Wu-Tang Clan: Logo #280

"The original Wu-Tang stickers when RZA was on Tommy Boy (came out in) 1991. The "W" as we know it (appeared in) 1992." So says the creator, Wu-Tang Clan logo designer Allah Mathematics. You might not see eye-to-eye with the Wu-Tang on everything, but you can at least talk about martial arts movies and spirituality with them. They seem like they'd be up for it.

This Day in Death:
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)
Walt Kelly ("Pogo"; August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973)
Dwain Esper (October 7, 1892 - October 18, 1982)
Henri Michaux (May 24, 1899 - October 18, 1984)
Lucky Philip Dube (August 3, 1964 - October 18, 2007)

Onyx: Logo #274

"Keith Brown here, I manage Sticky, Fredro and Onyx as a group. The Madface was originally sketched out by Fredro Starr as a caricature of Sticky's face and came to use around 1991/1992." Underrated these past twenty years, Onyx promises a new album in 2009; original member Big DS (born Marlon G. Fletcher; July 29, 1971 - May 22, 2003) died of cancer in Queens and there must be something about July 29 that augurs truth-tellers because his is the same birthday as Jenny Holzer and Ken Burns. Certainly Onyx are one of those few hip-hop groups that still live up to Chuck D's assertion that rap is the "CNN of black America" - an observation from many moons ago that stands in stark contrast to our sparkling age of bling and diamond rings and other temporary things. But not Linen-n-Things. They've gone bankrupt. Where-ever shall we buy our things now?! SLAM!

Logo #31: Public Enemy

Now it can be told! Chuck D: "I designed it in 1986. As a graphic graduate, I did it as a combo of two former groups. When the Public Enemy group and concept was signed to Def Jam in 1986, I simply moved the logo from the other dormant situation to PE. It was tightened up for the upcoming ads and album "Yo! Bum Rush The Show" in 1987 by New York artist Eric Haze. For the longest time, rumors had said it was a state trooper in the target scope, but the truth was it was a b-boy of that time where fedoras and Kangols were the hats of choice. I silhouetted E-Love, LL Cool J's right-hand man, in a fanzine named "Right On" with Magic Marker, X-acto-knifed it out then layed a target scope over it, using Wite-Out within the blackened figure. After some runs through the copier - presto."