*Fredro Starr is taking the energy of hip-hop’s golden era from the stage to the screen with The Tunnel, a new film inspired by the legendary New York nightclub and the experiences that made it unforgettable.
Fredro Starr has spent more than three decades making sure people feel something.
As a founding member of the legendary Queens hip-hop group Onyx, Starr helped usher hardcore rap into the mainstream with the group’s 1993 platinum debut, Bacdafucup, and the explosive smash “Slam.” The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped redefine what a hip-hop crowd could look and sound like, bringing the intensity of slam dancing into rap.
Now Starr is channeling that same raw New York energy into filmmaking.
He recently hosted a premiere of The Tunnel on a luxurious New York rooftop, giving guests an early look at the film before its September release. Radio/TV personality Jazmyn Summers was there for Eurweb to bring you the tea, catching up with Starr about the project and the inspiration behind it.
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And the inspiration for The Tunnel is deeply personal.
Before there was a screenplay, there was a night in New York.
Starr recalled walking through the Chelsea projects on his way to The Tunnel when a group of men attempted to rob him of his jewelry and sneakers. The experience was traumatic, but what happened after he made it to the club stayed with him for an entirely different reason.
“I got to the Tunnel, had the best time of my life,” Starr recalled.
That unlikely collision of danger and exhilaration planted the idea for a story. Starr initially envisioned The Tunnel as a six-episode television series, but eventually turned the concept into a film, writing and directing the project himself.
For Starr, making the movie was also about preserving a piece of New York culture while creating something new.
The original Tunnel, which operated in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood from 1986 to 2001, became one of the city’s most legendary nightlife destinations, particularly during hip-hop’s golden era. Its reputation grew alongside the artists, DJs and audiences who made New York nightlife a cultural force.
Starr knows that world firsthand.
But rather than wait for Hollywood to come knocking, he took the independent route.
“I shot the first episode with my money I had saved up in my piggy bank,” he said.
It must have been a big azz piggy bank but that DIY mentality feels very familiar coming from Starr. Onyx itself emerged from South Jamaica, Queens, before connecting with Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay, who signed the group to his JMJ Records label.
Onyx went on to create a sound that was impossible to ignore. Bacdafucup delivered a darker, harder edge to mainstream rap, while “Slam” became a cultural phenomenon. Jam Master Jay and producer Chyskillz helped shape the album’s sound, while Starr, Sticky Fingaz, Sonny Seeza and Big DS brought the unmistakable Mad Face energy that made Onyx stand apart.
More than 30 years later, Starr sees The Tunnel as another opportunity to do what hip-hop taught him to do in the first place: make something happen. Sticky Fingaz stars in the movie.
“Everybody picking up a camera because they not waiting for nobody,” he said. “That’s the move. Just make it happen.”
That philosophy extends beyond Starr himself. One of the most meaningful parts of The Tunnel is his decision to give young, inexperienced performers an opportunity to get in front of the camera.
Starr specifically pointed to Ja Jacquetore, Razor, Mag Mason and Big Al, among others, as performers who had never acted in a film before.
For Starr, that is part of the reward.
“What I wanted to do with the Tunnel movie was the same thing Forrest Whitaker did for me,” he explained. “I want to put young actors who’ve never even acted before in a movie.”
He sees the possibility of what could come next.
“Who knows where they’re going to be in 10 years? We might have the next Michael B. Jordan.”
It’s a particularly revealing evolution for an artist whose own career was built on opportunity, mentorship and recognizing what could happen when somebody gets a chance.
And when it comes to his legacy, Starr doesn’t view Onyx as an isolated chapter.
“My legacy is part of Run DMC’s legacy, Jam Master Jay’s legacy,” he said. “It’s part of Queen’s legacy. It’s part of New York legacy. It’s part of Def Jam legacy.”
“We came in the game in the spirit of hip-hop just to make people smile and make people feel good,” Starr told Summers. “That’s what hip-hop is about.”
For an artist who built his reputation on making records hit hard, Starr’s newest project is ultimately about something softer: creating opportunities, sparking laughter, telling stories and keeping the culture moving forward.
The Tunnel drops September 1, bringing a piece of New York’s legendary nightlife mythology to a new generation while giving Fredro Starr another canvas on which to leave his mark.
The Onyx chapter isn’t over.
Starr is simply taking the fire somewhere new.
Check out the convo above.
Article by Jazmyn Summers. You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz. Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
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