Gravediggaz - N****mortis/6 Feet Deep (August 9, 1994)

Check out the future director's fangs and tufts of 'fro. I have to say, people: This picture is not even remotely frightening. It really looks like a lame comedy based on an SNL sketch gone horribly wrong.

But, I digress. I really don't know when I got into the Gravediggaz, but I definitely heard this album of theirs quite some time after hearing the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan's main 93-97 catalog. I also remember shrugging away from this album due to me perceiving that it was a horrorcore album, a genre I absolutely abhor. But before I get into that...

Allow me to take this time to mourn one of the greatest MCs to ever grab a microphone: The late Anthony Ian Berkeley from Wyandanch Long Island (home of hip hop royalty Rakim), aka Too Poetic aka The Grym Reaper. A true MC for over 20 years before his death, he never got recognized aside from family and friends until the later years of his career. Trust me when I tell you: The majority years of his career were not the most stable of times. After Tommy Boy released his promising 12" single called Poetical Terror/God Made Me Funky in 1989, they scrapped the deal because of course. For revenge, he got with his younger sibling, MC Brainstorm, and made a demo as the Bruthas Grym that turned a lot of heads and was very promising. Now, because life runs exactly like you want it to, Brainstorm decided it was high time for spiritual enlightenment, leaving that particular venture with nothing to live under. Ironic, that.

Because the Grym Reaper would actually spend some of 1992 homeless. I mean, I know some people go to dangerous extremes to sustain their careers but goddamn, homeless?! On the fucking street?! Furthermore, if one reads or watches some of this guy's interviews he would immediately recognize the man was extremely intelligent, therefore he would definitely not be some doofus who would lose a home because of stupid, irresponsible moves on his part. Considering that, I shudder to imagine what this person must've suffered through. Most tragic of all, he only spent 7 years among us after he finally got on before succumbing to colon cancer. My consolation is that this dude got a chance to explore his passions among a close family environment, mostly with MC Brainstorm and their younger brother DJ E-Sharp bka producer Goalfingaz, and that he died among loved ones.

I think about the following quite often, though: This man sacrificed so much for his art, yet the number of people who enjoy his rhymes is too limited. Obviously, the masses truly enjoy the horseshit shoveled down their throats by the major corporations. I guess I should be more positive about this situation: For the people who do take a liking to Grym Reap's work usually find it unforgettably awesome. And you'd better count me in as one of them. RIP Grym Reaper. My thoughts are with your loved ones.

So, one obviously cannot mention the Diggaz without their chief architect: Legendary DJ Paul Huston bka Prince Paul of Stetsasonic and De La Soul fame. Paulie, a 30-year music veteran, is one of the most consistently prolific and creative figures the industry has ever seen. So, for him to say that N****mortis/6 Feet Deep remains his favorite work out of his entire catalog is quite telling. How about I delve into how he came around making it, eh? I wasn't asking.

Back in 1990, Prince was riding very high off of his success with De La Soul on their debut, 3 Feet High and Rising. The album sold like hot cakes, which means those pesky record execs are right around the corner for another 'idea to boost marketability'. Sure enough, Paul was contacted by Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen to persuade him to manage a label of his own under Rush Associated Labels. Vehemently rejecting at first, Paul's lawyer was the final straw that made him cave in to the bloodsuckers' demands. Now, you see the issue with these guys: They talk a lot of game but they rarely back it up if someone's out for his own interests. So, he lays the groundwork for his very own Dew Doo Man Records and whaddyaknow?! Corporate reneges on his ass. Understandably, that might tick someone off just a little bit. Well, a little more than that if the fucker actually invested a lot of money out of his own pocket. Which, incredulously, really happened. Paulie: You might say that you don't blame Russell for what went down, but I see through you. You hate the fucker's guts. Admit it.

Seeing as he wasn't alone in that situation, (check this and the paragraph above on the late Mr. Grym Reap for further from my take on this.) he rounded up three other figures that went through similar situations, called the collective the Gravediggaz and dubbed himself the Undertaker. Although, I must be honest: I've never figured out why Paul specifically went to his Stetsasonic homie Arnold Hamilton, bka Frukwan aka The Gatekeeper, of all his previous acquaintances in this industry.

