In March of that same year, Onyx and The Snowgoons released this collaboration album WakeDaFucUp to critical and commercial success. The album was the bestselling CD on UndergroundHipHop.com for the year and XXL listed it in their "Top 25 albums of 2014" countdown. It's also worth noting that the group had their smallest roster yet with Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz being the only returning members.
The album opens with "WakeDaFucUp Intro" I mostly skip this one considering its just a thirty second snippet of the title track. I can however, understand the motives of putting this opener. It was a good choice for a longer intro and beat drop when you consider the explosive energy that the majority of this record will give you.
Our first real song comes in the form of track two, "Whut Whut". Despite the slower flow from Sticky and Fredro and the sleeker more contemporary drums from Snowgoons, we are quickly reminded of the tone of Onyx and their talent for choruses. It's not the most memorable song we're gonna talk about but, I can bump this and it's fun.
"We Don't Fuckin Care" showcases our first features on the album. This song has one of my favourite beats. Crisp keys and shuffling drums add a great flavour of desolation to each bar that our talent spits. Fredros' chorus has some great spaces for us to really bob our heads and hear the beat. I like Stickys' punchline of "Birth takes nine month but a nine mil you die like that" and the finger snap afterwards. One of my favourite lines to rap along to. A$AP Ferg brings one of the stronger guest verses with diverse flow switch ups and internal rhymes. Sean Price opens his verse with a great shout out to Onyx and The Snowgoons. It's not the best guest verse Sean Price has lent to a Snowgoons project but, he does add another unique flow to this beat. A strong song but not quite up there with my favourites.
"Hustlin' Hours" Is another decent banger. I love the bass line here but aside from that the beat is average in comparison to the rest of the record and it's not the most compelling song in terms of verses either. The pair teams up with Makem Pay to drop some punchlines about trafficking and its energetic enough I just like most of the record more than this one.
"Buc Bac" is one of favourites joints. I love the strings that duck in and out of the beat and the lack of a strong bass line helps emphasize the kicks and snares. It's similar to another song later on in the album called "Hammers On Deck" but one this record they're brandishing guns purely because they enjoy causing chaos. Fredro has some lines here like "I'm disrespectful I know but, fuck you/I know a couple n***** that'll kill you for a buck or two." One of the hardest songs on here I can't rewind it enough.
Our title track still stands out as one of the stronger points on the album. It's commendable to have one of the slower tracks as the lead song of the album. I like that we can hear horrorcore influences across the chorus and into the verses that Dope DOD lends. At the time of recording this album, Onyx had been recruiting international artists to their collective 100 Mad. To choose one of foreign flagship artists to feature on the lead single is a bold move. It's songs like this drive home just how palatable Onyx's sound can be across the world. Queens, The Netherlands and Germany all coming together to prove that not only hip-hop but, underground hip-hop is still viable in other markets. The song itself is grim as Onyx's calls for a course correction away from the "hip-pop" blends that populate the radio stations. There's hard snares, tough lines and a variety of flows from all four MCs. I'd say Skits verse borders on being offensive with some rape references but, there's already so much violence on this album with more to come it doesn't stand out too much. I like Sticky Fingaz verse the most as he's angry but having so much fun at the same time.
Another one of my favourites is "The Tunnel". It's similar to a lot of beats on here as keys and strings support our boom bap drums. Onyx recruits help from Papoose and Cormega in telling their experiences in the infamous Tunnel club in Manhattan. Each emcee lists the atmosphere of the club from it's crime connections and legendary hip-hop figures to the clientele and grit of the club. Every verse describes something different and its as thorough as it is graphic. DJ Danetic also does a great job scratching around our hook.
"The Realest" took awhile to grow on me. Mostly because it's placed between some of my favourite songs and I didn't always play this one all the way through. It's on the shorter side in terms of length and some of the patterns of this album is starting to wear by this point. By track eight there's been lots of piano led boom bap songs and the verses don't jump out at me like they do on other songs. It's listenable but not standout.
