ONYX : Rude, Crude Nasty--and Proud of It

What makes Onyx’s hit album “Bacdafucup” different from any other vulgar, hard-boiled, sexist rap collection about life in the ‘hood?

“We’re ruder, nastier, blunter, more obnoxious--more everything than everybody else,” boasts Fredro Star of the Queens, N.Y., quartet, which also includes Big D.S., Sticky Fingaz and Suave Sonny Caesar.

Yes, they’re arrogant and offensive--and proud of it.

“That’s just part of our appeal,” Star maintains. “Our funky beats help set us apart from all those other groups.”

So does the rowdy, frenzied tone that permeates the album, especially tracks such as “Slam,” a former Top 10 single. It sounds as if Star and his mates--all in their teens and early 20s--are bursting with anger and frustration.

“Frustration and anger?--I wrote the book on ‘em,” Star bellows. “If you’re a young black man in this country, you’re always on the verge of explosion--and anything can trigger the explosion. That horrible, frustrated feeling . . . comes through on the album. A lot of people--blacks and otherwise--have that feeling and can easily relate to it.”

Onyx signed with JMJ/Columbia Records last year and recorded “Bacdafucup” with producer Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC. They thrive on controversy, an inescapable result of songs like “Throw Ya Gunz” and Star’s response to the charges of sexism: “If women don’t like our music, nobody is making them listen to it.”

Are these guys for real, or just adopting the brash, gangsta image to sell records?

Some rap observers say that it’s strictly a pose, pointing to the group’s first single, “Aaah . . . and We Do It Like That,” which was released in 1989. It’s tame compared to the group’s current work.

Ever defiant, Star brushes off the charge that they’re mere poseurs: “There’s a lot of jealous people out there who can’t stand the fact that we’re making it. Just ask any Onyx fan. You can’t fool them. They’ll tell you just how real we really are.”