"Gravel Pit" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Wu-Tang Clan featuring Paulissa Moorman | ||||
from the album The W | ||||
Released | December 5, 2000 | |||
Recorded | 1999–2000 | |||
Genre | East coast hip hop | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Producer(s) | RZA | |||
Wu-Tang Clan singles chronology | ||||
|
"Gravel Pit" is a single released by the Wu-Tang Clan featuring Paulissa Moorman and Dave Pendlebury for their album The W . It was not as popular in the U.S. as other Wu-Tang Clan singles like "C.R.E.A.M." and "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" [ citation needed ]. It did, however, receive major radio play, and topped the music video show 106 and Park for two weeks straight. It is also the Wu-Tang's only Top 40 hit in the UK, peaking at number six. In October 2011, NME placed it at number 116 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". [1]
The chorus of the song: "Back, back and forth and forth..." is taken from the funk group Cameo's single "Back And Forth". The hook of the song: "Check out my gravel pit..." is sung by Paulissa Moorman. According to The Wu-Tang Manual the beat for the track was sampled from Antoine Duhamel's soundtrack to a French TV miniseries entitled Belphegor.
RZA has stated that he originally wanted Aaliyah to record the song, however, was unable to arrange it before her death, leading to the Wu Tang Clan recording it. [2] The song features verses from three of the Wu-Tang Clan's MCs, Method Man, Ghostface Killah and U-God, as well as spoken bits from RZA and Raekwon.
The music video, directed by Joseph Kahn, features the Wu-Tang Clan arguing in their elevator-like time machine, and in argument accidentally sending themselves back to "2,000,000 BC", even though Method Man claimed they were going back to 2000 B.C. "2,000,000 BC" bears strong resemblance to the representation of the Stone Age in The Flintstones . The "gravel pit" is a large, fancy pit made from stone and bones. The "pit", a casino, contains a fountain, Stone Age cars, dancing women - including the actress Tamala Jones, credited as "Crystal Diamonds" - and large dinosaurs. It appears to be ruled by the Wu-Tang Clan (with the exception of Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was incarcerated at the time - he "appears" as a pair of enchained arms hanging out of a makeshift jail cell), who now have "stone age" personas and clothing. At the end of the video "Bo Rockhard" (Bokeem Woodbine), a rival ninja, challenges the Wu-Tang ninjas, RZA leads ninjas and fights off a horde of rival ninjas attacking the pit. The track's ending soundbite (as well as many found on the album) comes from the movie Short Eyes .
Each Wu-Tang member adopts a different name in the video. RZA becomes "Bobby Boulders", Meth is "Joe Quarry", Ol' Dirty Bastard becomes "Ol' Dirty Blocks", Ghostface is renamed "Frank Stoney", Raekwon is "Lex Rockhead", and U-God is "Stonefingers".
The song uses two samples. The trumpet introduction comes from "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown, while the sample running along the whole song is taken from the French TV miniseries Belphegor's main titles. It also took samples from the films Enter the Dragon and Short Eyes .
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Germany (BVMI) [31] | Gold | 250,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Enter the Wu-Tang is the debut studio album by the American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records and RCA Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York City, and the album was produced by the group's de facto leader RZA. Its title originates from the martial arts films Enter the Dragon (1973) and The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978).
Tical is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man. It was released November 15, 1994, by Def Jam Recordings. It was the first Wu-Tang solo album released after the group's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang . Similar to all first generation solo Wu-Tang projects, Tical was mainly produced by group member RZA, who provided a dark, murky and rugged sound. The album features guest appearances from RZA, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, as well as several affiliates, who would later appear on future group projects. On October 5, 2017, Method Man revealed on the Viceland talk show Desus & Mero that the album's title is an acronym for "taking into consideration all lives."
"Maria Maria" is a song by American rock band Santana featuring the Product G&B, included on Santana's 18th studio album, Supernatural (1999). The song was written by Wyclef Jean, Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis, Carlos Santana, Karl Perazzo, and Raul Rekow, while Jean and Duplessis produced it. The track samples the drum beat from "God Make Me Funky" by American jazz fusion band the Headhunters, and the melody riff was inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan song "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit". Interspersed with guitars and other strings, "Maria Maria" is driven by a hip hop beat. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, the song won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals before it experienced commercial success.
"Breathe" is a song by English band the Prodigy, released in November 1996 as the second single from their third album, The Fat of the Land (1997). It features a drum break from the song "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy. The whiplashing sword sound effect is a sample of "Da Mystery of Chessboxin" by Wu-Tang Clan. As with "Firestarter", Jim Davies played the guitar in the song.
