''6 Feet Deep'' (also titled ''Niggamortis'' in some regions) is the debut album of the American hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz. Formed by former Tommy Boy Records artists Prince Paul, RZA, Frukwan and

Poetic Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...

, the group utilized horror-themed imagery and lyrics combined with

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

and

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

to vent their frustrations with the hip hop

record industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

. The album's concept satirizes the

hardcore hip hop Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally cha ...

and gangsta rap of the early 1990s. Released on August 9, 1994 by

Gee Street Records Gee Street Records was a British hip hop record label started by Jon Baker in 1985. The label's name came from its original location, a converted warehouse on Gee Street (off Old Street) in London, EC1. Between 1980 and 1984, label head Ba ...

, the album helped usher in

horrorcore Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...

Production

The conception of the Gravediggaz group came at a low point in the careers of each of the group's members, each of which had at one point or another been signed to Tommy Boy Records and had not had good experiences with the label. Prince Paul had also contributed drums to the RZA's early single " Ooh We Love You Rakeem". According to Paul, the RZA was trying to get signed to Doo Dew Man Records, Paul's

vanity label A vanity label (see related topic on vanity press) is an informal name sometimes given to a record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, ...

distributed by

Def Jam Records Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

, but Paul had failed to get the label off the ground, and the only album recorded for the label, Resident Alien's ''It Takes a Nation of Suckers to Hold Us In'', was shelved by Def Jam. Additionally, Paul and rapper Frukwan had both recently left

Stetsasonic Stetsasonic is an American hip hop band. Formed in 1981 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, Stetsasonic was one of the first hip hop acts to perform with a full band and use live instrumentation in their recordings, paving the way for future ...

, and while Paul had received much praise for his instrumentals for De La Soul's acclaimed debut album, '' 3 Feet High and Rising'', the group's follow-up album ''

De La Soul is Dead ''De La Soul Is Dead'' is the second studio album by American hip-hop group De La Soul, released on May 14, 1991. The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on '' 3 Feet High and Rising'' was highly praised by music critics. The album w ...

'' was not well received, and De La Soul were beginning to handle more of their own production, alienating Paul from the group and leaving him in a "dark nddepressed" mood, which was reflected in the instrumentals he was creating at this time. Paul called rappers RZA, Frukwan, and

separately, inviting them to listen to these new instrumentals in his home, and RZA suggested that they form a group together and proposed they name it Gravediggaz, which met with the approval of the four, who each took on "grave-themed" aliases - the Undertaker (Prince Paul), the Grym Reaper (Poetic), the Gatekeeper (Frukwan) and the RZArector - and recorded the demo "The House That Hatred Built". The formation of the Gravediggaz made the group one of hip hop's first supergroups. The demo was shopped to Def Jam and Jive Records, who both passed on the group. Subsequently, Poetic began working at a bagel factory, Frukwan got a job making clothes, and the RZA co-founded the

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

, which Paul later observed had been influenced by the Gravediggaz' conceptualization as a concept-oriented rap supergroup. Eazy-E offered the Gravediggaz a contract with Ruthless Records, but Paul turned it down due to Jerry Heller's contract, which Paul described as "one of the worst ontractsI’ve ever seen in my life." Several years after the demo was recorded,

offered a better contract, and subsequently signed the group. "Constant Elevation" was the first song recorded by the group after signing with Gee Street. Poetic rewrote his intro verse after some bad takes, establishing the energy that would carry over to the rest of the album's vocal sessions. RZA intended to record "

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" is the second single released from the Gravediggaz' debut album, ''6 Feet Deep ''6 Feet Deep'' (also titled ''Niggamortis'' in some regions) is the debut album of the American hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz ...

" as a solo track, but Prince Paul recorded additional verses from Frukwan and Poetic.

Composition

Gravediggaz was one of the first rap groups in the subgenre

, which ''The Quietus'' writer David Bennun described as "a then novel means of addressing black life at street level ndfinding a new way of getting that message across". ''Q'' magazine said that the Gravediggaz "use death, burial and The Grim Reaper as central themes for a chilling mid-tempo stomp through America's urban problems." Bennun connects Gravediggaz' lyrics not only to the

hardcore rap Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally char ...

lyrics of the Geto Boys and

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. They have sold over 20 million albums worldwide and have multi-platinum and platinum albums. They are considered to be among the main progenitors of West Coast and 1990 ...

, but also to

EC Comics Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books, which specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-195 ...

' ''

Tales From The Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...

''. According to John-Michael Bond in his review for ''Rap Reviews'', the album's unifying theme is hate, which Gravediggaz use as "a metaphor for murdering the mindless drivel that infected early '90s

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

". Hip hop at this time had shifted towards violent gangsta rap, due to the popularity of

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip hop group whose members were among the earliest and most significant popularizers and controversial figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, and the group is widely considered ...

and Ruthless Records, and the lyrical content of early-90s rap acts was seen as "vying to outdo the last for cold-blooded gruesomeness, justified on the grounds that it was simply portraying life as it is on the street", according to Bennun. In contrast to the serious-toned violent threats of hardcore rap, the Gravediggaz' lyrics combine horror themes with

and

, exemplified by the album's original title, ''Niggamortis''. According to Bond, "Gravediggaz were born out of a disdain and hatred for the bullshit that surrounded four men whose talents were under represented at the time and set out to make the most uncompromising music possible." Bond compares ''6 Feet Deep'' to

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

s like ''

The Last House on the Left ''The Last House on the Left'' is a 1972 American exploitation horror film written, directed and edited by Wes Craven in his directorial debut. The film follows Mari Collingwood (Sandra Peabody), a hippie teenager who is abducted, raped, and ...

