Gravediggaz - Nightmare In A-Minor [2001]

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01. Intro – Mike Check
02. False Thingz Must Perish
03. Burn Baby Burn
04. Killin Fields
05. Zig Zag Chamber
06. Guard Ya Shrine
07. End Of Da World
08. Today’s Mathmatics
09. Current Eventz
10. Last Man Standing
11. Running Game
12. Bloodshed
13. Wanna Break
14. Man Only Fears
15. East Coast – West Coast Skit
16. Rest In Da East
17. God Vs Devil
18. Better Wake Up
19. Nightmare In A-Minor
20. Universal Shout-Outs
21. Da Crazies
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RE-UP: Although the Gravediggaz started off as a Prince Paul side project and not as a Wu-Tang affiliate as many folks erroneously believe, it certainly didn't take long for one member of the quartet, The RZA, to assume control: the group's (classic) debut, 6 Feet Deep (or N---amortis if you're reading this overseas) features a bunch of cameos from Wu b- and c-teamers, along with several instrumentals that have far more Prince Rakeem influence than Prince Paul's.  Hell, there's even a song called "Graveyard Chamber" on that motherfucker.  Add to that the fact that The RZA and his production cronies essentially took over the group's second effort, The Pick, The Sickle and The Shovel, pushing Paul out in the process, and it's easy to forget just how ridiculous and satirical the Gravediggaz were originally conceived to be.

The Rzarector jumped ship shortly after the second album, having lost interest in working with a group that he didn't originally form, apparently.  (Rumors persist that he has since put together an updated roster for the Gravediggaz, but there really hasn't been anything that has materialized in the past few years, so who the fuck knows if anything will ever come of this.)  Prince Paul was already kind of bored after 6 Feet Deep's release, and being pushed out during the making of the follow-up probably didn't help matters (although, it must be noted, Prince Paul and The RZA are still friends to this day, so it's most likely not a Prince Paul / The Automator-type of situation).  This whittled the group down to a duo: Frukwan (The Gatekeeper) and Too Poetic (The Grym Reaper), who persevered and tried to keep the group's name alive within our chosen genre.

Nightmare In A-Minor, the group's final album, was released independently, roughly five weeks after Poetic lost his battle with colon cancer.  His diagnosis informed quite a few of his bars on the album, adding a level of depth that most hip hop albums simply cannot reach.  The Grym Reaper was actually facing down with the Grim Reaper at the time of its recording, which, unfortunately, made their group name more inappropriate than incidental.  

Poetic and Frukwan kept the Gravediggaz house in order as best as they could, calling upon a handful of outside collaborators for assistance when needed, including a few Wu-Tang contacts they had made during The RZA's tenure.  Prince Paul stopped by to give his blessing, his original brainchild having gained a life of its own, but, unsurprisingly, The RZA was "too busy" (his publicist's words, I'm almost certain) to contribute to Nightmare In A-Minor.  This did nothing to dissuade Frukwan and Poetic, though: the duo handle the majority of the production themselves, having picked up many tips from the two former members of the crew who also happened to be music producers.


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