Robert Christgau: Dean of American Rock Critics

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Onyx

  • Bacdafucup [JMJ/RAL/Chaos/Columbia, 1993] C+

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Bacdafucup [JMJ/RAL/Chaos/Columbia, 1993]
What the Geto Boys were to the insanity defense, Onyx are to the irony defense. Not that they'd cop to it themselves. They're not honest enough, for one thing. And they're also not smart enough, which doesn't mean they're as dumb as they pretend to be--or dumb in the way they pretend to be, either. The official line is that nobody takes them seriously, or literally, or something--that not only are they obviously not nigga-killing, whitey-robbing, pussy-stretching bad guys, they obviously aren't pretending to be. Instead, if you're still with me, they pretend to pretend, greatly amusing those in the know with the old nigga-in-your-nightmare routine. So for me I guess they're something like Frederick Barthelme. Vulgar fellow that I am, I still prefer my jokes boffo. C+