Gravediggaz was an American hip hop group from New York, known for its dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing

soundscape A soundscape is the acoustic environment as perceived by humans, in context. The term was originally coined by Michael Southworth, and popularised by R. Murray Schafer. There is a varied history of the use of soundscape depending on discipline, r ...

s. Gravediggaz blended

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 ...

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

and heavy metal with horror elements to pioneer the hip-hop subgenre of

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 ...

. The group was formed in 1994, which brought together Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper),

Too Poetic Anthony Ian Berkeley (November 15, 1964 – July 15, 2001) better known as Too Poetic, was an American rapper and producer. He was also a founding member of the hip-hop group Gravediggaz, for which he used the alias Grym Reaper. He also used t ...

(The Grym Reaper) and

RZA Robert Fitzgerald Diggs (born July 5, 1969), better known by his stage name the RZA ( ), is an American rapper, actor, filmmaker, and record producer. He is the ''de facto'' leader of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, having produced most albums ...

(The RZArector). It came about largely due to the efforts of Prince Paul. Frukwan and Prince Paul were previously together in the group

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 ...

Biography

The group's first album was originally titled ''Niggamortis''; however, this potentially risqué title was changed to ''

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

'' for the American market (European versions of the album retained the original title, and also included the bonus track "Pass the Shovel"); it was released on August 9, 1994. The four members adopted ''Gravedigga''

alter ego An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...

s for their work with the group: RZA became The RZArector; Poetic became The Grym Reaper; Prince Paul became The Undertaker; and Frukwan became The Gatekeeper. In 1995, the three rhyming members (without Prince Paul) released a collaborative EP titled '' The Hell E.P.'' with English

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop ...

artist Tricky. The second full-length Gravediggaz album ''

The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel ''The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel'' is the second studio album by hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz. Released on September 16, 1997 via Gee Street, V2 and BMG Records, the album has a more socially conscious sound and is considerably calmer t ...

'' was less humorous, dealing more with social and political issues; it also used calmer and more conventional production. Prince Paul played a considerably smaller role in the making of this album, with many of the production duties eventually taken care of by RZA and his

Wu-Tang affiliates The following is a list of Wu-Tang Clan's associated acts and affiliates, known as the Killa Beez, the Midwest Wasps, and the Wu Fam. At times, they are directly funded, supported, or produced by Clan members, are formed as extension groups origin ...

(including

True Master Derrick Harris (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name True Master, is an American hip-hop record producer and occasional rapper, known for his affiliation with the Wu-Tang Clan. Production credits 1995 *''Guru presents Ill Kid ...

and

4th Disciple Selwyn Bougard, now known as El-Divine Amir Bey (born May 23, 1974), better known by his stage name 4th Disciple, is a record producer and audio engineer who was one of the founding members of Killarmy and one of the best-known Wu-Tang-affiliat ...

). A bootleg Gravediggaz album, named ''Scenes From The Graveyard'', surfaced in 1998. It featured seven unreleased tracks plus some remixes from the first two albums. Gravediggaz recruited DJ Diamond J. Poetic died of

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

in July 2001. Frukwan stated in an interview not long after Poetic's death that a new album using leftover Poetic material would be released. '' Nightmare in A-Minor'', the third official album, came out in 2001; it featured two of the original members, Poetic and Frukwan. The album is considered to be the group’s darkest work yet, including many references to Poetic's struggle with cancer, as well as apocalyptic themes to do with the teachings of the

Five-Percent Nation The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE/NOGE) or the Five Percenters, is a Black nationalist movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, ...

. Although RZA did not take part in the album, some Wu-Tang Clan affiliates such as 4th Disciple, True Master,

Prodigal Sunn Lamar Ruff, known professionally as Prodigal Sunn, is an American rapper, actor & film producer. He is a member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan original affiliate. Biography Prodigal Sunn is an American Rapper, Actor, & Film Producer from Br ...

Beretta 9 Kinetic 9 or Beretta 9 (born Samuel Craig Murray) is a member of the hip-hop group Killarmy, a group affiliated with The Wu-Tang Clan. He is also a member of the group Achozen alongside Shavo Odadjian and The RZA. Killarmy went on to record th ...

, and Shogun Assason were involved. The album was mostly produced by Poetic and Frukwan. A different version of the album (minus the song "Better Wake Up") was released in 2002, for which some of the tracks created by Poetic were replaced or altered. In 2003, Frukwan released his debut solo album, ''Life''. Gravediggaz’ fourth album, '' 6 Feet Under'', was released in 2004 by X-Ray/Cleopatra Records and featured songs from '' Nightmare in A-Minor'' and ''Life''. According to Frukwan, he had nothing to do with the release and claimed that song titles were changed without permission, making it an unauthorized release. In 2010, Gravediggaz recorded a new song, "2 More Cups of Blood". In 2011, it was announced that the group had been recording new tracks involving

Shabazz the Disciple Shabazz the Disciple, also known as Scientific Shabazz, born David Collins, is a rapper from the Red Hook Houses of Red Hook, Brooklyn. He is an original member of the Sunz of Man and Da Last Future. Biography Shabazz appeared in the 1994 Grav ...

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 ...

. In 2018, the Gatekeeper released "1 Cup of Blood" under the Gravediggaz name.

Style and influence

According to Frukwan, the group's name means "digging graves of the mentally dead, and it stood for resurrecting the mentally dead from their state of unawareness and ignorance."Frukwan (Gravediggaz) Interview - [Gate Keeping With Frukwan] - Wu-international.com
The group's lyrics mix

black humor 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 ...

, including topics such as

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

, death, killing,

psychopathy Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent Anti-social behaviour, antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and Boldness, bold, Disinhibition, disinhibited, and Egotism, egotistical B ...

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

, etc.; criticism regarding the music industry; cartoonish violence reminiscent of the

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earning ...

Insane Poetry Insane Poetry is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1988, it is considered to be one of the first horrorcore groups. History The group was formed by Cyco, then known as Psycho (born Andrew "Drew" Holi ...

, or early

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...

; and esoteric references to the

Nation of Gods and Earths The Five-Percent Nation, sometimes referred to as the Nation of Gods and Earths (NGE/NOGE) or the Five Percenters, is a Black nationalist movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in the Harlem section of the borough of Manhattan, N ...

. The group pioneered the

genre. The irony used by Gravediggaz has influenced

hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno or hardcore house) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos and a distorte ...

through Mark Newland's sampling of the group's prose in

Nasenbluten Nasenbluten were an Australian electronic music group, formed in Newcastle in 1992. The group was made up of Aaron Lubinski, David Melo, and Mark Newlands, and released six studio albums before disbanding in 2001. They have been described as a s ...

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

6 Feet Deep ''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, the group utilized horror-the ...

'' (1994) * ''

'' (1997) * '' Nightmare in A-Minor'' (2001)

Compilation albums

* '' 6 Feet Under'' (2004)

References

External links

Gravediggaz at discogs

Frukwan website
{{Authority control 1993 establishments in New York City African-American musical groups Five percenters Hip hop groups from New York City Horrorcore groups Gee Street Records artists Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 Musical groups reestablished in 2010 Musical quartets Hip hop supergroups Underground hip hop groups Wu-Tang Clan affiliates