Fredro Starr, co-founder of Onyx and longtime actor, is set to direct his first feature film, The Tunnel.
A coming-of-age story set in 1990s New York, the film unfolds inside the iconic nightclub that once stood as a heartbeat of hip-hop culture and urban nightlife.
Rising actor Deyshaun Tucker, currently starring in The Family Business, leads the indie production. He plays a young man caught between loyalty, ambition, and self-discovery during one unforgettable night. The plot follows him and his college basketball teammate as they hustle to get into The Tunnel, setting off a wild night of love, risk, and revelation.
More than a club tale, The Tunnel is a tribute to a vanished New York—gritty, raw, and full of electric promise. It captures the pulse of a generation raised on mixtapes, graffiti, and neon-lit chaos, when hip-hop was still becoming the dominant cultural force it is today.
The real Tunnel operated from 1986 to 2001 inside the Terminal Warehouse building in Chelsea. It became a rite of passage for rap royalty, fashion rebels, and nightlifers alike. Documented in Complex’s oral history, its legacy now inspires Starr’s semi-autobiographical screenplay.
Co-written with Jason Latief Anderson, the script draws from Starr’s memoir BACDAFUCUP: The Story of Onyx, infusing the film with personal memories of that era’s raw energy and stakes. It aims to honor the creativity, risk, and survival of Black and brown youth who found identity and escape within the nightlife underground.
Produced by Fredro Starr’s 100 MAD Company, the film begins shooting in New York in June 2025. Casting updates are expected in the coming weeks.
For Starr, The Tunnel marks more than a directorial debut—it’s a cinematic preservation of a cultural moment. A time when hip-hop ruled the night, and one night out could change everything.
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