The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 1997 [1] | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Horrorcore [2] | |||
Length | 59:38 | |||
Label | Gee Street/V2/BMG Records 63881-32501 | |||
Producer |
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Gravediggaz chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Robert Christgau | [4] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [5] |
Pitchfork | 6.5/10 [6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel is the second studio album by hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz. [8] [9] Released on September 16, 1997, [10] via Gee Street, V2 and BMG Records, the album has a more socially conscious sound and is considerably calmer than its predecessor; it features heavy production input by the RZA and his production team the Wu Elements.[ citation needed ]
In contrast to the group's debut album, Prince Paul had less involvement in the production of this album. [11] He did produce the outro and the skit preceding "Hidden Emotions." He was still billed as an official member of the group, however, and appeared on the cover and inserts of the album.
Two singles were released from the album, "Dangerous Mindz" and "The Night the Earth Cried," though neither made it to the Billboard charts.
Spin called the album a "fanciful dystopia," writing that "each rap suggests a creative act of desperation." [12]
Rolling Stone (9/18/97, p. 104) – 3 stars (out of 5) – "...an exotic, multilayered soundscape that is often melancholic, but also melodic....the Gravediggaz deliver plenty to sink your pick into."
Entertainment Weekly (10/31/97, p. 108) – "...guest rappers Killah Priest, Omen, and Hell Razor spin oblique horror stories from ghetto hell over bruising beats by RZA and Prince Paul." – Rating: B
Vibe (11/97, p. 149) – "This second offering from Gravediggaz...finds the Wu-Tang boardsman moving away from production and immersing himself fully in the power of words....RZA is a master MC."
Option (11-12/97, p. 100) – "Individually, it seems the Gravediggaz are trying to outdo each other (and every other MC) by writing and rapping denser, more complex rhymes than anybody....they maintain remarkable flow."
Melody Maker (09/13/97, p. 50) – "...machetes injustice, decapitates the real criminals, and burys the lot of 'em in a festering, snake-filled pit."
Rap Pages (11/97, p. 110) – "There's a lifetime supply of meta-force wordplay for the heads, enough braggadocio for the hard-core and plenty of hooks for the pop quadrant."
Track listing information is taken from the official liner notes. [13]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" | 1:16 | ||
2. | "Dangerous Mindz" |
|
| 4:54 |
3. | "Da Bomb" |
| 4:10 | |
4. | "Unexplained" |
| 2:58 | |
5. | "Twelve Jewelz" |
| 2:51 | |
6. | "Fairytalez" |
|
| 4:46 |
7. | "Never Gonna Come Back" |
|
| 3:48 |
8. | "Pit Of Snakes" |
|
| 4:19 |
9. | "The Night The Earth Cried" |
|
| 4:32 |
10. | "Elimination Process" (Featuring Shabazz The Disciple, Omen and the Aleem Brothers) |
|
| 5:37 |
11. | "Repentance Day" (Featuring Sunz Of Man and Killah Priest) |
| 5:18 | |
12. | "Hidden Emotions" |
|
| 6:17 |
13. | "What's Goin' On" (Featuring 9TH Prince) |
|
| 4:32 |
14. | "Deadliest Biz" |
| 3:03 | |
15. | "Outro" |
| 1:17 | |
Total length: | 59:38 |
Notes
Samples
Paul Edward Huston, better known by his stage name Prince Paul, is an American record producer, disc jockey and recording artist from Amityville, New York. Paul began his career as a DJ for Stetsasonic. He has worked on albums by Boogie Down Productions, Gravediggaz, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and 3rd Bass, among others. Major recognition for Prince Paul came when he produced De La Soul's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), in which he pioneered new approaches to hip hop production, mixing and sampling, notably by including comedy sketches.
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).
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.
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Gee Street Records was a British hip hop record label started by Jon Baker, Stereo MC's and DJ Richie Rich in 1985. The label's name came from its original location, a converted warehouse on Gee Street in London.
Derrick Harris, better known by his stage name True Master, is an American hip-hop record producer and rapper, known for his affiliation with the Wu-Tang Clan.
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Anthony Ian Berkeley better known as Too Poetic, was an American rapper and producer. He was also a founding member of the hip-hop group Gravediggaz, for which he used the alias Grym Reaper. He also used the alias Tony Titanium.
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Gravediggaz is an American hip hop group from New York notable for pioneering the horrorcore lyrical style.
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Havelock Nelson (born May 6, 1964) is an American music journalist and the co-author of the 1992 book Bring the Noise: A Guide to Rap Music and Hip Hop Culture. Nelson was Billboard magazine's first rap editor where he singled out KMD's sophomore album Black Bastards contending that its artwork and title were offensive. This eventually led to Elektra records shelving the project. Nelson has written stories and reviews for Entertainment Weekly and Rolling Stone magazine and has been a contributor to the Huffington Post.
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