I quite enjoy our ninth song "Dirty Cops". I love the perspective here and the hook. "The whole neighbourhood screaming out Dirty Cops". It's a clever way of telling no matter how many street gangs there are and how many hustlers are on the corner that the police remain the most notorious gang. Fredro Starr recalls run ins with the police while Sticky Fingaz warns us of all the schemes police have to arrest the highest amount of people they can. Snak The Ripper finishes up the song ready to fight and refuse cooperation. There's a story tying each verse together and our beat keeps pounding along. Solid track indeed.
"Boom!!" is a great banger. Fredro and Sticky spit some of their better flows on this song. Sticky has some great punchlines like "Fuck your confederate, 20 years later same n**** just a better whip" I love the periodic boom of the bongo (I'm sure it's not a bongo drum but my instrument terminology isn't up to snuff. If you hear the beat you'll know what sound I'm talking about.) There's just a great explosiveness to the lyrics and beat. Love the scratching that closes this record as well.
The last song I didn't feel too much was "Trust No Bitch". The beat here is pretty crazy and even on this song there's something about the hook that I like. The verses and the concept is a little flat for me because it honestly feels like Fredro and Sticky are trying to say bitch as many times as possible. Sticky dropped some line about Southern hip-hop that felt really outdated to me as well.
"One 4 Da Team" is a strong song as well. With the help of Reks, Fredro and Sticky bring great lines about affirming their direction. The three MC's recall the reception of themselves in the media and their journeys through the music industry. All these lyrics are accompanied by one of the more contemplative beats on the record too. It's placed pretty strategically as well because by track twelve you're ready for something slower and more self-examining. This isn't just good because of the contrast it holds to the rest of the album as Onyx has had more thought provoking material in the past. It's just a great combination of the right beat and story being told.
As we get into the final couple of cuts, "Hammers On Deck" is a bit slower but its hard nonetheless. I love the rapid kicks and the beat drop. It's cool to hear Sticky do a hook with a calmer voice. Similar to "Buc Bac" we see Onyx brandishing guns in the way only Onyx can. The song title is always being plugged in each verse and I can see this being great in a live setting.
The album ends with "TurnDaFucUp". This is easily my favourite on the album. No matter the mood I'm in, this one always get me out of my seat. Frantic strings build as Fredro delivers some lines up to the beat drop. On the subject of every hook on this album hitting, "TurnDaFucUp" is no exception. It's commanding and simple like most of our hooks but the energy and ferocity continues into the verses. Even Stickys lines are shriller than normal. Like there's just so much excitement building from this song. Fredro brings more flow and cadence to his verse. I remember seeing this one live in Calgary too and the crowd was going bonkers. Great finish especially when the last few tracks leading up to this were slower. Just in case there wasn't enough bangers they leave you with one more.
By the end of the album you really do feel invested in the energy. There's violence and heart (sometimes at the same time) and the Snowgoons production manages to be masterfully catered to each subject. It's a great working relationship and WakeDaFucUp turned out to be an album that not only hip-hop needed but also the album Onyx and Snowgoons needed in their legacies. There is spots where you find yourself wondering "Gee how angry can these guys be?" but the sequencing only allows for this to happen once or twice.
Pros: WakeDaFucUp still stands as one of the stronger releases that The Snowgoons have been a part of while also stacking up against some of the best releases from Onyx as well. For a comeback album it's everything you'd assume Onyx would sound like in this decade. The hooks all hit, even on my lesser favourites and Snowgoons really lend that raw sound you'd expect.
Cons: I knew what I was getting into with an Onyx album but, fair warning, this album doesn't take any breaks. It's hard and vulgar all the way through. For me that's is good and bad. Also despite the Snowgoons really having a diverse sound in their own discography, they don't always lend the most variety to this album. Lots of eerie pianos and overblown snares can get tiresome. Fredro and Sticky aren't always the most transparent or analytical rappers either. But again. It's an Onyx album you know what you're gonna get.
