Sonny Seeza facts for kids

Tyrone Taylor (born November 13, 1970), known by his stage name Sonny Seeza, is an American rapper, record producer, DJ, and actor. He was also known as Suavé and Sonsee. He is best known as a member of the very successful hip-hop group Onyx.

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 went on to release three top-selling albums and two more albums. After his time with Onyx, Sonny Seeza started his solo career.

As a solo artist, Sonny Seeza has released two albums: Tytanium and Bridges. He has also worked on projects with other rap artists. As part of Onyx, Sonny Seeza released 5 albums and 20 singles. The group was nominated for "Rap/Hip-Hop New Artist" at the American Music Awards of 1994 and won "Best Rap Album" at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards. Throughout his career, Sonny Seeza has sold over 15 million albums and appeared in two movies: The Addiction and Ride.

Career Highlights

Starting as a DJ

In 1982, Tyrone Taylor began his music journey in Brooklyn. He was part of his older brother's hip-hop group, Cold Crash Scenes. During this time, he started learning how to be a DJ. This skill later became very useful when Onyx recorded their second album, All We Got Iz Us. In 1985, Sonny Seeza moved to Queens and met Fredro Starr and Big DS at a rap battle in Ajax Park.

Forming 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," inspired by the black stone. They began making their first demo songs in a basement, using beats from a drum machine.

In 1989, Onyx hired Jeffrey Harris as their manager. 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 at first.

Meeting Jam Master Jay

Suave, Fredro Starr, and Big DS met Jam Master Jay from Run-D.M.C. on July 13, 1991, at a festival. Jay asked them to create 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 go to the studio with his cousin, Kirk Jones, also known as Sticky Fingaz. Sticky Fingaz was still in high school but was already making music on his own. Fredro and Sticky Fingaz recorded two songs, "Stik 'N' Muve" and "Exercise." Jam Master Jay loved these songs and said, "If Sticky ain't in the group, it ain't no group!" This led to Sticky Fingaz joining Onyx as a full member. Jay then signed Onyx to his label, JMJ Records.

Success with Def Jam

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

Sonny Seeza's Contributions

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

Solo Career

Sonny Seeza stopped touring regularly with Onyx in 2009 to focus on his solo music. However, he still performs with other Onyx members at large concerts. He no longer records new songs with the group.

His first solo album, Tytanium, was released on May 19, 2009. He later explained that this album was more like a mix of old and new songs. In 2011, Sonny Seeza traveled to Switzerland for live performances. There, he met Mattieu Siegenthaler, who was interested in releasing an album with him through his new label, Empire Music. The first project released on Empire Music was a collection 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.

Music Releases

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

Film Appearances

Movies

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

Video Games

• Rap Jam: Volume One (1995) - appeared as Suave