Not to say that Mr. Gatekeep isn't a competent MC. Far from it. Actually, this is one of the few hip hop collectives where each and every MC in the group is a legitimate lyrical threat. In the Gatekeeper's case, his lyrics were already a part of hip hop history. His claim to fame as a member of the aforementioned Stetsasonic saw him debut a classic hip hop verse in 1986 as the final verse in a classic of theirs, Go Stetsa I. Listen to that song and you'll know just how much you heard that shit without knowing it was lil ol Arny here. Of course, he up and split from the group after their classic sophomore In Full Gear in 1988 and it's not really known what he's done during that transitioning period.

Speaking of transition, Bobby 'His Rakeemness' Diggs aka The RZA-recta was coincidentally added to this wonderful freakshow just before he set his Wu plans into motion. There are some sources that claim that Undertaker was ultimately the one who introduced him to the samplers used at that oh-so-golden time, while others say it's one of his Stapleton gang of jolly individuals named Arby Quinn bka RNS, Shyheim's main producer. Nevertheless, anyone thinking that this entire group's goal was to further his plans involving said Wu is better off not thinking. At all.

Actually, Bobby was the youngest and, relatively speaking, most inexperienced member in this damn group. I mean, Paulie was two years older than him, Arny is GZA's age and Tony was 30 when N****mortis/6 Feet Deep dropped. Which made it all the more surprising that Bobby did most of the lyrical heavylifting on said album, as if this was his proving ground within the Gravediggaz. I mean, he's on Every. Single. Song. Not that they needed to prove anything to one another, but Bobby definitely needed to do so, especially since his Wu venture (which, may I remind you, he embarked on after joining the Gravediggaz.) hadn't yet bore fruit.

If that proved anything, it was how much these four were blacklisted in the industry in 92. Which is why the East Coast Renaissance's power in twisting the industry's hand was so great back then. After those quintessential albums dropped though, it was expected for hip hop acts to come out of left field with deep, metaphor-filled concepts or grimy and edgy punchline rhymes.

Enter Diary Of A Madman, the group's debut single with its video incorrectly propelling it into horrorcore infamy, even though that couldn't be further from the truth: There's a definite ghoulish-yet-conscious message behind what these guys were pushing, very similar to the vibes displayed on the later All We Got Iz Us album by Onyx although the Diggaz were a bit more direct in their approach.

Anyways. Given the single's June 94 release, people ironically thought it was an extension of the Wu brand and gobbled it up with praise, which was ultimately good for the actual brand. So when album time came, everybody involved was filled with confidence. With the Undertaker's expertise in said unknown waters, along with RZA's growing influence, this had to be a slam dunk.

Right?

As usual, I'll be reviewing the international version, as it contains the full album as envisioned by the Undertaker:

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER (INTRO)
The Undertaker's mastery of the ways of the skit are on full display here, with a simple titular proclamation, an announcement of the group's arrival and the opening licks of a Leroy and the Drivers sample. Simple but effective.

CONSTANT ELEVATION
An expertly-cut sample of some Allen Toussaint piano combined with sickass drums and presto! Musical backing provided. Both the Reaper and the Keeper really lay into this beat for two excellent verses each back and forth, with Tony coming out on top and Arny sounding like he simply imitated him. Yet his shit is still great! RZA-recta finishes off the song with a gutsy performance but Tony was not to be denied. Best way to describe him would be as a sober & consistent ODB (who would've fit the Gravedigga aesthetic like a glove, by the way.) Impressive start.

NOWHERE TO RUN, NOWHERE TO HIDE
Now, this song is where Bobby really hits his stride. He opens the song with a triumphant verse delivered impeccably. The first of many testaments that (spoiler alert!!!) this guy is just as good with his rhymes as he is behind the boards. Reaper and Keeper follow up with equally strong verses and yet RZA-recta comes back for more. During his verse, you hear the opening kung-fu sample of Protect Ya Neck before he exclaims 'Psyched!' and gallops ahead with an even better verse than his first. Now, while you'd think this is another RZA stroke of genius, it's actually Undertaker saving his ass from a fuckup. Originally a blank space, the idea of including the sample came to him after Protect Ya Neck's roaring success and he integrated the whole thing late in the album's crafting process. Props to the Grym Reaper's outro of repeating the song's title, which made the entire beat more relentless on repeated listenings. My favorite Undertaker production on this album, and one of the best songs you'll ever hear in your life. Period.

DEFECTIVE TRIP (TRIPPIN')
A short interlude depicting Tony hilariously taking some drugs from Arny followed by him entering a state that apparently explains the song's mood. This whole image is obviously a metaphor of their music being addictively good which perfectly ties in with the overall theme of the entire album itself being one big 'fuck you' to the pitfalls of the business. All three MCs here deliver equally strong contributions, to the benefit of the listener. This shit thumps.

