Gravediggaz were an 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- ...

group from New York. Known for their dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing

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

s, Gravediggaz blended

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 ...

with horror elements to pioneer the hip-hop subgenre of

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 ...

. The group was formed in 1991, bringing together Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper), Too Poetic (The Grym Reaper) and Prince Rakeem (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 supergroup Gravediggaz. Formed by former Tommy Boy Records artists Prince Paul, RZA, Frukwan and Poetic, the group utilized horror-themed ...

'' 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") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...

s for their work with the group: Prince Rakeem 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 is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

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 ...

'' 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 (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 rapper, known for his affiliation with the Wu-Tang Clan. Production credits 1995 *Guru ''presents: Ill Kid Records'' ...

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 DJ, record producer and audio engineer who was one of the founding members of Killarmy and one of the best-known Wu-Tang-a ...

). 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 ...

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 an Black nationalism, Afro-American Nationalist movement influenced by the Nation of Islam founded in 1964 in the Harlem secti ...

. 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. He is a member of Sunz of Man and Wu-Tang Clan original affiliate. Career The name "Prodigal Sunn" was given to him by childhood friend Killah Priest. Along with Hel ...

Beretta 9 Killarmy () is an American hip hop group that is affiliated with Wu-Tang Clan. It is one of the earliest and most successful of the many Wu-Tang affiliates along with Sunz of Man. Killarmy's music consists of lyrics and songs focused on the ...

, 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''. The compilation 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 &

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 ...

. 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 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 ...

, including topics such as

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

, death, killing,

psychopathy Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity ...

hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

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

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 ...

, or early

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American hip-hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip-hop group, they went on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mystic Stylez'' became an influen ...

; and esoteric references to the Nation of Gods and Earths. The group pioneered the

genre. The irony used by Gravediggaz has influenced

hardcore techno Hardcore (also known as hardcore techno) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany in the early 1990s. It is distinguished by faster tempos (160 to 200 BPM or more) and a distorted sawtooth ...

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

* ''

'' (1994) * ''

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

Compilation albums

* '' 6 Feet Under'' (2004) * ''Halloween Nights In The Graveyard'' (2023)

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 from New York (state) Hip-hop supergroups Wu-Tang Clan affiliates