Gravediggaz
This New York, USA-based hip-hop "supergroup" was formed by ex-Stetsasonic personnel Prince Paul (b. Paul Huston, USA) and Fruitkwan, renamed the Undertaker and the Gatekeeper respectively, plus Poetic the Grym Reaper (Anthony Berkeley, d. 15 July 2001, Los Angeles, California, USA), and RZA the Rzarector. Poetic was formerly a member of the Grimm Brothers, while RZA was the production genius behind Staten Island's Wu-Tang Clan. Prince Paul started the group after his Doo Dew label collapsed, needing a new venture to express his frustration. He had originally contacted his fellow band members with the intention of putting together a compilation album. The outfit's debut single was "Diary Of A Madman", which premiered their gothic/horror style, and utilised loops donated by producer RNS (famed for his work on Shyheim's debut set). They toured in the USA with the Wu-Tang Clan, while Prince Paul went back to production work for Soul II Soul (having already recorded the groundbreaking 3 Feet High And Rising with them) and Living Colour. Further work such as the Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide EP and the 6 Feet Deep set embossed a growing reputation for their horrorcore hip-hop. By 1995, they were also considered by many to be the nearest US approximation of the UK's trip-hop scene. This impression was cemented by a collaboration with Tricky on The Hell EP, which entered the UK Top 40. The Wu-Tang production crew of True Master and Goldfinghaz worked on The Pick, The Sickle And The Shovel, leaving RZA free to concentrate on his rhymes. Poetic died of colon cancer in 2001.
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Albums
- (2006) The Pick, The Sickle and the Shovel
- (2006) 6 Feet Deep
- (1997) 6 Feet Deep
- (1997) The Pick, The Sickle And The Shovel
Top Tracks
- 1-800 Suicide
- Diary of a Madman
- Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide
- Constant Elevation
- Bang Your Head
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