Fredro Starr
Encyclopedia
Fredro Scruggs better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American
rapper and actor from South Jamaica, Queens, New York
best known as a member of hardcore hip hop
group Onyx.
, Light It Up
, and Save the Last Dance
movie soundtracks.
Onyx split with Def Jam Recordings
after their 1998 release Shut 'Em Down
, and temporarily broke up, during which Starr released his first solo album, Firestarr
, in 2001. Onyx reunited the next year and released Bacdafucup Part II
, and Starr's next album, Don't Get Mad Get Money
, arrived in 2003. He formed a new group called Yung Onyx in 2006. As of 2011, he and Layzie Bone
of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
are planning to release a joint EP
entitled FireSquad, which is set to be released late 2011/ early 2012.
's 1993 award-winning HBO drama Strapped
, for which he earned a Cable ACE Best Supporting Actor nomination, in addition to several Onyx songs appearing on the soundtrack. Other film credits include Clockers, Sunset Park
, Ride
, Light It Up
, and Save The Last Dance
.
On television, Starr had a recurring role on Moesha
as the title character's fiancé. He appeared in three episodes of HBO's The Wire
as Marquis "Bird" Hilton. Starr co-hosted Paramount Domestic Television
's daily half-hour urban dance competition, Dance 360
, with actor Kel Mitchell
. The program aired for one season in 2004 before being canceled due to poor ratings.
Starr also filmed guest appearances on NYPD Blue
, Law & Order
, Blade: The Series
(in which Sticky Fingaz starred in the title role), and "Promised Land
." He also played Ricky Gannon on a CSI: Miami
episode that aired February 2, 2009.
He also appeared on New York Undercover in the episode entitled "Student Affairs".
As of October 2011, Starr is playing the lead in the independent feature-length film "Diamond Ruff" being shot in and around Hartford, CT.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rapper and actor from South Jamaica, Queens, New York
South Jamaica, Queens
South Jamaica, known colloquially as Southside & Southside Jamaica Queens, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located south of downtown Jamaica, the Long Island Rail Road tracks Jamaica Avenue and Liberty Avenue. The western border is the Van Wyck Expressway, and it...
best known as a member of hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...
group Onyx.
Music career
Starr released six albums with Onyx, and is the cousin of fellow group member Sticky Fingaz. He also contributed to the Sunset ParkSunset Park (soundtrack)
- Tracks :#High 'Til I Die - 2Pac#Motherless Child - Ghostface Killah feat. Raekwon#Just Doggin - Tha Dogg Pound#Back at You - Mobb Deep#Are You Ready - Aaliyah#It's Alright - Groove Theory...
, Light It Up
Light It Up (soundtrack)
Light It Up is the soundtrack to the 1999 drama film, Light It Up. It was released on October 26, 1999 through Elektra Records and consisted mainly of hip hop and R&B music. The soundtrack was a huge success, peaking at #19 on the Billboard 200 and #4 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and featured one...
, and Save the Last Dance
Save the Last Dance (soundtrack)
Save the Last Dance is the soundtrack to the romantic drama film, Save the Last Dance. It was released on December 19, 2000 through Hollywood Records and consisted of hip hop and R&B music. The soundtrack was a huge success, and made it to several Billboard charts...
movie soundtracks.
Onyx split with Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
after their 1998 release Shut 'Em Down
Shut 'Em Down
Shut 'Em Down is the third album from rap group Onyx. The album marked the group's highest debut on the Billboard 200, peaking at #10. Two singles were released from the album, "React", which features the very first major label appearance of 50 Cent and "Shut 'Em Down, featuring DMX...
, and temporarily broke up, during which Starr released his first solo album, Firestarr
Firestarr
-Album Chart Positions:...
, in 2001. Onyx reunited the next year and released Bacdafucup Part II
Bacdafucup Part II
Bacdafucup Part II is the fourth album from rap group Onyx.Due to a mistake on Bacdafucup Part II, Slam Harder was accidentally left censored...
, and Starr's next album, Don't Get Mad Get Money
Don't Get Mad Get Money
Don't Get Mad Get Money is a second studio album by Onyx member Fredro Starr in 2003.-Track listing:...
