For no particular reason, this album has gotten back into rotation for me. I think I found it laying around at another blog.
A precursor to when artists & superproducers would work together, the gravediggaz features two of the finest of all-time, RZA & Prince Paul.
Of all the Wu offshoots, this may have been the shining star.
Unfortunately, the gospel of this album has become something of a lost book of the Bible.
And this was back when RZA was still on top of his shit.
It was a paradox - an album that was supposed to be dark (it was) had some of the cleanest production; the haunting lyrics of nightmares, hallucinations, & murder was prolly one of the best sources to explain the source of frustration for so many younger people; and on an album that was portrayed as "devilish", it actually contained four strong practicing members of the Islamic faith.
Paradox at it's finest.
"Diary Of A Madman" and "1-800-Suicide" both tore up the mixtapes during the time when this album was out.
But for a break from the "horrorcore" aesthetic of the album & to see what made it purely beautiful, you'd have to give a listen to two tracks that are classic hip-hop in its purest sense, "Graveyard Chamber" and "6 Feet Deep." Since it wasn't exactly promoted as a mainstream release, the crew members take chances, from the producers using a variety of samples to everybody involved having fun experimenting with vocal inflections & rhyme patterns.
I be the Bushwick dutchmaster rapper
I love black women and I hate fuckin crackers
Check me yo
My breath stink 'cause I smoke skunk punk
everyday of the month
in a dutchmaster fuckin blunt
Bust the cliche
Niggas talkin he-say-she-say about me
ya bitch-ass-niggas
Y'all not ass, y'all titty
y'all style is shitty
How dare you try to represent New York fuckin City
I been down since BVDs and dew rags
shelltops and shags
I was a little badass with regular and tre bags
Always tryin to get shit I never had
'cause times is bad like luck
That's why I don't give a fuck
I dig up my nose and my butt
on the bus or the train
This is for niggas walkin in the rain
listenin to they walkman(e)
talkin the New York fuckin slang
"Graveyard Chamber"
It really doesn't get much better.
Gravediggaz - Six Feet Deep
I can't take any credit for this collective, that credit is reserved for CS.SA for putting me on & the cats @ Palms Out Sounds for puttin' it out there...
T.I. - "What You Know" (Ross Hogg Remix)*
Blackstar ft. Common & Black Thought - "Respiration" (Pete Rock Remix)*
Nas - "It Ain't Hard to Tell" (Dangermouse Remix)
Slick Rick - "It's A Boy" (Pete Rock Remix)*
Timbaland & Magoo ft. Missy - "Luv 2 Luv U" (Remix)
Gravediggaz - "Nowhere to Run" (Portishead Remix)
The Verve - "Bittersweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix)
Lil' Kim - "The Jump Off" (Prinz Valium Remix)*
Mos Def - "Umi Says" (Zero 7 Remix)
Depeche Mode - "In Your Room" (Portishead Remix)*
Blackstar ft. Common & Black Thought - "Respiration" (Pete Rock Remix)*
Nas - "It Ain't Hard to Tell" (Dangermouse Remix)
Slick Rick - "It's A Boy" (Pete Rock Remix)*
Timbaland & Magoo ft. Missy - "Luv 2 Luv U" (Remix)
Gravediggaz - "Nowhere to Run" (Portishead Remix)
The Verve - "Bittersweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix)
Lil' Kim - "The Jump Off" (Prinz Valium Remix)*
Mos Def - "Umi Says" (Zero 7 Remix)
Depeche Mode - "In Your Room" (Portishead Remix)*
It looks like money is doing his own hosting over there. So instead of sending all you leechers over there to kill their bandwith, I took a sec to upload it for everybody's benefit.
The tracks take on a whole different feel, ranging from dance movement to straight cool out to TIP seeming as if he's on some rude bwoy shit a la his "I'm Serious" days. If for nothing more, the "Respiration" & "Umi Says" remixes are worth a listen. Hearing the Thought, Com, Talib & Mos over Pete Rock's jazzy pace is a mesh made in heaven.