# Cold Case Files: Vol. 1

Cold Case Files: Vol. 1 is a compilation album by American hardcore rap group Onyx released on August 19, 2008, by Iceman Music Group. This compilation contains singles and lost studio recordings from the group's albums.
The album was produced by Jam Master Jay, Fredro Starr, Kronic Tones, Dominche, Self and Keith Horne. The album features guest appearances from Method Man, X1, Panama P.I., Smoothe da Hustler, Trigger tha Gambler, D.V. Alias Khrist, All City, Still Livin', Gang Green, Whosane and Chocolate.

## Background

After conquering Hollywood, Onyx return to the scene, emerging from their musical vaults with a new album, Cold Case Files, a 16-track collection of previously unreleased songs executive produced by the members of Onyx and Omar "Iceman" Sharif. The collection features underground singles, lost studio recordings from the group's first three albums, and appearances from Method Man, deceased Onyx affiliate X1, and Gang Green. According to the group, revisiting these sessions also served as a tribute to fallen soldiers Jam Master Jay, X1, Big DS, and all Onyx affiliates who have passed away in the last five years; some of which are still unsolved murders.
Fredro's younger brother, Whosane, archived most of the unreleased tracks. Sonny Seeza, who served as album supervisor shares, "Whosane was usually in the studio with us and kept all our classic recordings that never made it onto albums in the Onyx music vault; so when the time came to select tracks for Cold Case Files, he had tracks that we didn't even know existed on everything from cassettes, DATs, CDs to 2-inch reels. According to Fredro Starr, Onyx has at least 60 tracks, and this is just the first volume of unheard material. DJ Infinite, one of Fredro's good friends, came up with the idea to make this album:
   "...We wanted to put something out for the fans, especially the true Onyx fans. DJ Infinite, one of my good friends and associates came up with the idea of doing this album and putting out some of these tracks. So my brother Whosane had the cassettes and the DATs saved from back in the days and we just transferred all that into the digital age and now you got the Cold Case album."

## Critical response

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| HipHopDX | |
| AllHipHop.com | |
| AllMusic | |
| UG Rap | |
| BoomBapReviews | |
RomanCooper of HipHopDX gave the album three stars out of five, saying "...This album is easily worth copping – if you’re an Onyx fan. If you’re not familiar with their music, you’d be much better served scooping up either Bacdafucup or All We Got Iz Us. Cold Case Files doesn’t really manage to distinguish itself from common issues associated with compilation albums. That being said, even cuts that didn’t make Onyx‘s albums manage to bring you back to the gritty early 1990s. With a gem or two nestled among these tracks, fans of that sound may want to check this.".
Tika Milan of AllHipHop.com gave the album 5.5 stars out of 10, noting that many of the songs sound so similar that if you don't pay attention, it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. The production is built on simple basement beats: a drum machine, a few keyboard chords, and a looped sample or two.

## Track listing

| # | Title | Featured guest(s) | Producer(s) | Samples | Length | Year |
| 01. | «U.S.G.» | | Jam Master Jay | | 0:15 | 1992 |
| 02. | «Ghetto Way Of Thinking» | | Fredro Starr | | 4:40 | 1995 |
| 03. | «O.N.Y.X.» | | Kronic Tones Dominche (co-producer) | «You’re A Big Girl Now» by The Stylistics | 3:21 | 2003 |
| 04. | «See U In Hell Pt. 2 (Freestyle)» | X1 | | «I Loves You, Porgy» by Nina Simone | 3:22 | 1998 |
| 05. | «Evil Streets (Remix)» | Method Man & Panama P.I. | Fredro Starr | «Georgia Rose» by Esther Phillips «Vamos A Rapiar» by Main Source | 4:13 | 1994 |
| 06. | «Rock U» | | Fredro Starr | | 4:14 | 1996 |
| 07. | «Hydro» | | Keith Horne | | 3:06 | 1996 |
| 08. | «Purse Snatchaz Pt. 2» | Smoothe Da Hustler, Trigger Tha Gambler & D.V. Alias Khrist | Fredro Starr | «Love Is My Life» by Jimmy McGriff | 3:32 | 1994 |
| 9. | «Wili’n Wili’n» | All City, X1 & Still Livin' | | | 4:08 | 1998 |
| 10. | «See You In Hell (Freestyle)» | | | «American Fruit, African Roots» by Zulema | 3:39 | 1997 |
| 11. | «I’ll Murda U (Remix)» | Gang Green | Fredro Starr | «Candy Man Blues» by Ten Wheel Drive «Handclapping Song» by The Meters | 3:43 | 1995 |
| 12. | «Mad World» | Whosane & X1 | Self | | 4:16 | 1997 |
| 13. | «I Don’t Want To Die» | Chocolate | Keith Horne | «I Believe I Can Fly» by R. Kelly | 3:47 | 1997 |
| 14. | «Return Of The Madface» | | Kronic Tones | «Donna» by Gerome Ragni | 3:22 | 2003 |
| 15. | «Candy Man» | X1 | Fredro Starr | «Candy Man Blues» by Ten Wheel Drive | 2:12 | 1995 |
| 16. | «Hard To Be A Thug» | | Sticky Fingaz | | 3:09 | 1999 |