2 CUPS OF BLOOD
A RZA-recta & Grym Reaper duet over a short Larry Willis/Hihache concoction. Definitely not an orthodox musical pick for the Undertaker, a fact he readily admits. He basically hated this beat until Bobby convinced him to keep it. Speaking of whom, I must say that it's always a delight when two MCs of this caliber are locking horns in a song and try to outdo each other at every turn. This song is quite the representation of everything that makes this group so timeless.

BLOOD BROTHERS
Undertaker yields his role behind the boards for the first time to the Gatekeeper, who does a surprisingly amazing job. He provides a beat from some deft jazz samples that is just the right amounts of haunting and relentless, thereby allowing all three Diggaz to rain death and destruction on it as only they can. I love the way that the Grym Reaper somehow found a way to steal the show with him having only one verse and all, as if the others were overcompensating for their inability to match his shit with their two-verses-apiece approach.

360 QUESTIONS
Another entertaining product of the skitmaster's mind. Although that last question is kind of outdated in 2016, now that Tommy Boy is up and running again. Hell, it published Ghostface's 36 Seasons and Method Man's latest outing. Think about what that means, considering its history with the Wu.

1-800 SUICIDE
Undertaker arms himself with a Booker T (the jazz musician, duh.) sample and really goes to town in crafting his most minimalistic beat on the album, which the MCs use to gruesomely describe a suicide hotline of sorts. Except those are usually sympathetic with you. Aside from the fact that, you know, they're helping you kill yourself. Our trio, however, are three of the most spiteful call center employees you'll ever come across in your life. Once again, I am compelled to edge out the Reaper's contribution as the better of the three, even though the other two display some pretty impressive imagery, strictly for the amount of facets he aces in the various ways of the MC. Props to the KRS-One hook. Paulie acquired a special sample with that and he knows it.

PASS THE SHOVEL
A myriad of samples attacks your ears immediately as the beat introduces our trio, out for blood, as they try desperately to outdo each other. Quite similar to the earlier 2 Cups Of Blood, only the Keeper's in on this one, as well. I'm a little annoyed that Bobby has two verses again, but he makes them mesh well with the others' performances. Even though he does drop the ball throughout his verses multiple times, only to pick it up immediately with a sick-ass punchline. All three sound equally amazing here, as I found out they usually do on high energy tracks. This shit bangs.

DIARY OF A MADMAN (FEATURING SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE & KILLAH PRIEST)
Ah yes. You remember me mentioning this song here, right? Sure you do. So, basically it's the same two Johnny Mathis samples molded by the RZA-recta. What you don't know is that those two samples were originally discovered by RNS, the dude mentioned in the intro to this review. Undertaker and RZA-recta liked those two discoveries so much they credited him as a co-producer. That's right, I said Undertaker. For Paulie also has his hands in this song through fleshing it out into a concept record, where all four MCs appearing here are portrayed to be accused of murdering a child (Please refer to 360 Questions to know the exact identity of said child), someone's uncle and a Spaniard's friend. Paulie acts as various characters during the interludes expertly woven into the track, although I particularly loved his take on the wailing Spaniard. This song also serves double-purpose debuting the very first Wu-Affiliate group, Sunz Of Man. Here, they are represented by founding members David Collins bka Shabazz the Disciple and Walter Reed bka Killah Priest. Yes, the guy who Masta Killa beat to being an official Wu general. Kind of cranking up on the Wu nerdiness, right? Loving it. Shabazz aka Shabby debuts his rap career with one hell of an opening verse, setting the standard for the rest of the song and forcing the RZA-recta, Priest and Gatekeeper to play catch up, which they do in stellar fashion. Shabby would only release three songs with Sunz Of Man before leaving the group in 1997, where his following solo releases wouldn't really take off with fans. Truly a shame, as dude really had talent behind the mic. I mean, anyone who influenced a guy like the late great Big friggin Pun would definitely be a lyrical threat. Listen to Shabby's 95 single Crime Saga (a song that Punny allegedly congratulated Shabby on and told him it influenced him big time. Well, all according to Shabby himself, anyway.) and tell me I'm wrong. Anyways, the only criticism I have for Diary Of A Madman is that the Reaper sat this one out. He could've been perfect for it. Oh well, what you get is still a hip hop classic hands fucking down.

