The group was formed in 1992, bringing together Prince Paul (The Undertaker), Frukwan (The Gatekeeper), Poetic (The Grym Reaper) and RZA (The RZArector). It came about largely due to the efforts of Prince Paul. Frukwan and Prince Paul were previously together in the group Stetsasonic. According to Frukwan, the group's name means "digging graves of the mentally dead, and it stood for resurrecting the mentally dead from their state of unawareness and ignorance." The group's lyrics mix black humor (regarding topics such as suicide, death, killing, psychopathy, hell, etc.), criticism regarding the music industry, cartoonish violence reminiscent of the Geto Boys, and esoteric references to the Nation of Gods and Earths. The group pioneered the horrorcore genre.
The group's first album was originally to be titled Niggamortis; however, this potentially risqué title was changed to 6 Feet Deep for the American market (European versions of the album retained the original title, and also included the bonus track "Pass the Shovel"); it was released on August 9, 1994. The four members adopted Gravedigga alter egos for their work with the group: RZA became The RZArector, Poetic became The Grym Reaper, Prince Paul became The Undertaker, and Frukwan became The Gatekeeper. In 1995, the three rapping members (without Prince Paul) released a collaborative EP titled "The_Hell_E.P." with UK trip hop artist Tricky.
The second full-length Gravediggaz album The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel was less humorous, dealing more with social and political issues; it also used calmer and more conventional production. Prince Paul played a considerably smaller role in the making of this album, with many of the production duties now taken care of by RZA and his Wu-Tang affiliates (including True Master and 4th Disciple).
A bootleg Gravediggaz album surfaced in 1998, called Scenes From The Graveyard. It featured seven unreleased tracks plus some remixes from the first two albums.
Gravediggaz recruited DJ Diamond J. Poetic died of colon cancer in July 2001. Frukwan stated in an interview not long after Poetic's death that a new album using leftover Poetic material would be released. Nightmare in A-Minor, the third official album for Gravediggaz, came out in 2001; it featured two of the original members, Poetic and Frukwan. This album was their darkest work yet, including many references to Poetic's struggle with cancer, as well as apocalyptic themes to do with the teachings of the Five Percent Nation. Although RZA did not take part in the album, some Wu-Tang Clan affiliates such as 4th Disciple, True Master and Beretta 9 were involved. The album was mostly produced by Poetic and Frukwan. A different version of the album (minus the song "Better Wake Up") was released in 2002, for which some of the tracks created by Poetic were replaced or altered.
In 2003 Frukwan released his debut solo album, Life. The fourth Gravediggaz album 6 Feet Under was released in 2004 by Cleopatra Records and featured songs from Nightmare in A-Minor and Life. According to Frukwan, he had nothing to do with the release and claimed that song titles were changed without permission, making it an unauthorized release.
In 2010, Gravediggaz recorded a new song, "2 More Cups of Blood". In 2011, it was announced that the group had been recording new tracks involving Shabazz The Disciple & Killah Priest.
In 2018, Gatekeeper released "1 Cup of Blood" under the Gravediggaz name.
Burn in Hell
Gravediggaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gatekeep and Grim Reap'
Check it, yo, yo
I was unearthed, the womb gave birth
Partitioned to submission, forced to dwell in hell's kitchen
I lived contaminated for months
Stalkin fresh was a casual hunt, peep the game
Waitin for a stray pass-byer
I've been insane since exchange of rings
that the docs in autops', tried to prevent to stop
Biologically I breathe, a rebel
Psychologically havin fights with the devil
Wakin up with gashes, deep river slashes
Hearin the talkin of the motherfucker burned to ashes
Scared to sleep, fearin committin a sin
Stuck my eyelid and brow with a safety pin
Feelin myself lifted yet seein myself, still sittin
Evil has become my faith - I'm slippin
Yo, from the first day, that I burst through the skin of a virgin
I was cursed by sin
A mammal of the sea
Pops named John Samuel Berkeley, out of his nuts came me
True indeed I had soul, even as a tadpole
Grab hold of an egg, just to have a mole
Grew up surrounded by darkness and blood
Swimmin in the cut like Noah in the flood
EH AH AH AH AH!! Drama! Devils attack me inside my MOMMA!