"Say What You Want" is a song by Scottish rock band Texas, written by band members Johnny McElhone and Sharleen Spiteri. It was the first single to be released from the group's fourth studio album, White on Blonde (1997), and released via the bands record label Mercury Records.
The W is the third studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. It was released on November 21, 2000, by Loud Records. After their 1997 album Wu-Tang Forever, several of the group's members released solo projects before The W, which has a more rugged, less polished sound than that of most Wu-Tang related albums from that era. The album also features guest appearances from Isaac Hayes, Redman, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg and Junior Reid. It is the group's last album to feature Ol' Dirty Bastard before his death in 2004, as he was absent from their next album, Iron Flag (2001).
"C.R.E.A.M." is a song by the American hardcore hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on January 31, 1994 by Loud Records, as the second single from their debut studio album Enter the Wu-Tang (1993). The song was produced by the group's de facto leader RZA, and contains a sample of the Charmels' 1967 song "As Long As I've Got You" throughout. It features two verses from members Raekwon and Inspectah Deck, who discuss their upbringings while living in New York City, and Method Man, who sings its hook. Its music video, featuring all Wu-Tang Clan members in New York City, was released in 1994.
"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" is a duet song by American rapper Method Man, featuring American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The song is a remix of Method Man's "All I Need" which appears on his debut studio album, Tical (1994). The song, a hip hop soul record, was released as a single by Def Jam Recordings and PolyGram Records on April 25, 1995.
"Can It Be All So Simple" is the third and final single from Wu-Tang Clan's critically acclaimed debut album Enter the Wu-Tang . It features production from RZA that samples Gladys Knight & the Pips' cover of "The Way We Were". The song reached number nine on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, number twenty four on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and number eighty two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
The Wu-Tang Clan is a New York City-based hip hop musical group, consisting of ten American rappers: RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, Cappadonna and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard.
8 Diagrams is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released December 11, 2007, on SRC/Universal Motown Records. The album was released three years after the death of Ol' Dirty Bastard, and six years after the group's previous LP Iron Flag.
"Star 69" is a song by English electronic music producer Fatboy Slim, released on 23 April 2001 as the second single from his third studio album Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars (2000). It was released as a double A-side single with "Weapon of Choice", as well as its own standalone release.
"X" is the first single from Xzibit's third studio album, Restless. Fellow West Coast rapper Snoop Dogg can be heard talking in the outro. It was produced by Dr. Dre with co-production from Scott Storch and Melvin "Mel-Man" Bradford. The song samples the line "Not these niggas again" from Eminem's "Bitch Please II" which is featured on Eminem's album The Marshall Mathers LP. The single was released through Sony Music Entertainment, Epic Records, SRC Records, Loud Records, and Xzibit's Open Bar Entertainment.
"Daddy DJ" is a song recorded by French dance act of the same name. It was their debut single from their first album Let Your Body Talk and was first released in France in 1999, and then in many European countries between April and June 2000. The music video was produced as an animated feature.
"Back and Forth" is a 1987 single by Cameo, and was released on February 24, 1987.
A Better Tomorrow is the sixth studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. The album was released on December 2, 2014, by Warner Bros. Records. The album was supported by the singles "Keep Watch", "Ron O'Neal" and "Ruckus in B Minor". A Better Tomorrow received generally mixed reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 24,386 copies in its first week of release.
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... is the debut studio album by American rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon, released on August 1, 1995, by Loud Records and RCA Records. The album was loosely composed to play like a film with Raekwon as the "star", fellow Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah as the "guest-star", and producer RZA as the "director". It features appearances from every member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The album also features debut appearances from affiliates Cappadonna and Blue Raspberry, and an acclaimed guest appearance from rapper Nas, which marked the first collaboration with a non-affiliated artist on a Wu-Tang related album.
Wu-Tang Forever is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released June 3, 1997, by Loud and RCA Records in the United States. Pressed as a double album, it was released after a long run of successful solo projects from various members of the group, and serves as the follow-up to their debut album Enter the Wu-Tang . Forever features several guest appearances from Wu-Tang affiliates Cappadonna, Streetlife, 4th Disciple, True Master, and Tekitha. The original run of compact discs featured an enhanced CD which allowed users to walk around the "Wu Mansion" and access additional content.
The Saga Continues is a compilation album by American rap ensemble Wu-Tang Clan, produced by long-time producer Mathematics released on October 13, 2017 on eOne. The group name was shortened to "Wu-Tang" to mark the fact that the album features all Wu-Tang Clan members except U-God due to his legal issues with the group over royalties. It also features guest appearances from Streetlife, Redman, Sean Price and others. Producer Mathematics has explained, "It's a Wu-Tang record of course, [but] it can't be a complete Wu-Tang Clan album without [U-God]."