Songfacts®:

• Before issuing their powerhouse "Slam," Onyx released "Throw Ya Gunz" as the first single from their debut album, Bacdafucup. The song has lots of violent imagery, with references to specific firearms (TEC-9, gats), but the "throw your guns in the air" refrain just means to put your hands in the air, something hip-hop MCs have implored since it started.
• Onyx did a lot of work with Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC on their first album, but "Throw Ya Gunz" was produced and co-written by Chyskillz, who went on to work with the likes of Public Enemy and Ice Cube.
• The song is a great introduction to Onyx, four hardcore rappers with bald heads that looks like they might explode at any time. The video captures their manic energy, showing them doing their thing among a crowd of onlookers.
  
  Relative to the rest of the album, the song is rather tame, which made it suitable for airplay - it was a #1 hit on the Rap chart and even made the Hot 100 at #81.
• The music video was the first directed by Diane Martel, who became one of the leaders in the form, behind the lens for Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover," Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," and Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle."