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.
The Night the Earth Cried
Gravediggaz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want a queen on every continent
So I can escape the government
Flee my residence, settle in
I'm militant minded, brilliant rhyme whiz
The time is now for me to shine, kids are innocent
Blinded, society got to be reminded of my diary
Cause tragically I carry thee
Not coincidentally intentionally cause mentally I represent the key
But it's a double-edged sword see
Tryin to be godly is hard
Especially in poverty's backyard
Where violence has taken over
Free enterprise and lies is idolized
Cause it's deep inside with Allah, God or Jehovah
To guide the lost tribe
You're forced to reside on the north side
Babylon is never penalized
For bein offsides, so many lost lives
I wonder how long before the herd dies
Today I heard the earth cry for the first time
It was the worst time
It was the worst time
The way I heard the earth cry
[Rzarector]
I came to the shores of America disguised as a pillar
The alpha and omega and the home of the beggars, the black sellers
Who been beaten, raped, lynched, robbed and stoned
And caused to roam the earth in service cause they couldn't maintain at
home
This dates back to 1555
When they captured the first tribe of men
And piled them in a pen
Fifty feet high
They took em all on a 9000 mile ride
And landed on the shore of a place they never seen before
But read about this inside the ancient books of war
Bonded in stainless steel, stripped of their language
Still survived the anguish of slavery but still remained nameless
Separated to portions and tricked by John Haughty Hawkins
And sold on the auction, taught birth control and abortion
Rulers of the first part became slaves of the worst part
The devils cursed God and reversed God
And turned God into dog and made people search hard
No relief came to the prophet of W.D. Feraud
To a trauma, dropped our mommas off in Bahamas and Barbados
Tobagos, separated us from slave boats
Made our own brothers hate us
From Virgin Isle to Jamaica
Trinidad, Honduras, Haiti, Grenada
Bermuda to Cayman, mental enslavement
You black gods become awaken
At night time you can hear the earth cry
How many more black gods got to die
Before we realize there's no God in the sky
The devil tricked us, that's the worst lie
At night time I can hear the earth cry
How many more black gods got to die
You realize there's no God in the sky
The devils tricked us, that's the worst lie
[Gatekeeper]
Peace god for real, not a spook nor a ghost
Not unseen but seen and heard most of all
I'm god, control nine planets
Wisdom revolves around me understand it
Science, huh my rhyme's underrated
Pyramids built accordin to how we made it to be
Many shall come few shall be chosen
32 degrees below zero and you're frozen
Power of refinement my rhyme's assignment
Is to crush negative bullshit in a line
With the fusion
Cause that which is beyond 360 degrees is an illusion
Either you're deaf, dumb or blind
Stupid hypocritical, dumb 85 yo it's time
See I without me don't exist
God cypher love devine is what I miss
Check it like a visual reflection, sorta supernatural
Your know your mind detects as bein natural
Ultra gammer, the hammer's my energy
Compressed to a form of a threat toward my enemy
Cypher's a circle that consists of a whole
No beginning no ends no sides it's just a hole
Like in an event I'm a percent
Dealt out a hundred I'm 5, my degree is a black belt
Real genuine not authentic
Older than the sun moon and stars unprecedented
In North America success can be won as a game
And knowledge and understanding still one and the same
Greatest reward known to mankind
That winners never quit and quitters never win in the mind
But in time my degrees are gettin deeper
Thicker in the subconscious state of the sleeper
At night time I can hear the earth cry
Wonder how many black gods got to die
At night time I can hear the earth cry
I wonder how many black gods must die
At night time I can hear the earth cry
I wonder how many black gods must die
At night time I can hear the earth cry
I hear her cry (Peace to the earth)
I cry
Gravediggaz’s “The Night the Earth Cried” is a socially conscious track that tackles racism, violence, poverty, and discrimination. The song features a trio of rappers who each tells their story. Rapper Grym Reaper expresses his desire to have a queen on every continent to escape the government and live freely. While poet Rzarector talks about the African slave trade dating back to 1555 and how Black men were captured, stripped of their language, and sold into slavery. Finally, Gatekeeper closes the song by highlighting the power of knowledge and the need for mental and spiritual liberation. He talks about how the system is designed to keep Black people oppressed and how the struggle for freedom and equality is an ongoing process.
