FREDRO STARR
Hip-Hop Pioneer • Actor • Founder
From the streets of Queens to global stages and Hollywood screens, Fredro Starr has spent over three decades shaping the sound, style and conscience of hip-hop. Now, as the founder of The Spirit of Hip-Hop Foundation, he is channeling that lifetime of culture into a movement that uplifts, educates and heals the next generation.
Founder3+
Platinum Records
50+
Film & TV Credits
35+
Years In The Culture
40+
Countries Toured
Born From The Block.
Fredrick Lee Scruggs — known to the world as Fredro Starr — was raised in South Jamaica, Queens, where hip-hop wasn't just music. It was language, survival and identity. As a teenager he co-founded Onyx, the trailblazing group whose 1993 debut Bacdafucup went platinum and gave the genre one of its most electric anthems, "Slam."
Onyx didn't just make records. They shifted the visual and sonic culture of hip-hop — the bald heads, the moshpit energy, the unapologetic intensity. They toured the world, performed alongside Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy and Wu-Tang Clan, and helped define what a generation of young people thought hip-hop could look and sound like.
In 1995, Fredro stepped onto the screen in Spike Lee's Clockers, launching a parallel career as a respected actor with more than fifty film and television credits — from Sunset Park and Save the Last Danceto The Wire, NYPD Blue and Moesha. He proved, again and again, that hip-hop artists belong in every creative room — and that the culture has stories worth telling at every level.
Today, Fredro is channeling thirty-five years of cultural leadership into something even bigger than music or film: a foundation built to give back to the communities that made him. The Spirit of Hip-Hop Foundation is his vehicle for translating culture into classrooms, mentorship into leadership, and influence into impact.
Three Decades Of Culture.
From a Queens basement to Hollywood sets to the front of a foundation built for the next generation.
1988
Co-Founds Onyx
Forms the pioneering Queens, NY hip-hop group that would change the sound, style and energy of an entire era.
1993
'Bacdafucup' Goes Platinum
Onyx's debut album becomes a cultural phenomenon, fueled by the anthem 'Slam' and a sold-out global tour.
1995
Hollywood Breakthrough
Stars in 'Clockers' (Spike Lee) and 'Sunset Park,' opening a decades-long acting career on screen and stage.
1999
'Save the Last Dance'
Iconic role as Malakai cements his crossover impact — bridging hip-hop, film and youth culture worldwide.
2000s
Television Era
Recurring roles across 'NYPD Blue,' 'Moesha,' 'The Wire,' 'Law & Order' and dozens more — always representing the culture.
Today
Founder & Cultural Architect
Launches The Spirit of Hip-Hop Foundation to translate three decades of culture, lessons and leadership into youth impact.
Why The Foundation Exists.
Four pillars guide every program, every partnership and every dollar raised.
Education With Soul
Bring culturally responsive curriculum into classrooms so students see themselves in the material — and rise to it.
Healing The Culture
Use SEL, mentorship and creative expression to address trauma, build identity, and protect young minds.
Leadership Pipelines
Open pathways for the next generation of artists, entrepreneurs, educators and community builders.
Positive Movement
Reclaim hip-hop's founding values — peace, love, unity and having fun — as a force for global good.
"Hip-hop saved my life. Now it's my turn to make sure it saves the next kid's life too."
— Fredro Starr, Founder
As An Artist
Co-founder of Onyx. Platinum-selling MC. Architect of an era that made hip-hop louder, harder and more honest. Continues to release music and perform globally.
As An Actor
Fifty-plus film and television credits spanning Spike Lee's Clockers, Save the Last Dance, The Wire, Moesha and dozens more — bringing hip-hop's voice into every storytelling room.
As A Founder
The architect of The Spirit of Hip-Hop Foundation — assembling cultural ambassadors, educators and partners to build curriculum, mentorship pipelines and youth leadership programs worldwide.
Stand With The Founder.
Every program we run, every classroom we reach and every young leader we develop is fueled by people who believe hip-hop can change lives. Join the movement Fredro started.