Bönz Malone was born in the Bronx and has been called the "Hunter S. Thompson of Hip Hop". He also co-wrote and starred in the prison film Slam, which won the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
Bönz Malone began his writing career at Youth Communication in 1986, where he was a teen writer and reporter for New Youth Connections (later renamed YCteen), a magazine written by and for New York City public high school students. At Youth Communication, Malone developed and perfected his hip hop writing style in a monthly column called Streetalk, which ran from 1987 to 1989. Bonz later took the Streetalk column and style to Spin magazine, Vibe magazine, and other venues where he became a notable contributor.
While he was at Youth Communication Malone was featured in "What's Going On," the Marc Levin television documentary about graffiti and street life. It was the first of several films that he has appeared in. Malone is also the author of the lavish coffee table book Hip Hop Immortals, for which he profiled 85 rappers and hip hop artists.