| 6 Feet Deep | ||||
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| Studio album by Gravediggaz | ||||
| Released | August 9, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | 1993-1994 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, horrorcore, hardcore hip hop | |||
| Length | 52:17 (North America) 55:53 (Europe) |
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| Label | Gee Street/Island/PolyGram Records 524 016 |
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| Producer | Prince Paul, Frukwan, RZA, RNS, Mr. Sime | |||
| Gravediggaz chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| RapReviews | 9.5/10[2] |
| Robert Christgau | [3] |
6 Feet Deep is the debut album of the horrorcore supergroup Gravediggaz. It was released August 9, 1994, by Gee Street Records. The album was re-issued in 1997.
Contents |
The original title of the album was Niggamortis, but it was changed to have a better reaction with the American crowd. However, the record was called by its original title overseas. The European version also included the bonus song "Pass the Shovel".[4]
The last question on "360 Questions" is a reference to Tommy Boy Records, to which each band member had been signed at one point.
Grym Reaper's first couple of lines from “Here Comes the Gravediggaz” (You don't pull on Superman's cape/You don't spit into the wind/You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger) are from the song "Don't Mess with Big Jim," originally by Jim Croce.
Killah Priest and Shabazz the Disciple made their first released appearances on "Graveyard Chamber" and the single "Diary of a Madman". This led to RZA signing them both to his Wu-Tang Records together with their group Sunz of Man. Dreddy Kruger made his recording debut on "Graveyard Chamber" as well.
Three charting singles were released from the album. "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" and "1-800 Suicide" found minor success on the rap charts, while "Diary of a Madman" became the group's only single to make it to the Billboard Hot 100, making it to 82.
The album was well received and is considered one of the most influential horrorcore albums ever; it's also notable as a unique collaboration between two of the most influential producers on the East Coast at the time, Prince Paul and the RZA.
Rolling Stone (10/6/94, p. 90) – 3.5 Stars – "[Gravediggaz] evoke the atmosphere of horror movies and ominous effects, they've also been street tested, boasting hard beats and verbal skills."
Entertainment Weekly (8/19/94, p. 62) – "The album doesn't take itself very seriously, but the flustered beats, washed in minor chords, are strangely irresistible--partly because it is all so silly". – Rating: B
Q magazine (11/94, p. 129) – 3 Stars – "The foursome use death, burial and The Grim Reaper as central themes for a chilling mid-tempo stomp through America's urban problems."
The Source (9/94, pp. 91–92) – 3.5 Stars – "No, this isn't the climax of the latest Stephen King flick or Jason, part 17. It's an image created by the Gravediggaz, one of a number of new groups combining rap with horror-movie macabre to create a genre unofficially known as `horror-core'".
NME (12/24/94, p. 22) – Ranked #22 in NME's list of the `Top 50 Albums Of 1994.'
NME (Magazine) (9/10/94, p.46) – 8 – Excellent – "Gravediggaz feverishly document the low life – graveyard low.[5]"
In 2009, Fangoria named it as a horrorcore album.[6]
| # | Title | Time | Producer(s) | Performers | Samples |
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| 1 | "Just When You Thought it Was Over (Intro)" | 0:10 | Prince Paul | - |
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| 2 | "Constant Elevation" | 2:30 | Prince Paul |
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| 3 | "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" | 3:55 | Prince Paul |
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| 4 | "Defective Trip (Trippin')" | 5:04 | Prince Paul |
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| 5 | "2 Cups of Blood" | 1:24 | Prince Paul |
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| 6 | "Blood Brothers" | 4:47 | Frukwan |
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| 7 | "360 Questions" | 0:33 | Prince Paul | - | |
| 8 | "1-800 Suicide" | 4:18 | Prince Paul |
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| 9 | "Pass The Shovel" (Included on the European version only) | 3:36 | Prince Paul |
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| 10 | "Diary of a Madman" | 4:34 | RNS, RZA & Prince Paul |
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| 11 | "Mommy, What's a Gravedigga?" | 1:44 | Prince Paul |
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| 12 | "Bang Your Head" | 3:24 | Prince Paul |
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| 13 | "Here Comes the Gravediggaz" | 3:44 | Mr. Sime |
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| 14 | "Graveyard Chamber" | 4:57 | RZA |
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| 15 | "Death Trap" | 2:57 | Prince Paul |
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| 16 | "6 Feet Deep" | 4:36 | RZA |
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| 17 | "Rest in Peace (Outro)" | 2:01 | Prince Paul |
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Note: The source of the producers is the sleeve jacket of the album.
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1994 | 6 Feet Deep | #36[7] | #6[7] |
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1994 | "Diary of a Madman" | #82[8] | #57[8] | #8[8] | #11[8] |
| "Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide" | - | - | #32[8] | #27[8] | |
| 1995 | "1-800 Suicide" | - | - | #46[8] | #29[8] |
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