"Gravel Pit"
is a single released by the Wu-Tang Clan for their album The W
. It was not as popular in the U.S. as other Wu-Tang Clan singles like "C.R.E.A.M." and "Uzi (Pinky Ring)". It did however, receive major radio play, and topped the music video show 106 and Park for two weeks straight. It is also their only Top 40 hit in the UK, peaking in the top ten at number six.
The chorus of the song: "Back, back and forth and forth..." is taken from the funkgroup Cameo's song "Back And Forth". The hook of the song: "Check out my gravel pit..." is sung by Paulissa Morgan. According to The Wu-Tang Manual the beat for the track was sampled from Antoine Duhamel's soundtrack to a French TV miniseries entitled Belphegor
.
|
GRAVEL PIT TICKETS
|
Music video
The music video, directed by
Joseph Khan, features the Wu-Tang Clan arguing in their
time machine, and in argument accidentally sending themselves back to "2,000,000 BC", which bears strong resemblance to the representation of the Stone Age in
The Flinstones
. The "gravel pit" is a large fancy stone/bone pit, apparently a
casino, with a fountain, stone age cars, dancing women one of them being actress
Tamala Jones listed as crystal diamonds in the video, and surrounded by large dinosaurs. Ruled by the Wu-Tang Clan (with the exception of
Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was incarcerated at the time), who now have "stone age" personas and "caveman" clothing. At the end of the video "Bo Rockhard" (
Bokeem Woodbine) a Wu-Tang
ninja fights off a ward of other ninjas attacking the pit. The track's opening sound byte (as well as many found on the album) comes from a movie called "Short Eyes".
Samples
The song uses two samples. The trumpet introduction comes from "
It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown, while the sample running along the whole song is taken from the French TV miniseries
s main titles. It also took samples from the movie Enter the dragon.
Chart positions
- #70 (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
- #20 (Hot Rap Singles)
- #34 (Rhythmic Top 40)
fr:Gravel Pit