Onyx Tops House of Blues Night of Rap

Once the bald-headed, angst-filled trio called Onyx batted cleanup for a lineup of East Coast rappers Wednesday night at the House of Blues, general pandemonium ran rampant. Like leaves blown asunder by a hurricane wind, kids of various races pushed one another around with reckless abandon. The tangled mass of arms, rolling torsos and seemingly unmitigated rage resembled, at times, a panicked crowd caught in an earthquake-inspired stampede.

Quite simply, the whole night was a blast.

A rare sight at a rap show, kids moshed and stage-dived as Onyx frowned and screamed its way through such hits as “Slam” and “Throw Ya Gunz.”

There weren’t any wannabe players in sight. It was strictly about heavy goose-down coats, wool hats, combat fatigues and crotch-grabbing battle rhymes, and testosterone-filled men on stage and off who would die for hip-hop culture.

Group Home took the stage first. The Brownsville, N.Y., group did the customary hand waving and walking back and forth associated with live rap, but it sparked an infectious energy that burned all night. Once former EPMD member Erick Sermon came forward with surprise cameos from Def Squad members Redman and Keith Murray, the crowd really became electrified. When Murray dived into the crowd after doing his free-style verse from LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya,” fans embraced him like a victorious soldier come home from battle. Das-Efx pleased the crowd with its usual brio, but only songs from its first album, such as “Mic Cheka” and “They Want Efx,” elicited the adoration the group so obviously craved.