MOMMY, WHAT'S A GRAVEDIGGA?
Not quite a skit, but not quite a full-blown rap ballad either. The Undertaker utilizes a fairly prominent Patrice Rushen sample seasoned with those Skull Snaps drums. Our trio give impressive reasons why the full version should've been inserted here. I know I said Nowhere To Run, Nowhere To Hide is my favorite Undertaker beat, but I'll be damned if this one didn't grab me more during my first listen of this album.

BANG YOUR HEAD
Little thought to marinate on: This song's hook came from RZA-recta's inability to forget a single U-God line from said Wu general's lone true contribution to the timeless 36 Chambers album. How do you like them lemons? So, quite a few fans find this song to be gimmicky. I fail to see such point of view, as this is right up the Gravediggaz' vile-ass alley. Undertaker keeps things simple by playing some makeshift bass off his keyboard, while allowing the endlessly-sampled Synthetic Substitution drum line do the rest. The effect is instantaneous, as the resulting beat will make you lose your shit by the time you reach your 100th listen. Which won't take as long as you think. Trust me, you'll be so hooked you'll do it subconsciously. So, Bobby starts shit off with a typical high-octane performance from him, his lyrics filled with grim imagery perfectly suitable for these situations. Tony follows up with further proof that he is impressively consistent throughout this entire record. But it's Arny who steals the show on this song. Maybe it's because he went on last, but the man seriously goes off. His imagery, flow and punchlines surpass both of his cohorts through his delivery alone. This song really brought something beautiful out of the Gatekeeper.

HERE COMES THE GRAVEDIGGAZ
Tony brings in an old affiliate of his, Mr. Sime, to handle the production of this gem. Meshing an Emotions sample with a haunting Dead Can Dance excerpt, the canvas is laid for the Diggaz to delve into yet another dark place to compete for lyrical supremacy. This beat truly surpasses 1-800 Suicide as THE most minimalistic beat on the entire album, and that is most definitely a compliment in this case. The shit really sounds crazy good. On the lyrical tip, all three keep up with each other just enough for this to become a classic album cut. One of those you can only find by listening through the entire damn thing. Lots of people do that, nowadays.

GRAVEYARD CHAMBER (FEATURING DREDDY KRUGER, SHABAZZ THE DISCIPLE & KILLAH PRIEST)
RZA-recta comes in and effectively commandeers production duties back into the Gravedigga fold and blesses us with a true Wu posse cut, only with him being the lone Wu general present. Don't think for a second that this hurts the song's quality. Far from it. It's a testament to how good Bobby became in applying the posse cut formula to any crew surrounding him at the time. A certain James Dockery bka Dreddy Kruger takes full advantage of said fact, as he debuts a menacing and timeless braggadocio contribution. Shame that he hasn't really followed this shit with more performances, especially considering he was a full fledged member of Royal Fam, currently fronted only by its co-founder Timbo King. It's the game's loss, anyways. Fellow Wu-Affiliates Shabby and Priesty come correct, even though Priest's voice annoyed me to no end. As for the star attraction? They knocked it out the park, as usual. My favorite song on the album. Hated the hook, though.

DEATHTRAP
Paulie! Welcome back! We've missed you. In his skit-tastic way, Undertaker commissions Masta Ace, one of the most positive figures in the rap game, to deliver a short-but-visceral intro to this song, all over Seven Minutes of fucking Funk, a sample made famous by the legendary EPMD. Said sample then proceeds to flesh out the rest of the beat as only Undertaker's beats can. Our trio proceed to deliver a storytelling rap depicting themselves as harbingers of death, where the Keeper comes out on top once again. Don't get me mistaken: Everybody came correct with their respective stories: Imagery, punchlines galore as well as some sly social commentary. But Arny upped the ante by weaving three tales instead of one into his verse. Props to a decent hook as well. This banged hard.

6 FEET DEEP
Of course RZA-recta was coming out of this album with the most unconventional beat of the bunch. I mean, this is still 1994 we're talking about, so he hasn't toned it down just yet. Our trio of Diggaz end their lyrical contributions to the album in damn style, displaying grandiose imagery and a unique flow exclusive only to this song. This will hit your sweet spot, guaranteed.

REST IN PEACE (OUTRO)
Undertaker rounds out the album with a delicious Albert King sampling instrumental, the one you heard on the 360 Questions skit while letting RZA-recta off his goddamn leash in full shoutout mode. Hell, he shouts out most of the tracklist, as if his friends weren't enough. That's 2 minutes of my life I've just thrown in the shitter. At least the beat was dope?