## Personnel

Credits for Cold Case Files: Vol. 1 adapted from AllMusic and CD booklet.
* Onyx - performer, vocals
* Fredro Starr - performer, vocals, executive producer
* Sticky Fingaz - performer, vocals, executive producer
* Sonny Seeza - performer, vocals, executive producer
* Omar "Iceman" Sharif — executive producer
* Method Man — guest artist
* X1 — guest artist
* Panama P.I. — guest artist
* Smoothe da Hustler — guest artist
* Trigger Tha Gambler — guest artist
* D.V. Alias Khrist — guest artist
* All City — guest artist
* Still Livin' — guest artist
* Gang Green — guest artist
* Whosane — guest artist
* Chocolate — guest artist
* Jam Master Jay — producer
* Kronic Tones — producer
* Dominche — producer
* Self — producer
* Keith Horne — producer
* DJ Infinite — associate producer
* Salvatore "Dagrind" Mula — A&R
* David Rivera — A&R
* Dagrind Entertainment — A&R
* Whosane — album supervisor
* Inkpen — art direction, design

## Cold Case Files: Vol. 2

Cold Case Files Vol. 2 is a compilation album by American hip hop group Onyx released on August 10, 2012 by Major Independents. Physical copies became available on January 23, 2014. The album contained unreleased tracks from the group's first three albums, Bacdafucup, All We Got Iz Us and Shut 'Em Down.
The album was produced by Keith Horne, Onyx, 8-Off Assassin, 3rd Eye (a.k.a. Jesse West) and Jam Master Jay. The album features guest appearances from Naughty By Nature, Biggie Smalls, 3rd Eye (a.k.a. Jesse West), Gang Green (X1, Sife, Still Livin'), All City (Greg Valentine), Jared "Choclatt" Crawford и Tracy "Sunshiine" Woodall.

## Background

One of the main findings of this collection was the never released before track "Flip Dat Shit". In January 1993, at the recording studio The Hit Factory in NYC, rappers Naughty By Nature, Onyx, Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay, Biggie Smalls, Puff Daddy and producer/rapper Jesse West (also known as 3rd Eye) joined together to record a track "Flip That Shit" special for the soundtrack to the new movie "Who's the Man?". Many years later, fans were still able to hear the track "Flip That Shit" thanks to DJ JS1, who passed this digitized tape to Sticky Fingaz, who added this track to the collection of unreleased songs of Onyx's "Cold Case Files Vol. 2"
The track "To All Ya'll Crews, Whatever", which was not included on the album "All We Got Iz Us", was leaked on Onyx's website in CD quality on March 22, 2016. Earlier, this track was released on Cold Case Files Vol. 2 in poorly digitized cassette quality.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| Rate Your Music | |
| Sputnikmusic | |
| BoomBapReviews | |
BOOM BAP REVIEWS gave this release a good response saying "The important thing is that Onyx actually took the bold step and we're here now with yet another Onyx collection that appealed. So, is it any good? The very nature of this project should be a godsend to Onyx fans. Plus, for the assholes out there, they're simply telling you to buy it for free. And besides, 6 crap songs out of 16 is still a bargain, right? Right?!".