'' and '' Dawn of the Dead''. Gravediggaz also drew inspiration from the lyrical themes and imagery of

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

. " Diary of a Madman" uses imagery from the

crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consid ...

in RZA's verse. Despite the group intending the lyrics of " 1-800 Suicide", which appear to encourage suicide, as dark humor, high scrutiny of rap lyrics at this time meant that the Gravediggaz had to record an alternate lyric version as an anti-suicide PSA. Most of the album's instrumentals were created by Prince Paul. According to ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Paul's

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

vokes Vokes is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Christopher Vokes Major General Christopher Vokes (13 April 1904 – 27 March 1985) was a senior Canadian Army officer who fought in World War II. He commanded the 2nd Canadian Inf ...

the atmosphere of horror movies and ominous effects". The piano loop of "Constant Elevation" was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

from

Allen Toussaint Allen Richard Toussaint (; January 14, 1938 – November 10, 2015) was an American musician, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was an influential figure in New Orleans rhythm and blues from the 1950s to the end of the century, descri ...

's "Louie". "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" samples

Eugene McDaniels Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart with " A Hun ...

"Jagger’s Dagger". "Defective Trip (Trippin')" utilizes

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

playing. It samples John Ussery's "Listen to the Melody" and

Alvin Cash Alvin Cash (born Alvin Welch; February 15, 1939 – November 21, 1999) was an American pop singer and actor. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Cash was and a graduate of St. Louis's Sumner High School (also attended by Luther Ingram, Billy ...

's "Twine Time". "2 Cups of Blood" samples it's keyboard loop from

Larry Willis Lawrence Elliott Willis (December 20, 1942 – September 29, 2019) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He performed in a wide range of styles, including jazz fusion, Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop, and avant-garde jazz, avant-garde. Willis was b ...

' "Inner Crisis." "Blood Brothers" does not utilize any samples. Paul's instrumental for "Bang Your Head" was originally created for the Cold Crush Four, but after the group rejected the instrumental, RZA proposed using it for the Gravediggaz. "Diary of a Madman", one of the album's only tracks to feature an instrumental by the RZA, utilized a shelved instrumental demo intended for a Wu-Tang Clan song, sampling

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

. "1-800 Suicide" samples Booker T. & the M.G.'s "Sunny". "Death Trap" samples the Whole Darn Family's "7 Minutes of Funk"; The song's lyrics refer to drug overdoses, murder and Lorena Bobbitt.

Release and reception

The album was released on August 9, 1994. It was released under the title ''Niggamortis'' outside of the United States. ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' wrote that "the flustered beats, washed in minor chords, are strangely irresistible". ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' praised the album for "feverishly ocumentingthe low life". The magazine later ranked the album at #22 on their list of the "Top 50 Albums Of 1994". In 2009, '' Fangoria'' named it as an iconic

album.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Singles

Personnel

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. ; Gravediggaz *

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

- vocals, composer, arranger, associate producer, engineer, mixing, producer, score, scratching * RZArector - vocals, composer, mixing, producer * Grym Reaper - vocals, mixing * Gatekeeper - vocals, mixing, producer ; Additional personell * Eddie Berkeley - vocals * Carlos Bess - assistant engineer *

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

- guest artist, vocals * Booker T. & the MG's - performer * Djinji Brown - vocals * D. Collins - composer * Craig G - guest artist * Chris Gehringer - engineer, mastering * Scott Harding - bass guitar, engineer, mixing, vocals * Hellrazor - vocals * Penelope Houston - composer * James Jackson - vocals * Just-Ice - performer *

Killah Priest Walter Reed (born August 16, 1970), better known by his stage name Killah Priest, is an American rapper, member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, Brooklyn. He is known for his inten ...

- vocals *

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

- performer * Kurious - guest artist, vocals * Leroy and the Drivers - performer, primary artist * Derrick Lovelace - vocals * Masta Ace - guest artist *

MC Serch Michael Berrin (born May 6, 1967), best known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and music executive. He is a former member of 3rd Bass and Non Phixion. Early life and education Serch grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York ...

- guest artist, vocals * Eugene McDaniels - composer * Don McKenzie - vocals * Mr. Sime - mixing, producer, vocals, composer * Dennis Mitchell - assistant engineer * A. Moon - composer * Don Newkirk - keyboards * Waymon Reed - composer *

Vernon Reid Vernon Alphonsus Reid (born 22 August 1958) is an English-born American guitarist and songwriter. Reid is the founder and primary songwriter of the rock band Living Colour, Reid was named No. 66 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2003 list of the ...

- guest artist, vocals * RNS - producer * Angela Rushen - composer * Patrice Rushen - composer * Ethan Ryman - engineer * Scientific Shabazz - vocals * Skiz - vocals * Jamey Staub - assistant engineer * Raquelle Stroud - vocals * T. Thomas - composer * Allen Toussaint - performer * John Ussery - performer * Franz Verna - assistant engineer * The Whole Darn Family - performer * Wildman Steve - vocals * Tracey Amier Witherspoon - vocals

References

{{Authority control 1994 debut albums Gravediggaz albums Gee Street Records albums Albums produced by RZA Albums produced by Prince Paul (producer) Hip hop albums by American artists