Sonny Seeza facts for kids

Tyrone Taylor (born November 13, 1970), known by his stage name Sonny Seeza, is an American rapper, music producer, DJ, and actor. He is best known as a member of the very popular rap group Onyx. Before using the name Sonny Seeza, he was known as Suavé and Sonsee.

Sonny Seeza was discovered by Jam Master Jay from the famous group Run-D.M.C.. Jam Master Jay signed Onyx to his record label, JMJ Records. Onyx then released three very successful albums. Later, Sonny Seeza started his own solo music career.

As a solo artist, Sonny Seeza has released two albums: Tytanium and Bridges. He has also worked on many projects with other rap artists. With Onyx, he released five albums and twenty singles. The group was nominated for "Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist" at the American Music Awards of 1994. They also won "Best Rap Album" at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards. Throughout his career, Sonny Seeza has sold over 15 million albums. He has also acted in two movies: The Addiction and Ride.

Music Career

Early Days as a DJ

Tyrone Taylor started his music journey in 1982 in Brooklyn. He was part of his older brother's hip-hop group called Cold Crash Scenes. He also began practicing to be a DJ. This DJ experience later helped him when recording Onyx's second album, All We Got Iz Us. In 1985, Sonsee moved to Queens and met Fredro Starr and Big DS. They met at a rap battle in Ajax Park.

Forming the Group Onyx

In 1988, after finishing school, Fredro Starr formed the rap group Onyx. He started it with his school friends Big DS and Suavé (Sonny Seeza). Big DS came up with the name "Onyx" after the black stone. They started making their first demo songs in a basement. They used drum machine beats from an SP-12.

In 1989, Onyx got a manager named Jeffrey Harris. He helped them get a contract with Profile Records. In 1990, they recorded their first single, "Ah, And We Do It Like This." It was released on April 25, 1990, but did not sell many copies.

Meeting Jam Master Jay

Suave, Fredro Starr, and Big DS met Jam Master Jay on July 13, 1991. Jay asked them to make a demo tape within two months. However, Suave and Big DS could not make it to the studio. Onyx's manager, Jeff Harris, then asked Fredro to bring his cousin, Kirk Jones (Sticky Fingaz). Kirk was a solo artist at the time.

Fredro and Sticky Fingaz made two songs together. Sticky Fingaz then joined Onyx as a full-time member. Jam Master Jay said, "If Sticky ain't in the group, it ain't no group!" Jay signed Onyx to his label, JMJ Records. They first signed for a single song, then for an EP (a short album). Later, they signed a full album deal. This happened because the group managed to create ten songs, even though they only had a budget for six.

Success with Def Jam

In 1993, Onyx released their first album, Bacdafucup. It was a huge success and sold millions of copies. This was largely thanks to their very popular song "Slam". After this, Onyx released two more albums on JMJ Records: All We Got Iz Us and Shut 'Em Down.

Creative Contributions

Tyrone Taylor helped create the unique spelling for the album title "Bacdafucup." He also came up with the phrase "United States Ghetto," or "U.S.G." Suave designed one of the very first logos for the Onyx group, used in 1992. Sonny Seeza also created the stage names "Sticky Fingaz" and "Mickey Billy" for Kirk Jones and Fredro Starr for their song "Stik 'N' Muve."

Solo Music Career

Sonny Seeza stopped touring full-time with Onyx in 2009 to start his solo career. However, he still performs with other members of the group at big shows. He no longer records new songs with Onyx.

Seeza's first solo album, Tytanium, came out on May 19, 2009. He later said that the album was more like a mix of old and new songs. In 2011, Sonny Seeza traveled to Switzerland for several live shows. There, he met Soni Keomanyvong, who became his manager and partner. She introduced him to Mattieu Siegenthaler, who was interested in releasing an album with Sonny Seeza.

His first project with the new label, Empire Music, was a collection of songs called The Billboard Blackmarket Mixtape. In 2012, Seeza started his own label, Tytaynium Onyx. He released his second solo album, Bridges, on February 26, 2016.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Tytanium (2009)
• Bridges (2016)

Compilation Albums

• The Billboard Blackmarket Mixtape (2012)

Singles

• "Fire" / "Where You At" (as Sonsee from Onyx) (1998)
• "Doc Help" (2012)
• "We Can Due It" (2014)
• "Everywhere" (2016)

Awards and Nominations

Filmography

Film

• The Addiction (1995) (a small appearance)
• Ride (1998) as Tyrone "Son See" Taylor

Video Games

• Rap Jam: Volume One (1995) as Suave