Search - Gravediggaz :: Nightmare in a Minor

The Final Chapter Of The Gravediggaz?

Gentleman | Florida | 10/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gravediggaz started on Niggamortis/6 Feet Deep (of course the 6 Feet Deep EP preceded the LP). Then came The Hell EP featuring Tricky. Gravediggaz then rose back up to their sequel LP, "The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel" which even though it was not considered as original as the debut of 6 Feet Deep/Niggamortis, it still received its rave reviews and (to my view) Gravediggaz still stood ground. Prince Paul was around, however he was only credited in one track.



Lastly, it comes down to this: Nightmare in A-Minor. However, no RZArector is here at all. And Prince Paul, aka Dr. Strange/Da Undertaker only was featured in the Intro (Mike Check) of the album introducing himself, Frukwan (da Gatekeeper), Too Poetic (AKA Grym Reaper, Tony Titanium), and the newest member of the Gravediggaz: DJ Diamond J (who remixed a version The Night the Earth Cried from the Import/Japan version + 12" single of "The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel" and whom was member of hip-hop group Caveman.) Some like to say that Gravediggaz here was only left to 2 members. Officially, though, it was still 4 (Diamond J replacing RZA). Most credit in this LP goes to Frukwan and Poetic along with the featured artists of Wu-Tang/Wu-Affiliates (including some artists from Killarmy, Sunz of Man, etc.), though, seeing as Frukwan and Poetic even produced most of the tracks as well.



Like Niggamortis/6 Feet Deep, Nightmare In A-Minor, also has another version(s) of it's own. The one you see in Amazon's images is the 2002 Empire/BMG re-release. Originally, though, Nightmare in A-Minor was released in 2001 through Echo International Records. The con about the 2002 version is that there's 2 tracks from the original version that were deleted (Current Eventz and Betta Wake Up), 3 tracks supposedly had different beats on the re-release (Running Game, Bloodshed, and Wanna Break), and several tracks were rearranged and renamed. I even found another different cover similar in looks to the Echo version I own (the other having a brownish background).



Now, the most important part: the music itself. This album was more concentrated on the rhymes and verses than the production itself, being alittle weaker since "The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel" had both ends of rhymes and beats. But, a couple of the tracks had really tight instrumentals competitive to the earlier Gravediggaz albums. As I see it, Poetic doesn't go as descriptive but Too Poetic is always going to be poetic (re-listening to Burn Baby Burn, word). Frukwan does still have flow and I personally take it hard judging his production skills and his mic skills since they're both above average but simpler beats. Some people have called this the 'darkest' album of the Gravediggaz but if we talkin 'dark' as in horror/horrorcore style, then it's not exactly. Niggamortis/6 Feet Deep still holds the title as the darkest. "Nightmare in A-Minor" is darker than "The Pick, the Sickle, and the Shovel" but still held some mediocre tracks nonetheless. Check it.



This is my track list from my album version:

1. Intro - "Mike Check" (feat. Prince Paul) 0:37

2. False Thingz Must Perish (feat. Prodigal Sunn of Sunz of Man; produced by Poetic) (9/10) 4:21

3. Burn Baby Burn (prod. by True Master) (7/10)

4. Killin' Fields (prod. by Diamond Track & Poetic) (9/10) 3:49

5. Zig Zag Chamber (prod. by Frukwan) (9/10) 4:13

6. Guard Ya Shrine (prod. by Poetic) (7/10) 2:16

7. End of Da World (prod. by Poetic) (8/10) 3:21

8. Today's Mathematics (prod. by Poetic) (8/10) 4:35

9. Current Eventz (prod. by Frukwan) (7/10) 3:56

Deleted track from 2001 version.

10. Last Man Standing (skit, prod. by L.G.) 2:20

11. Running Game (prod. by Frukwan) (8/10) 3:58

Supposedly was another track that had a different beat. I couldn't see a difference from the few seconds I heard in the 2002 version.

12. Bloodshed (prod. by Poetic) (10/10) 4:46

Beat is changed in re-release; the 2001 version is MUCH better than 2002.

13. Wanna Break (prod. by Frukwan) (9/10) 4:14

Beat is changed in re-release, there's less channels and a different harmony. They're both just as good but I personally like the 2002 version more, it's hype and simple.

14. Man Only Fears (feat. Shogun Assasson; prod. by True Master) (7/10) 3:57

15. East Coast - West Coast (skit) 0:22

16. Rest in Da East (prod. by Frukwan) (8/10) 4:19

17. God Vs. Devil (prod. by Frukwan) (7/10) 2:17

18. Better Wake Up (prod. by Poetic) (10/10) 4:57

Deleted track from 2001 version. (Terrible mistake by Empire/BMG; the sample of this beat was from the same of Lauryn Hill's Doo-Wop/That Thing)

19. Nightmare in A-Minor (feat. 4th Disciple & Beretta 9, prod. by True Master) (8/10) 4:32

20. Universal Shout-Outs (prod. by Poetic) 2:50

21. Da Crazies 0:52



So after this, is that it? No more Gravediggaz? There's supposedly two unreleased CD's sold on eBay frequently: Scenes from the Graveyard and 36 Chambers of Death along with a couple of Gravediggaz tour CD's that you can find, even though they're all probably bootleg or unofficial. As for Gravediggaz' 6 Feet Under, that's supposedly a bootleg of Frukwan's "Life", right? You can go back getting the 12" vinyls and singles that were released between the LP's also, including The Hell EP, Double Suicide Pack and the Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide EP (two tracks that aren't in any of the LP's: Freak the Sorceress and Resurrection of Freud). Sadly, after that - that's it. But Gravediggaz will always be known as the one of the deep originators of horrorcore, alongside Esham, Flatlinerz, Ganksta N.I.P., Insane Poetry, Brotha Lynch Hung, Triple 6 Mafia, Geto Boys, your Psycho + Logical Records, Psychopathic Records etc. etc. etc.



R.I.P. Too Poetic"

Thry're Back

Red | washington, dc | 07/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a sleeper for true heads, the Rza was the only missing link, other than that this was the best one yet!!!!!!!!!!"