut ‘Em Down. Some, like Self, were in-house producers for Def Jam. Others, like DJ Scratch, were already known in the industry, but were taking some of their earliest opportunities to branch out as producers. Onyx works well with everyone involved, resulting in an overall sound that’s different than their previous two releases, but still feels true to the group’s sinister spirit.
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The album-opening “Raze It Up” comes as close to replicating the sound and feel of Bacdacfucup as anything on Shut ’Em Down. The three core members of the group explode with energy, unleashing furious verses over a brief piano sample. It’s ideal slam-dancing music and shows off the bat that the group hadn’t lost a step during its time off.
With “Shut ’Em Down,” the album’s second single, the group worked to create a late-1990s approximation of “Throw Ya Gunz.” On the enjoyable high-octane track with the crew delivering their verses over a sped-up string sample. Kindred hip-hop spirit DMX, who released his debut weeks earlier, makes an appropriately amped appearance, further cementing his ascendancy. After completing some complicated verbal gymnastics, Sticky Fingaz erupts with the boisterous energy he’s notorious for delivering. “In the morgue, admit it dogs: I’m the Rottweiler, my Glock holla,” he asserts. “Fuck cocaine, killa, I sniff gunpowder.”
Onyx has always excelled at portraying the lives of inner-cities residents consumed by desperation, pushed to their limits by their surroundings, until violence seems like the only viable option for survival. The group is at its best when they channel the inherent bleakness of these situations. Sticky teams with X-1 to portray a pair of small-time crooks with an itch for cash on “Rob & Vic” (Onyx has never been big on subtlety). As they scrape their way to the top, “Rob”/Sticky is increasingly consumed by paranoia and greed, leading to an inevitably tragic end. “Conspiracy” covers similarly dire territory, with the group and guest emcee Clay the Raider each describing their pursuit of material wealth through illegal means, often narrating their own demises.
Songs like “Face Down” and “Black Dust” provide the stark production style of the group’s All We Got Iz Us era. The former, produced by Self Service, features the emcees rapping over a hard-hitting drum track and ascendant keyboard notes. Fredro is particularly ferocious, rapping, “So bring your wildest n***a repping for your team / Tear his ass to his spleen, this is Suicide Queens / Where gats bust, cutthroat, cross collateral/ Gat'll shatter you, feel the pain, it's unimaginable.”
“Fuck Dat” manages to capture the energy of the live studio session, as Onyx is joined by members of their affiliated crews All City and Gang Green. The track feels sweaty and claustrophobic, transporting the listener in the smoke-filled recording booth, with Fredro’s raspy, shouted adlibs giving the song a sense of urgency.
Onyx collaborated with members of the Wu-Tang collective on “The Worst,” the album’s first single. The track originally appeared on the soundtrack to Ride, a long since forgotten Malik Yoba vehicle that featured Fredro and Sticky in supporting roles. Onyx bring in Raekwon, Method Man, and Killarmy-member Killa Sin to drop verses on the track, produced by Latief. Killa Sin has the track’s best verse, as he describes himself as “This terrorist lyricist in the midst of the abyss / Cannabis evangelists, iron palms with metal fists.”
And because Shut ’Em Down was a late 1990s album, there are a few entries designed to get play in the clubs. It’s not like Onyx weren’t already well-versed in creating songs that ended up having broad appeal: the aforementioned “Slam” was one of Def Jam’s most successful singles ever. However, Onyx hadn’t released music designed for the dance floor. And, honestly, they did a good job in making the effort.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to appreciate hip-hop tracks based around samples of dance music tracks. The infectious “React,” the album’s third single, falls into this category, as Onyx and friends wild out over a slightly slowed-down section of Eastside Connection’s “Frisco Disco.” The song is also notable for featuring the first appearance by a young and spry 50 Cent. The fellow Jam Master Jay protégé, still a few years away from surviving an attempt on his life, drops a sturdy eight-bar verse.
“Ghetto Starz” is another extremely enjoyable entry, as Onyx are joined by Mr. Cheeks of Lost Boyz, each delivering breezy verses over a bouncy bassline (adapted from Kurtis Blow’s “X-Mas Rappin’”) and additional guitars. Seeza proclaims, “You wack rap hopefuls, have you nodding like the dope do / Any member of my crew will froze you.” Both this song and “React” were produced by Bud’da, a member of Dr. Dre’s production team, who’d been contributing to the good Doctor’s projects since the initial Aftermath compilation.
“Overshine,” the album’s other bonus track, sounds unlike much of what the group recorded before or since, as the crew’s smoothest track ever. Producer Keith Horne hooks up a loop from the Isley Brothers’ “Here We Go Again,” as all three members deliver verses about motivating themselves to find success through their music. The song shows the group’s versatility as artists and ability to work outside of their comfort zone and still sound dope.
The multi-year recording process led to Onyx recording a lot of unused material. Twenty-five years later, and listeners can find a lot of material originally recorded for Shut ’Em Down out there. Some of it is alternate versions of songs that ended up making the cut, along with other various tracks that didn’t make the cut. Some of them appear on the two volumes of Onyx’s Cold Case Files compilation, others are floating out there in the digital world. All of it is pretty interesting, as it allows you to track hip-hop’s rapidly shifting sensibilities.
Shut ’Em Down would be Onyx’s last album recorded with Def Jam. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA, but after previous successes, Onyx still struggled to maintain its chart dominance. Things ended badly between Onyx and the label. In the book Def Jam Inc., Sticky Fingaz said he felt that the group’s relationship with the label was “broken” and described “throwing a tantrum” while visiting the label’s office, tearing platinum and gold plaques off the wall and throwing objects.
The group then went on hiatus for a while, as Fredro and Sticky pursued more acting jobs, and each recorded solo albums. Over two decades later, and things are going well for the crew. Onyx is one of the more prolific groups that got its start during the 1990s. From the mid-2010s on, they have consistently released quality music. Between March 2022 and May 2023, they’ve dropped four projects, many quite enjoyable.
Shut ’Em Down may have gone relatively under the radar at time, but its stature has only grown over the years. In a 2003 interview with MVRemix, Sticky Fingaz listed it as his favorite of the group’s albums. Its production, lyricism, and subject matter have maintained its power a quarter of a century later. And while Def Jam decided to take the label in a different direction throughout the early ’00s, Shut ’Em Down is better than a good portion of the material that the imprint chose to champion instead. So while some trends come and go, talent and skill endure.
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