, arrived in 2003. He formed a new group called Yung Onyx in 2006. As of 2011, he and Layzie Bone
Layzie Bone
Layzie Bone is rapper and hip-hop artist known primarily for being a member of the group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. He has also has gone by the names L-Burna and The #1 Assassin. He is the younger brother of fellow group member Flesh-N-Bone...
of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American Hip-Hop/R'n'B band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone...
are planning to release a joint EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled FireSquad, which is set to be released late 2011/ early 2012.
Acting career
Starr made his acting debut in Forest WhitakerForest Whitaker
Forest Steven Whitaker is an American actor, producer, and director. He has earned a reputation for intensive character study work for films such as Bird and Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, and for his recurring role as ex-LAPD Lieutenant Jon Kavanaugh on the gritty, award-winning television...
's 1993 award-winning HBO drama Strapped
Strapped
Strapped is a 1993 television crime-thriller/drama, produced by HBO Films for HBO. It starred, William James Stiggers Jr., Chi Ali and was the debut film of Bokeem Woodbine and rapper Fredro Starr...
, for which he earned a Cable ACE Best Supporting Actor nomination, in addition to several Onyx songs appearing on the soundtrack. Other film credits include Clockers, Sunset Park
Sunset Park (film)
Sunset Park is a 1996 basketball film. It stars Rhea Perlman as the head coach of a high school boy's basketball team from the Sunset Park neighborhood in New York City. The film also stars rapper Fredro Starr and an early film appearance from Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard...
, Ride
Ride (film)
Ride is a 1998 comedy film, written and directed by Millicent Shelton. The film stars Fredro Starr, Malik Yoba, and Melissa De Sousa. The film is sometimes confused with The Ride, another film released in 1998.-Plot:...
, Light It Up
Light It Up (film)
Light It Up is a 1999 American drama film starring an ensemble cast that consists of R&B singer/actor Usher Raymond , Rosario Dawson, Forest Whitaker, and Vanessa L. Williams. The film was written and directed by Craig Bolotin, and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and his wife Tracy Edmonds...
, and Save The Last Dance
Save the Last Dance
Save the Last Dance is a 2001 romantic drama dance film produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter and released by Paramount Pictures on January 12, 2001. The film stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas as a teenage interracial couple in Chicago who work together to help the main...
.
On television, Starr had a recurring role on Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
as the title character's fiancé. He appeared in three episodes of HBO's The Wire
The Wire (TV series)
The Wire is an American television drama series set and produced in and around Baltimore, Maryland. Created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon, the series was broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States...
as Marquis "Bird" Hilton. Starr co-hosted Paramount Domestic Television
Paramount Domestic Television
Paramount Domestic Television was the television distribution arm of American television production company Paramount Television, once the TV arm of Paramount Pictures...
's daily half-hour urban dance competition, Dance 360
Dance 360
Dance 360 was a modern hip-hop television series in which different dancers competed to win 360 dollars and an Xbox or other prizes like a cell phone from boost mobile...
, with actor Kel Mitchell
Kel Mitchell
Kel Johari Mitchell is an American actor, comedian, singer, rapper, screenwriter, producer, parodist, dancer and musician. He was best known for his work as a regular cast member of the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That, his portrayal of Kel Kimble on the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel,...
. The program aired for one season in 2004 before being canceled due to poor ratings.
Starr also filmed guest appearances on NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
, Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series
Blade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
(in which Sticky Fingaz starred in the title role), and "Promised Land
Promised land
The Promised Land is a term used to describe the land promised or given by God, according to the Hebrew Bible, to the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob. The promise is firstly made to Abraham and then renewed to his son Isaac, and to Isaac's son Jacob , Abraham's grandson...
." He also played Ricky Gannon on a CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
episode that aired February 2, 2009.
He also appeared on New York Undercover in the episode entitled "Student Affairs".
As of October 2011, Starr is playing the lead in the independent feature-length film "Diamond Ruff" being shot in and around Hartford, CT.
Discography
- 2001: FirestarrFirestarr-Album Chart Positions:...
- 2003: Don't Get Mad Get MoneyDon't Get Mad Get MoneyDon't Get Mad Get Money is a second studio album by Onyx member Fredro Starr in 2003.-Track listing:...
External links
- [ Fredro Starr] at Allmusic.com
- Diamond Ruff The Movie