The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel
The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel is the second studio album by hip hop supergroup Gravediggaz. Released on September 16, 1997, the album has a more socially conscious sound to it and is considerably calmer than its predecessor, and features heavy production input by the RZA and his production team the Wu Elements.
The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 1997 | |||
Studio | Ameraycan Studios, North Hollywood, CA Firehouse Studios, NY Paul's Coffee Shop Unique Recording, NY Wu Mansion, NJ | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 60:24 | |||
Label | Gee Street/V2/BMG Records 63881-32501 | |||
Producer | RZA (also exec.) Neil Robertson (exec.) 4th Disciple True Master Poetic Darkim Be Allah Frukwan Prince Paul | |||
Gravediggaz chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 6.5/10[2] |
Robert Christgau | ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Yahoo! Music | (favorable)[5] |
In contrast to the group's debut album, Prince Paul had less involvement in the production 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.
The vocals in the song "The Night The Earth Cried" was sampled in Raw Man's "Lovers".
Track listing
Track listing information is taken from the official liner notes and AllMusic.[6][7]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Intro" | 1:16 | ||
2. | "Dangerous Mindz" |
|
| 4:54 |
3. | "Da Bomb" |
| 4:10 | |
4. | "Unexplained" |
| 2:58 | |
5. | "Twelve Jewelz" |
| 2:51 | |
6. | "Fairytalez" |
|
| 4:46 |
7. | "Never Gonna Come Back" |
|
| 3:48 |
8. | "Pit Of Snakes" |
|
| 4:19 |
9. | "The Night The Earth Cried" |
|
| 4:32 |
10. | "Elimination Process" (Featuring Shabazz The Disciple, Omen and the Aleem Brothers) |
|
| 5:37 |
11. | "Repentance Day" (Featuring Sunz Of Man and Killah Priest) |
| 5:18 | |
12. | "Hidden Emotions" |
|
| 6:17 |
13. | "What's Goin' On" (Featuring 9TH Prince) |
|
| 4:32 |
14. | "Deadliest Biz" |
| 3:03 | |
15. | "Outro" |
| 1:17 | |
Total length: | 59:38 |
Notes
- "Fairytalez" features background vocals by Kelis Rogers.
- "What's Goin' On" features background vocals by Blue Rasberry.
Samples
- "Unexplained" contains a sample of "Wild Flower" by New Birth.
- "Fairytalez" contains a sample of "Themes From Montreal Olympics" by The Salsoul Orchestra.
- "Never Gonna Come Back" contains a sample of "Love Serenade" by Barry White.
References
- Allmusic link
- link
- Robert Christgau link
- Rolling Stone link
- Yahoo! Music link
- The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel (booklet). Gravediggaz. Gee Street/V2/BMG Records. 1997. 63881-32501.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "The Pick, The Sickle and the Shovel - Gravediggaz". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2020.