The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel

The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel
Studio album by Gravediggaz
Released	September 16, 1997
Recorded	1996–1997
Genre	East Coast Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Horrorcore
Length	60:24
Label	Gee Street/V2/BMG Records 63881-32501
Producer	RZA (also exec.) 4th Disciple True Master Too Poetic Darkim Be Allah Frukwan Prince Paul
Gravediggaz chronology
The Hell E.P. (1995) The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel (1997) Nightmare in A-Minor (2002)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	6.5/10[2]
Robert Christgau	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
Yahoo! Music	(favorable)[5]

The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel, released September 16, 1997, is the second album by the Gravediggaz, an influential horrorcore hip hop supergroup. The album has a more socially conscious sound to it and is considerably more calm than its predecessor, and features heavy production input by the RZA and his production team The Wu Elements.

Prince Paul was barely involved in the making of this album although 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.

Reception

• 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."

• Spin (12/97, p. 160) - 7 (out of 10) - "The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel is less hyperbolic satire than playfully serious caution--for Gravediggaz, the ghetto's particular nightmare has now come to Main Street. Grieving over lost lovers, friends, and family, the group observes the culture of death as part of the everyday landscape."

• 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

• Q (1/98, p. 112) - Included in Q magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997."

• 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."

• NME (12/20-27/97, pp. 78–79) - Ranked #20 in NME's 1997 Critics' Poll.

Track listing

References