## Track listing

| # | track | featured guest(s) | producer(s) | sample(s) | length | year |
| 01. | "Set It Str8" | X1 & Sife (a.k.a. Certified from Gang Green) | | "Mystique Blues" by The Crusaders (1971) | 3:55 | 1997 |
| 02. | "Kidz From Queens" | Still Livin' | | "The World Is a Ghetto" by War (1972) | 3:41 | 1995 |
| 03. | "Bring It" (also known as "Hey!") (The Philadelphia Flyers half time anthem) | | Keith Horne | "Rock 'N Roll, Part 2" by Gary Glitter (1972) | 4:02 | 1998 |
| 04. | "Hi Hoe" | | | "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life" by Cal Tjader (1971) | 3:03 | 1997 |
| 05. | "Crime Stories" | | | "Throw Ya Gunz" by Onyx (1992) | 4:41 | 1997 |
| 06. | "Punk Motherfukaz" (Full Length) | | Onyx; 8-Off Assassin (co-producer) | "Long Red" by Mountain (1972) | 4:40 | 1995 |
| 07. | "To All Ya'll Crews, Whatever" | | Onyx | "The Breakdown (Part II)" by Rufus Thomas (1971) "Here 'N' Now" by Onyx (1993) | 3:20 | 1995 |
| 08. | "Anything Goes" | | Onyx | "Foxy Lady" by Jimi Hendrix (1967) "Come Together" by The Beatles (1969) | 3:20 | 1997 |
| 9. | "Give It All You Got" | Greg Valentine | | "Risin' To The Top" by Keni Burke (1982) | 3:43 | 1999 |
| 10. | "Flip Dat Shit" | Naughty By Nature, Biggie Smalls and 3rd Eye (a.k.a. Jesse West) | 3rd Eye | "Nautilus" by Bob James (1974) "16 Bars" (Live at the Lyricist Lounge) by Biggie Smalls (1993) | 4:10 | 1993 |
| 11. | "Pussy On The Regular" | | Keith Horne | "Coldblooded" by James Brown (1974) | 4:03 | 1997 |
| 12. | "Take That" (Full Version) | | Keith Horne | piano from "Rhapsody Rabbit" (1946) | 4:03 | 1996 |
| 13. | "Raze It Up" (Demo version with different lyrics) | | Keith Horne | piano from Yusef Lateef drums from "Uphill Peace of Mind" by Kid Dynamite drums from "Flava In Ya Ear" by Craig Mack bassline from Ohio Players | 4:03 | 1996 |
| 14. | "Love Of Money '96" (Unreleased rock version with different lyrics) | X1 & Chocolate | | "Repent Walpurgis" by Procol Harum (1967) "For The Love of Money" by The O'Jays (1973) | 4:55 | 1996 |
| 14b. | "You Must Be Outta Your Mind" | X1 & Sunshine | | | 3:44 | 1997 |
| 15. | "We Comin' Thru Ya'll" (a similar beat was used later on "Broke Willies") | | Keith Horne | "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones (1978) | 3:57 | 1997 |
| 16. | "Walk In New York" (Jam Master Jay original "working" version with different beat and some different lyrics) | | Jam Master Jay | | 3:18 | 1995 |
Notes:
* Information about samples was taken from WhoSampled.

## Personnel

Credits for Cold Case Files: Vol. 2 adapted from CD booklet.
* Onyx - performer, vocals, producer
* Fredro Starr - performer, vocals
* Sticky Fingaz - performer, vocals, executive producer
* Sonny Seeza - performer, vocals
* Naughty By Nature — guest artist
* Biggie Smalls — guest artist
* 3rd Eye (a.k.a. Jesse West) — guest artist
* Gang Green — guest artist
* X1 — guest artist
* Sife — guest artist
* Still Livin' — guest artist
* All City — guest artist
* Greg Valentine — guest artist
* Jared "Choclatt" Crawford — guest artist
* Tracy "Sunshiine" Woodall — guest artist
* Keith Horne — producer
* Jam Master Jay — producer
* 8-Off Assassin — producer
* 3rd Eye (a.k.a. Jesse West) — producer
* Paul Scavone — associate producer, album supervisor