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 ...
. It was released on October 3, 1995 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 rele ...
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 ...
as the second single from Onyx's second album, ''
All We Got Iz Us
All We Got Iz Us is the second album by American hip hop group Onyx, released on October 24, 1995 by JMJ Records and Rush Associated Labels. The album was produced by Onyx. The album features guest appearances from rap group All City and rapper f ...
''.
Produced by
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 ...
, "Last Dayz" making it to number 89 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Instrumental of this song was used in the film 8 Mile for the rap battle between Lotto and B-Rabbit. The song was sampled by more than 10 rap artists including
Jus Allah
James Bostick (born June 30, 1978), better known by his stage name Jus Allah, is an American rapper from Camden, New Jersey. He is best known for being a former member of Philadelphia-based hip hop groups Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) and Army of t ...
,
Jedi Mind Tricks
Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) are an American underground hip hop group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1996 by two high school friends, rapper Vinnie Paz (Vincenzo Luvineri) and producer Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind (Kevin Baldwin). In ...
,
Immortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics, from a radical left-wing perspective.
Immortal Techn ...
, and
Vinnie Paz
Vincenzo Luvineri (born October 5, 1977), better known as Vinnie Paz (formerly known as Ikon the Verbal Hologram), is a Sicilian American rapper and producer behind the Philadelphia underground hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. He is also the fr ...
.
In 2013, the song was re-recorded by Onyx, and released on a compilation album ''Songs of the 90's''.
Music video
The music video was directed by Joseph Kahn, Barry Shapiro was a producer of this video. The video was filmed in an Industrial Park, New York City, and was premiered on The BOX on October 20, 1995. The video can be found on the 2008's DVD ''Onyx: 15 Years Of Videos, History And Violence''.
Incident in Newark
* In 1996, riot breaks out at Onyx's concert during the performance "Last Dayz" in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.8 Mile for the rap battle between Lotto and B-Rabbit.
* In 2014, the song appeared in ''The Brodies'', the movie by Jeremy Elkin about skateboarding.
Appearance on television
* In 1995, "Last Dayz" was performed live on a daytime
tabloid talk show
A tabloid talk show is a subgenre of the talk show genre that emphasizes controversial and sensationalistic topical subject matter. The subgenre originated in the United States and achieved peak viewership from the mid-1980s through the end of t ...
Ricki Lake
Ricki Pamela Lake (born September 21, 1968) is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film ''Hairspray'', for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for B ...
on December 13, 1995.
* In 2015, Fredro Starr named "Last Dayz" as his favorite Onyx's record during interview with Steve Lobel. He also added that this is
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
's favorite Onyx's song too.
* In 2018, Fredro Starr said that "Last Dayz" put him on as a bonafide lyricist on B-Real's TV brand new episode of ''Once Upon A Rhyme''.
* In 2018, the song appeared in the
BET
Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
's show "Rate The Bars", in the episode with
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is a concatenation of the members' names "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon ("E" a.k.a. ...
aired on July 30, 2018. On each episode of "Rate The Bars" rappers rate the bars of their peers without knowing who the lines belong to.
* In 2018, the song "Last Dayz" appeared on '' The Joe Budden Podcast'', episode 180 "Blessed" aired on September 21, 2018.
Cover versions
* In 2003,
Dead Prez
Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self ...
teamed up with
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 ...
and Sticky Fingaz to recorded "Last Days Reloaded" for Dead Prez's mixtape ''Turn off the Radio: The Mixtape, Vol. 2: Get Free or Die Tryin.
Parodies
* In 2018, videographer Mylo the Cat used the song for his cartoon starring
Krang
Krang (also spelled Kraang) is a fictional supervillain appearing in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''-related media, most frequently in the 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Advent ...
The Boombox
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
put the song in their list ''Rap Songs That Sample Aretha Franklin''. In 2018, the song "Last Dayz" was included by
WhoSampled
WhoSampled is a website and app database of information about sampled music or sample-based music, cover songs and remixes.
History
Nadav Poraz founded the site in London, England in 2008, as a way to track musical samples and cover songs. ...
in mix ''A Hip Hop Tribute to Aretha Franklin'', dedicated to the memory of the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who died just under a month ago.
Releases
CD maxi-single track listing
#"Last Dayz" (LP Version)- 3:32
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (LP Version) - 4:04
#"Walk In New York" (LP Version)- 4:55
#"Last Dayz" (Radio Version)- 3:32
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (Radio Version) - 3:53
#"Last Dayz" (Instrumental)- 3:32
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (Instrumental)- 4:05
#"Last Dayz" (A Cappella)- 3:20
12" vinyl single track listing
#"Last Dayz" (LP Version) - 3:32
#"Last Dayz" (Radio Version) - 3:32
#"Last Dayz" (Instrumental) - 3:32
#"Last Dayz" (A Cappella) - 3:20
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (LP Version) - 4:04
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (Radio Version) - 3:53
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (Instrumental)- 4:05
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (Acapella) - 3:58
Cassette single track listing
#"Last Dayz" (LP Version)- 3:32
#"All We Got Iz Us" (Evil Streets) (LP Version) - 4:04
#"Walk In New York" (LP Version)- 4:55
Earl Klugh
Earl Klugh ( ; born September 16, 1953) is an American acoustic guitarist and composer. He has won one Grammy award and thirteen nominations. Klugh was awarded the “1977” Best Recording Award For Performance and Sound” for his album “Fin ...
*"A Song for You" by Aretha Franklin
*"Outside Love" by Brethren
*Dialogue from
Menace II Society
''Menace II Society'' (pronounced ''Menace to Society'') is a 1993 American teen drama film directed by the Hughes Brothers in their directorial debut. The film is set in Watts and Crenshaw neighborhoods of Los Angeles, and follows the life of ...
Personnel
* Onyx - performer, vocals
* Fredro Starr - performer, vocals
* Sticky Fingaz - performer, vocals
* Sonee Seeza - performer, vocals, scratches ("Walk In New York")
* Flamboyant - scratches ("Walk In New York")
* Panama P.I. - additional vocals ("All We Got Iz Us")
* Jason Mizell - executive producer
* Randy Allen - executive producer
* Jaye Battle - project coordinator
* Don Elliot - engineer
* Tony Dawsey - mastering