FINAL THOUGHTS: Right off the bat, this is one of those albums that grabs you by the balls. Right from the Undertaker's opening skit all the way to the final track. Not many 16-track albums you can say this about, even back then. Sure there's a lot of albums very fondly remembered from the era I'm focusing on here, but many of them lack the consistency frequently on display in this album. Consistency brought forth by a dedication to the real nature of this album: a conscious hip hop record. The whole album is a metaphoric attack on the bullshit of the pop culture industry as well as the stereotypes we let ourselves fall victim to, and it is executed marvelously. Consistency is definitely a very persuasive turning point in me considering a product like this a classic or not, and what Paul Huston did behind the boards, along with the lyrical efforts of Arnold Hamilton (who's living proof that the old ways of MCing can give you so much lyrical space. Furthermore, that Blood Brothers beat was friggin' awesome!), Robert Diggs (who, by appearing on every single goddamn song here, effectively became the workhorse of the group, and a splendid one at that. This venture truly is his best output outside of the Wu group albums. It even trumps his future solo shit. Let's not forget the sick beats he gave us here, as well.), and, most of all, Anthony Berkeley (who was, by far, the shining star of this album. This Gravediggaz gig he nailed will surely stand the test of time because of his devotion and passion. The world of hip hop truly lost a great person and a hall-of-fame shoe-in. Again, RIP Anthony Berkeley.) lands N****mortis/6 Feet Deep smack dab in the middle of timeless music. I can see why Paul considers this his best work. Pity he never commits to fully helming another Gravediggaz project again.

WORTH IT? I have it on good authority that the Gravediggaz will show up at your spa-of-choice for the weekend, buy out the place and turn it into a graveyard that friggin Beetlejuice would be proud of if you do not go out of your fucking way to include this album in your collection. If I were you, I'd listen to that authority.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

THE HOUSE THAT HATRED BUILT
The very first Gravediggaz recording. These guys were at the scope-the-others-out stage when this was recorded, and boy does it show. Even the Undertaker didn't have a fresh idea of what the group's sound was to be like. Still didn't stop the shit from attaining headbanga-status. As all three came equally correct here, you should be pretty happy with what you got. Props to Tony's line: I'm Grym Reaper of course I drip red rum/Dead rose, I colour the stage like red rum. Nice!

ASHES TO ASHES
A later recording that clearly showcases better chemistry between our trio as they rip shop over Paulie's work. Surprised that Grym Reaper's first verse was not that inspiring. Instead, RZA-recta ws the one with the witty rhymes throughout, until Reaper comes back with a vastly-superior second verse compared to his first. The audio quality here unfortunately equals to jack followed by a small smidgeon of shit, which will be problematic if you're using speakers, but that won't stop you from enjoying this damn song on earphones. Both this song and the previous one were sampled by Mr. Sime for his lone contribution on the album, Here Comes The Gravediggaz.

MOMMY, WHAT'S A GRAVEDIGGA? (FULL VERSION)
I don't know why this version say it's the RZA Mix, and yet it mentions The Undertaker as the producer for said mix in the credits. Remember my abovementioned grievances with the original track? Well, here we find them completely rectifying said grievances over the exact same beat that I loved the first time. Count me compensated.

1-800 SUICIDE (POISONOUS MIX) (FEATURING BLUE RASPBERRY)
Now this remix is rightfully RZA-recta's. Before I go further, though, allow me to point out a relevant note: On more than one production of his, Bobby starts you off with one mood then transitions to another opposing it completely in a contrast that paints beautiful colors on your emotions. Here, he chooses to start with an uplifting sample which I admit to not having the faintest clue of its origin, then dip the remaining entirety of the beat into a macabre sample that complements its predecessor in the best way possible. And with New Jersey native Candi Lindsey bka Blue Raspberry bawling her ass off, this song's Wu lineage was solidified in the most morbid of ways. Our MC trio, amazing artists that they all are, recognize this and play along fittingly. Both the Gatekeeper and our producer inject their contributions with a pretty ghastly dose of spirituality, the imagery present taken directly from their Five Percenter beliefs, while the Grym Reaper injects a larger dose of straight-up ill intent. With his contribution no longer superior to his cohorts, Tony joins Arny and Bobby in bringing the hip hop apocalypse on the mentally dead while we visualize the flaming wreckage that is the remains of their fake world from afar with our ears. And we're done.


Scratch your Wu itch here. Or watch RZA scratch his own itches with those weird-ass golden nails of his here. Finally, delve more into the Gravediggaz here.