The Pick, the Sickle and the Shovel, released October 14 1997, was the second album by the Gravediggaz, an influential hip hop supergroup.

This 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. On the album, R&B singer Kelis is featured on the track “Fairytalez,” said to be Kelis' first studio appearance of her career, recorded two years before her debut album Kaleidoscope was released.

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