''6 Feet Deep'' (also titled ''Niggamortis'' in some regions) is the debut album of the American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

supergroup

Gravediggaz Gravediggaz were an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from New York. Known for their Black comedy, dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes, Gravediggaz blended hardcore hip hop and gangsta rap with horror elements to pioneer t ...

. Formed by former

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

artists Prince Paul,

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

, Frukwan and

Poetic Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, the group utilized

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...

-themed imagery and lyrics combined with

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

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 exposin ...

to vent their frustrations with the hip hop

record industry The music industry are 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, represent a ...

. The album's concept satirizes the

hardcore hip hop Hardcore hip-hop (also known as hardcore rap) is a subgenre 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 gen ...

and

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...

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, Rachel O'Neill, Stereo MC's and DJ Richie Rich in 1985. The label's name came from its original location, a converted warehouse on Gee Street (off Old Street) in Lond ...

, the album helped usher in

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

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

and had not had good experiences with the label. Prince Paul had also contributed drums to the

's early single " Ooh We Love You Rakeem". According to Paul, the RZA was trying to get signed to Dew Doo Man Records, Paul's

vanity label Informally, a vanity label (compare vanity press) is a record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the com ...

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 launch the label, and Def Jam put Resident Alien's It Takes a Nation of Suckers to Hold Us In, the label's lone album, on hold. 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 De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...

's acclaimed debut album, ''

3 Feet High and Rising ''3 Feet High and Rising'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group De La Soul, released on February 6, 1989, by Tommy Boy Records. It was the first of three collaborations with the producer Prince Paul, and was the critical and ...

'', 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 13, 1991. The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on ''3 Feet High and Rising'' was highly praised by music critics. The album was ...

'' 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

's first supergroups. The demo was shopped to Def Jam and

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

, 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 collective formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its members include RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and, until his death in 2004, O ...

, which Paul later observed had been influenced by the Gravediggaz' conceptualization as a concept-oriented rap supergroup.

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

offered the Gravediggaz a contract with

Ruthless Records Ruthless Records was an American independent record label founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller in Compton, California on March 3, 1987. All of the Ruthless trademarks have been owned by Comptown Records, Inc. since 1987. Several ...

, but Paul turned it down due to

Jerry Heller Gerald Elliot Heller (October 6, 1940 – September 2, 2016) was an American music manager and businessman. He was best known for his management of West Coast rap and gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A and Eazy-E. He rose to prominence in the 1960s ...

'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 a song written and performed by American hardcore hip-hop four-piece supergroup Gravediggaz. It was released on September 6, 1994 via Gee Street Records as the second single from the group's debut full-length st ...

" 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 known as hardcore rap) is a subgenre 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 ...

lyrics of the

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) were an American hip hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. They saw commercial success in the 1990s with the lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D. The group became best ...

and

Cypress Hill Cypress Hill is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in South Gate, California in 1988. One of the first Latin groups to gain mainstream recognition in hip hop, they have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, and have obtained multi ...

, but also to

EC Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...

' ''

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, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

". Hip hop at this time had shifted towards violent

, due to the popularity of

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

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

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 fro ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

s like '' The Last House on the Left'' 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 Music genre, 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 band ...

. " Diary of a Madman" uses imagery from the

crucifixion of Jesus The crucifixion of Jesus was the death of Jesus by being crucifixion, nailed to a cross.The instrument of Jesus' crucifixion, instrument of crucifixion is taken to be an upright wooden beam to which was added a transverse wooden beam, thus f ...

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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', 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 stat ...

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

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

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, descr ...

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

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

"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 electric Guitar amplifier, sound amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar. It uses one or more pickup (music technology), pickups ...

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 a graduate of St. Louis's Sumner High School (also attended by Luther Ingram, Billy Davi ...

'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. Willis was born in New York Ci ...

' "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. Starting his 69-year career with singles of standard (music), standard music, Mathis is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century and became highly popular as ...

. "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 John Wayne Bobbitt (born 1967) and Lorena Gallo (formerly Lorena Bobbitt; born May 15, 1969) were an American former couple, married on June 18, 1989, whose relationship received international press coverage in 1993 when Lorena severed John's p ...

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 online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' 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, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' praised the album for "feverishly ocumentingthe low life". The magazine later ranked the album at No. 22 on its list of the "Top 50 Albums of 1994". The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' concluded that, "Even with their rotten language and funereal imagery, the Gravediggaz's grim rapping is not the lurid, flesh-chopping of, say,

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. Today, Cyco under the alias Insane Poetry is a solo artist History The group was f ...

." In 2009, ''

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

'' named it as an iconic

album. In 2022, ''

'' placed it at number 177 on their list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. The magazine's writer Mosi Reeves said, "As a major label-backed attempt to bring horrorcore to the mainstream, Gravediggaz were a notable failure. But plenty of heads found pleasure in this bugged-out satire of hardcore values, fire-and-brimstone theology, and horror movie tropes."

Track listing

All tracks written by

Anthony Berkeley Anthony Berkeley Cox (5 July 1893 – 9 March 1971) was an English crime writer. He wrote under several pen-names, including Francis Iles, Anthony Berkeley and A. Monmouth Platts. Early life and education Anthony Berkeley Cox was born 5 July ...

, Robert Diggs, Arnold Hamilton and Paul Huston and produced by Prince Paul except where noted.

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 database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

. ; Gravediggaz *

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

- vocals, composer, arranger, associate producer, engineer, mixing, producer, score, scratching *

rector - vocals, composer, mixing, producer *

The Grym Reaper Anthony Ian Berkeley (November 15, 1964 – July 15, 2001) better known as 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 the a ...

- vocals, mixing * Gatekeeper - vocals, mixing, producer ; Additional personnel * 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 who gained prominence during hip hop's golden age. He was particularly recognized for ...

- 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, a member of Sunz of Man, and a Wu-Tang Clan affiliate who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for his intensely spiritual ...

- 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 the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

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

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), better known by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. A lead member of Mr. Magic's hip hop collective Juice Crew, he is best known for his guest appearance alo ...

- guest artist *

MC Serch Michael Berrin (born May 6, 1967), better known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and record executive. He gained fame as part of the hip hop group 3rd Bass, who were active in the late 1980s and early 1990s and released three s ...

- 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 American guitarist and songwriter best known as the founder of the rock band Living Colour. Reid was named No. 66 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Ti ...

- 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)