The lyrics of "The Night the Earth Cried" are about the African American experience and fight against racial injustice. The song draws attention to the struggles that Black people face daily and emphasizes the need for unity and shared experiences, and the metaphor of the earth crying emphasizes the extent to which these struggles are shared.
Line by Line Meaning
I want a queen on every continent
I desire to have a woman to rule all territories around the globe
So I can escape the government
I seek independence from the control of governmental institutions
Flee my residence, settle in
I aim to leave my present location and find a new home elsewhere
I'm militant minded, brilliant rhyme whiz
I have a combative mentality and display exceptional skills in writing lyrics
The way I heard the earth cry
I perceived the earth's pain and anguish through my senses
I came to the shores of America disguised as a pillar
I arrived in America in a concealed manner, as a symbol of strength and support
But read about this inside the ancient books of war
These accounts are documented in historical warfare literature
They took em all on a 9000 mile ride
They transported the captured people on a long journey of over 9000 miles
Separated to portions and tricked by John Haughty Hawkins
The captors divided the people into groups and deceived them through John Haughty Hawkins’ schemes
And turned God into dog and made people search hard
They replaced the concept of God with the idea of a dog and made the people work hard to find the truth
At night time you can hear the earth cry
During the night, one can sense the pain and anguish of the earth
The power of refinement my rhyme's assignment
My task is to hone my lyrics to perfection
Greatest reward known to mankind
The best achievement recognized by humankind
That winners never quit and quitters never win in the mind
People who succeed never give up and those who give up never succeed
I wonder how many black gods must die
I am concerned about how many more black individuals will suffer unjustly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTHONY IAN BERKELEY, ARNOLD E. HAMILTON, ROBERT F. DIGGS, SELWYN DAJUAN BOUGARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheExclusiveOne720
@mstefanidis
The beauty of his verse on C.R.E.A.M. is that instead of glorifying the streets & encouraging these young slave minded fans to go out & do dumb shit, he's just painting the picture of the struggles in the streets & encouraging the youth to NOT go that route
-ready to give up so I seek the old Earth
-who explains working hard may help you maintain/to learn to overcome the hard aches & pains
-leave it up to me while I be living proof/to kick the truth/to the young black youth
-but ain't tryna hear/what i'm kicking in his ear
Charles Was
First I give my Respects! R.I.P. Poetic/Grim Reeper.
I was Raised by Hip-Hop, I live Hip-Hop. No one ever mentions Poetic when speeking Mc's who past away, he is one of the best. Peace to the Gravediggaz, Sunz of Man, Killarmy, Timbo King, the whole Wu-Tang Family. All praises due to the Most High. Peace
JoWhit
Thanks for reminding us of his name, this type of hip hop is too smart for a lot of people which is why he is never mentioned, doesn't stop me from bumpin this on the regular.
Myron Still
Say word my big up on Friday today is your day G.O.D my word" p.e.a.c.e✌️
Heaven-sent Music
PEACE TO ALL POETIC FANS, I have no idea why nobody mention him, he is one of my favorite MCs, never forget about him, R.I.P Poetic, peace to Gravediggaz, peace to all, gravediggaz forever and ever
Roberto Cuesta
Word Life Music Education
Wicked Ras
@Seldom Seen , true that and Amen, bruh.
Corie Michael
This is the music that Prepared me. Yes it first confused the shit out of me at 16-17 but Im here now. Peace to those brothers all of them.
Sean Anderson
Peace brother 💚
Adrian Hampton
Peace upon you brother 👊🏽
Goliath Sack
positive energy activates constant elevation