This caused trauma
While I was growin up she was throwin up
It got worse - it's how I met the doc and the nurse
They took an X-ray, kept it to the next DAY
to figure out the best way to posess ME
Trapped in a pool of impurity
without security, nearly ruined me
No immunity, to the curse yet
I saw the Earth sweatin, as poppa prayed on the church step
in the place where they worship
As the nurse crept I got mad nervous
Tossin turnin, fightin to awake
I woke up with a scream, strapped to the stake
Blood drippin like rain, excruciatin pain
Loosin my grip; episode of "Tales From the Crypt"
Seein faces of death had me shortness of breath
Fallin through the rabbit hole that collapsed my chest
Blood spillin, inside survive like a villain
Killin life, tortorous as Vincent Prince
Tried to run got caught then I lost my tongue
Barrels of dead corpse beatin my head like a drum
Summoned to scotch your head, let's figure
They guided my light, I came back a Gravedigga
The prophet - enhanced by these deadly concoctions
Killin evil that lurk in the dirt, is our only option
Four hundred years in the pits we dwell
And for every drop of blood you will burn in hell, devil
Yo, pain builds my character
Deranged cancer cell begin to damage my shell
Tissues begin to swell
A human pin-cushion needles begin pushin
through my, melanin color, blood begins gushin
Hunger - pain is, fed through my veins
Tryin to maintain body and brain under strain
Belly bein drained from my nose through a catheter
To maintain my stamina, game is high caliber
Flashback my dossier file before the hospital
Lots'll pay a pile of cheddar to see me rock my style
Got lots of smiles from man woman and child
A Gravedigga here runnin wild like the Nile
Ghetto, X-File, the horrorcore bringers
City morgue singers, new rap era beginners
Four years out of seven I remember tourin
And this year I'm measurin my urine
The lyrics of Gravediggaz's song Burn In Hell takes the audience on a journey of two characters who were born and raised in darkness and pain. The first character is a product of hell's kitchen who was forced to dwell in a contaminated environment for months. He became insane and was constantly fighting with the devil. The character had gashes and deep river slashes which were proof that he had been in a gruesome battle. He lived in constant fear of committing a sin, so he would stick his eyelid and brow with a safety pin to stay awake. Eventually, he submitted to evil and became a Gravedigga, on a mission to kill the evil lurking in the dirt.
The second character was born through sin and was cursed from birth. He grew up surrounded by darkness and blood, and devils attacked him while he was still in his mother's womb. His mother was sick and threw up often, and he was trapped in a pool of impurity. The doctors and nurses couldn't find the best way to possess him, and he had to fight to stay alive. When he woke up, he was strapped to a stake and had to endure excruciating pain. But, through it all, he became a Gravedigga who was enhanced by deadly concoctions.
The song Burn In Hell is a tale of pain, suffering, and survival. The lyrics are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, and how one's environment can shape their destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
I was unearthed, the womb gave birth
I was born
Partitioned to submission, forced to dwell in hell's kitchen
I was trapped and forced to live in a terrible place
I lived contaminated for months
I was surrounded by sickness and filth for months
Stalkin fresh was a casual hunt, peep the game
I would casually hunt and kill people for fun
Waitin for a stray pass-byer
I waited for a random person to come by so I could kill them
Grab the motherfucker burn him set him on fire
I would burn and kill my victims
I've been insane since exchange of rings
I've been insane since getting married
that the docs in autops', tried to prevent to stop
Even the doctors tried to prevent my insanity
Psychologically havin fights with the devil
I was struggling with my inner demons and evil thoughts
Hearin the talkin of the motherfucker burned to ashes
I heard the voices of my victims haunting me
Stuck my eyelid and brow with a safety pin
I inflicted pain on myself to stay awake and avoid nightmares
Evil has become my faith - I'm slippin
I've become lost in my evil ways and I'm losing control
From the first day, that I burst through the skin of a virgin
Since I was born
I was cursed by sin
I was born with a sinful nature
Grew up surrounded by darkness and blood
I grew up in a violent and dangerous environment
Swimmin in the cut like Noah in the flood
I was constantly dealing with danger and chaos
Drama! Devils attack me inside my MOMMA!
I was attacked by demons even while inside my mother's womb
It got worse - it's how I met the doc and the nurse
My mother's illness led me to meet doctors and nurses
Trapped in a pool of impurity
I was trapped in a bad situation and couldn't escape
No immunity, to the curse yet
I had no way to escape the negative effects of my upbringing
Seein faces of death had me shortness of breath
I was traumatized by violence and death and had panic attacks
Fallin through the rabbit hole that collapsed my chest
I felt like my life was falling apart and my health was suffering
Killin life, tortorous as Vincent Prince
I killed people and enjoyed it, like Vincent Price in horror movies
Summoned to scotch your head, let's figure
I was suddenly called to become a Gravedigga
The prophet - enhanced by these deadly concoctions
As a Gravedigga, I became more powerful and dangerous
Four hundred years in the pits we dwell
The Gravediggaz have been around for a long time and have seen a lot of violence
And for every drop of blood you will burn in hell, devil
Violence and evil will take you to hell when you die
Pain builds my character
My difficult life has made me stronger and more resilient
Deranged cancer cell begin to damage my shell
My body is being destroyed by sickness and pain
To maintain my stamina, game is high caliber
I must work hard to keep my body and mind functioning despite my health issues
Got lots of smiles from man woman and child
Despite my illness, people appreciate my music and performances
Four years out of seven I remember tourin
I've been touring and performing for a long time
And this year I'm measurin my urine
I'm monitoring my health closely and taking care of my body
Contributed by Parker Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.