"Slam" was the second single released from Onyx's debut album, Bacdafucup. Released on May 11, 1993, "Slam" was Onyx's breakthrough single, making it to number 4 on the US Billboard 100 and was the group's second straight single to make it to number 1 on the Rap charts.
The main chant of the song's chorus is a variation of the vocal and organ intro to the much-sampled instrumental "The Champ" by The Mohawks.
The official remix, entitled "Slam (Bionyx remix)" was a collaboration with heavy metal band, Biohazard. It was first released on a maxi-single entitled Slam: The Alternatives and later appeared on Biohazard's Tales from the B-Side. Music videos for both the original and the Bionyx remix were released
The single was first certified gold on July 7, 1993, before being certified platinum on August 10, 1993. It sold over 900,000 copies.
The ship was built in 1924 as Janey III by Consolidated Shipbuilding Corp. of Morris Heights, New York, and was subsequently renamed Rene and Pegasus.
Purchased by the Navy on 3 December 1940 from Clifford C. Hemphill, of New York City, converted to Navy use and named Onyx, she was classified as a coastal yacht on 13 December 1940, and commissioned on 27 February 1941.
Service history
After conversion she departed New York for Norfolk, arriving on 22 March. Sailing again, she reached New Orleans on 5 April to report for duty to Commandant 8th Naval District. Onyx performed services for ComEight as a coastal patrol vessel around the Gulf area until January 1942. On 22 January she departed Key West, Florida to return to New York and arrived there on 31 January.
Onyx was again ordered to report to the 8th Naval District at New Orleans and was underway by 13 March, arriving on 27 March. She resumed services and continued in this capacity until February 1944 when she was extensively damaged in a collision. Beyond economic repair, her ordnance was removed and she was placed out of commission, in service, retaining her name and designation, on 15 May 1944. She was designated a target vessel on 31 May, the same year, and made available for disposition on 31 October.
Onyx is a multi-member collective that was active in New York City from 1968 through the early 1970s and active intermittently to the present. Its members - Ron Williams, Woody Rainey, Tommy Simpson, Mike Hinge, Bob Buxbaum, Davis Allen, Sheridan Bell and Jack Wells among others—published architectural projects in the form of offset-printed posters or "broadsheets" that were mailed internationally. The members also went by a number of pseudonyms including Charles Albatross, Okra Plantz, Patrick Redson and Harvey Grapefruit. The poster format allowed the rapid reproduction and easy circulation of their ideas. While the collective distributed their posters through the postal service they also pasted the posters up throughout the streets of the city. There are many connections to the "mail art" phenomenon; the collective claimed affiliation with this artistic practice through the labeling of mailings as MAIL ART and interaction with others practicing this form, including Ant Farm, and Ray Johnson. Characterized by an intricate layering of text and images, the ONYX posters described speculative architectural projects, made allusions to architectural history, explored practices of architectural representation, and commented obscurely on current sociopolitical events.
“The onyx stone has been attributed with many meanings over the ages”, states guitarist and composer Rune Eriksen.
“An ancient tale relates how a crooked cupid cut the fingernails of the sleeping Venus. Coming from a goddess these were transformed into the gem known on earth as onyx. An amusing and inspiring tale, yet we aimed for the metaphysical properties of this peculiar stone as it is believed to increase happiness, intuition and developing one’s instincts. In magical lore it has a darker side as well. An imprisoned demon spreads terror and nightmares to the ones within the gems reach at night and it might cause clairvoyance for its bearer. All these attributes concern our new album both on its lyrical side as well as inspiring our music.”
Slam is the 7th solo album of Joe Lynn Turner released in 2001. In 2006, the album was reissued with a bonus track 'Challenge Them All' who replaced the track 'Cover Up'.
Track listing
"Bloodsucker" (Held/Kajiyama/Turner) - 4:17
"Eye for an Eye" (Held/Kajiyama/Turner) - 5:17
"Deliver Me" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 3:38
"Heart of the Night" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 5:03
"Slam" (Held/Kajiyama/Turner) - 5:22
"Dark Days" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 3:58
"Possession" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 4:50
"Show Yourself" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 4:52
"Cover Up" (Held/Kajiyama/Turner) - 3:40
"Hard Time" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 3:58
"Evil" (Held/Kajiyama/Turner) - 4:26
"Always Tomorrow" (Kajiyama/Turner) - 4:29
"Challenge Them All" *
*Bonus track on the 2006 reissue. it replaces 'Cover Up'
Slam: The Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 1998 film, Slam. It was released on October 13, 1998 through Epic Records and consisted entirely of hip hop music. The soundtrack was a minor success, making it to 84 on the Billboard 200 and 24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
McMillan and Meikle's first club event was a weekly Thursday night called Black Market, in the Glasgow club, Fury Murrys. They played a mix of house, funk and rap. In early 1988, they were approached by Steven Sleepman (aka Steven Workman), after he heard his first acid house track on DJ Segun's late night show on Radio Clyde. During a brief stint PRing for Club Eden, Sleepman secured a Saturday night at Glasgow's Tin Pan Alley, which was to become the home of Slam. Prior to the launch of her musical career Dot Allison (future musical collaborator) worked with the PR team, and DJ Harri was a regular guest on the turntables.
Slam then launched a Friday night at the Sub Club called Joy. Black Market still kept its own musical identity throughout the Summer of Love, playing an eclectic mix of musical genres.
For others, the songs that made them famous were their first releases ... ‘Slam’ by Onyx. Although the New York hip hop group Onyx continues to make music to this day, it was their huge 1993 hit “Slam” that they will always be remembered for.
