Gravediggaz
Gravediggaz | |
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Background information | |
Origin | New York, U.S. |
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Gravediggaz was an American hip hop group from New York, known for its dark sense of humor and abrasive, menacing soundscapes. Gravediggaz blended hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap and heavy metal with horror elements to pioneer the hip-hop subgenre of horrorcore.[2][3][4][5]
The group was formed in 1994, which brought together Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper), Too Poetic (The Grym Reaper) and RZA (The RZArector). It came about largely due to the efforts of Prince Paul. Frukwan and Prince Paul were previously together in the group Stetsasonic.
Biography
The group's first album was originally titled Niggamortis; however, this potentially risqué title was changed to
The second full-length Gravediggaz album The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel 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 and 4th Disciple).
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
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".[7] In 2011, it was announced that the group had been recording new tracks involving Shabazz the Disciple & Killah Priest.[8]
In 2018, the Gatekeeper released "1 Cup of Blood" under the Gravediggaz name.[9]
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."[10] The group's lyrics mix black humor, including topics such as suicide, death, killing, psychopathy, hell, etc.; criticism regarding the music industry; cartoonish violence reminiscent of the Geto Boys, Insane Poetry, or early Three 6 Mafia; and esoteric references to the Nation of Gods and Earths. The group pioneered the horrorcore genre.[3][4][5]
The irony used by Gravediggaz has influenced
Discography
Studio albums
- 6 Feet Deep (1994)
- The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel (1997)
- Nightmare in A-Minor (2001)
Compilation albums
- 6 Feet Under (2004)
- Halloween Nights In The Graveyard (2023)
References
- XXL Magazine. August 12, 2010. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Gravediggaz - Biography, Albums, Streaming Links - AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-33904-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-252-02620-1.
Gravediggaz horrorcore.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-56025-586-4.
Gravediggaz horrorcore.
- ^ "INTERVIEW: Frukwan". Altrap.com. August 1, 2001. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ Kujundzic, Petar (October 28, 2010). "RZA featuring Gravediggaz – 2 More Cups of Blood". Hypebeast. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
- ^ "Gravediggaz Working On Reunion Album, Set To Reunite Onstage At Cage Vs Cons L.A." ballerstatus.com. May 18, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
- ^ Dead, Leeps Isn't (May 9, 2018). "Gatekeeper 1 Cup Of Blood (Stream)". 7thboro.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ Frukwan (Gravediggaz) Interview - [Gate Keeping With Frukwan] - Wu-international.com Archived May 24, 2012, at archive.today